The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Impermanence is a fundamental concept in Buddhist philosophy. It represents the transient nature of all existence. The impermanence principle signifies that every form of life and matter is in a constant state of flux and eventual dissolution. In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Rinpoche teaches that this principle is a vital truth that influences every aspect of life, death, and reincarnation. By embracing impermanence, individuals are encouraged to live more fully in the present, cultivate detachment from material and emotional fixations, and approach the inevitability of death not with fear but as an opportunity for spiritual awakening and liberation.

Samsara, in Buddhist philosophy, denotes the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, a perpetual wandering through existences characterized by suffering and driven by ignorance, desire, and aversion. In The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, samsara is the existential backdrop against which the journey of the soul is articulated. The work explores the ways in which understanding and ultimately liberating oneself from samsara can lead to a state beyond suffering—nirvana.

Bardos is a term derived from Tibetan Buddhism. It appears in the title of the seminal work Bardo Thodol (The Tibetan Book of the Dead). Bardos refer to the intermediate states between death and rebirth.