Waiting at the Mountain Pass - Harmandeep Kaur Gill

Non-Fiction

Verdict: Read it.

Tibet and the Tibetan diaspora are rather politically charged topics. While the author wasn't being intentionally political, there were, of course, political topics that were touched upon.

Every culture has its ideas on death. As most Tibetans and displaced Tibetans are Buddhists, Buddhist philosophy informs their views on death. This book examines the philosophies that Tibetans have as they reach the end of their lives and die. The author does a very clinical and research-disciplined discussion on the topics, even while including stories from the Tibetan Diaspora itself. 

Tibet and displaced Tibetans aren't a population that is naturally accessible to me, so this was interesting to read. I enjoy reading different cultural interpretations of life evens as well. The author uses a few different diaspora locations, 2 of which I have been to during my time in India - Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh and Bylakuppe in Karnataka. The author does wander into the reasons for the diaspora and why it deeply affects displaced people. It is a diversion, but one I feel should be discussed more, so I won't nitpick on that.

The author also examines why this process can be a lonely and isolating one for many people, though I believe that's true for many people, not so many stay with family anymore. It's not the most feel-good topic, but it is a universal one. I feel it's a good read if you've read the Tibetan Book of the Dead, or as a pre-amble to that.

I won't comment on my own pre- or post-death philosophy, but there is something uniting about contemplating something everyone must pass through, but no one knows what's on the other side.

~Becky~

The Tibetan Book of Death - W.Y. Egans - Wentz

Non-Fiction

Read it

I find learning about culture exhilerating, especially those that seem super exotic from my own. I've been meaning to read this for quite some time. I knew the title wouldn't exactly be similar to what's in the book, but a book about Book of the Dead is pretty interesting to contemplate. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't what it was. That being said, it was a fascinating and well worth the time read.

When I first started it, the initial chapter/introduction are intimidating. Like Advanced Level college intimidating. I wasn't sure I would be able to get through it. I decided to stick it out and I'm glad I did. The book walks through a ritual that Tibetans follow upon and after death. What cultures think happens after death is usually interesting, this was no exception. It was compiled with the help of Tibetans for translation.

Tibetan Buddhism is a pretty esoteric religion. I've been through the college level intro into what is Buddhism, but like anything else, the more you dig the more you find. The author and translator have helpfully added many many footnotes that I relied upon to help my understanding. The idea of  "Bardo" or the plane one finds oneself after death was especially interesting to contemplate, as were the different things that can happen according to Buddhism and how strong the person's belief was. 

I'll definitely say this was not something everyone might enjoy reading. But if you would like to Geek out and understand what Tibetan Buddhists think of what happens after death, this will definitely be a good one for you.

Read it.

~Becky~