TheTibetan Book of the Dead,a best-seller for three decades, is one of the most widely read texts of Tibetan Buddhism. Over the years, it has been studied and cherished by Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike.Luminous Emptinessis a detailed guide to this classic work, elucidating its mysterious concepts, terms, and imagery. Fremantle relates the symbolic world of theTibetan Book of the Deadto the experiences of everyday life, presenting the text not as a scripture for the dying, but as a guide for the living. According to the Buddhist view, nothing is permanent or fixed. The entire world of our experience is constantly appearing and disappearing at every moment. Using vivid and dramatic imagery, theTibetan Book of the Deadpresents the notion that most of us are living in a dream that will continue from lifetime to lifetime until we truly awaken by becoming enlightened. Here, Fremantle, who worked closely with Chouml;gyam Trungpa on the 1975 translation of theTibetan Book of the Dead(Shambhala), brings the expertise of a lifetime of study to rendering this intriguing classic more accessible and meaningful to the living.Luminous Emptinessfeatures in-depth explanations of: The Tibetan Buddhist notions of death and rebirth The meaning of the five energies and the five elements in Tibetan Buddhism The mental and physical experience of dying, according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition

Francesca Fremantle received her doctorate from the School of Asian and African Studies at London University. She is a scholar and translator of Sanskrit and Tibetan works and was a student of Ch÷gyam Trungpa for many years.