Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Biography

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is the most famed Buddhist text in the west. Since it's publication in 1927, it has sold over a million copies and served as inspiration for philosophy, music, and religion over the century. Now, Donald Lopez examines the history of this book, showing how a relatively obscure and malleable collection of Buddhist texts of uncertain origins came to be revered - and severely misunderstood - in Western culture. Starting off with an examination of Walter Evens-Wentz, who despite knowing nothing of the Tibetan language and culture and had never even visited the country, crafted and named The Tibetan Book of the Dead and put a uniquely American spin on the spirituality within the texts. This fascinating look into the origins of this famous text is more relevant now than ever before with the rise of Buddhism in America as it shows both how The Tibetan Book of the Dead took off while addressing the commodification of its origins.

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