The Hidden History of the Tibetan Book of the Dead
Bryan J. Cuevas
Reviews and Awards
"Cuevas' achievement lies in his association of a time, place, and likely author(s) with the earliest works, a major step forward in our understanding of this genre. The presentation of the sophisticated religious milieu of the text's 'revealers' is lucid, grounded as it is in a strong command of the literature. Historical developments relating to hagiography, textual transmission, funeral liturgy, and other matters are treated with similar ease...In many ways, this constitutes a model contribution to Tibetan studies." --Religious Studies Review
" ...deserves to be highly recommended as a precious contribution to the field of the fascinating Tibetan Book of the Dead" --Journal of Asian Studies
" ...deserves to be highly recommended as a precious contribution to the field of the fascinating Tibetan Book of the Dead" --Journal of Asian Studies
"Cuevas's book is required reading for anyone seriously interested in the Tibetan Book of the Dead."--Choice
"The Tibetan Book of the Dead is without doubt the Tibetan work best known in the West and in the three-quarters of a century since its initial translation it has won a secure place for itself in the Religious Studies canon. Nevertheless, its actual history and role in Tibetan religious culture have remained topics of ignorance, even among scholars of Buddhism. In The Hidden History of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, Bryan Cuevas now masterfully addresses these matters, shedding welcome light on a celebrated book and on Tibetan religious history more generally."--Matthew Kapstein, Professor, The University of Chicago, Director of Tibetan Studies, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris
"Works that are considered to be timeless world classics arose at specific times and in specific places. The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one such work, and it is through understanding its time and its place that we can gain new insights into many meanings. In this compelling study, Bryan Cuevas provides a lamp that illuminates this book that we thought we knew so well."--Donald S. Lopez, author of Prisoners of Shangri-La: Tibetan Buddhism and the West and The Story of Buddhism: A Concise Guide to Its History and Teachings