A LIBRARIAN’S ORIENTATION
What this book explores
Sogyal Rinpoche presents Tibetan Buddhist teachings on mind, impermanence, death, dying, compassion, spiritual practice, and the bardos, alongside guidance for caring for dying people. The book became a major Western introduction to Tibetan approaches to death, but its influence must now be read beside serious findings and allegations concerning its author and the Rigpa organization.
EDITORIAL NOTE
Why it’s in the Library
It maps a consequential body of teachings and a book that shaped hospice, spiritual-care, and afterlife conversations for many readers. Keeping it visible allows travelers to understand that influence without silently transferring the text's authority to its teacher or institution. The page models a necessary distinction: a resource can matter historically while safeguarding information materially changes how it should be approached.
Good starting place if…
You want an extensive Tibetan Buddhist-oriented account of dying and care and are prepared to hold the teachings beside serious safeguarding context.
Know before you begin…
Sogyal Rinpoche faced serious allegations of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, and independent review identified safeguarding failures in Rigpa. Inclusion is not endorsement of the author or organization. The book is not representative of all Tibetan Buddhism, medical palliative care, or evidence that its after-death claims are verified. Readers harmed by spiritual authority may reasonably choose another source.