ACTIVO = PASIVO + PATRIMONIO

The very name Book of the Dead is a western creation. Tibetans call this The Great Libera-

tion Upon Hearing in the Intermediate State.

Publishing under a more sensational title was a marketing decision by western publishers.

Egyptology was popular in the 1920’s so by call- ing the Tibetan scriptures the Book of the Dead it evoked similar mysteries with the public as the Egyptian book of the same name.

The typical western viewpoint is that the Ti- betan Book of the Dead is a monolithic scrip- tural work. In reality it is a combination of many texts that are used for specific purposes. A comparison can be made to the Christian Bi- ble where some portions of it are read during funerals, others for weddings, and still oth- ers for baptisms and other noteworthy events. There have been many translations of these works during the last century that have con- fused the intention and meaning of the orig- inals texts. As with other translated books in

Call of Cthulhu the translations are debased

and convey less Mythos knowledge than the writings in their original language.

The first English translation was performed by Kazi Dawa Samdup who served as trans- lator to the British government political of- ficers in Sikkim.

After Samdup’s death in 1922 the translated text was reworked and footnoted by Dr. Walter Evans-Wentz, who was associated with Ma- dame Blavatsky’s Theosophical Society. The connection of Evans-Wentz to Samdup was through one of Samdup’s Tibetan language students, Alexandra David-Neel.

The large amount of footnotes in the Even- Wentz version printed by Oxford University Press in 1927 was strongly influenced by his exposure to the teachings of the Theosoph- ical society.

Later versions of the book replaced the Theo- sophical commentary with a psychological per- spective on the work by noted psychoanalyst Dr. Carl Jung.

There are two types of texts within the body of work called the Book of the Dead.

Sutras – Based on two distinct works translat-

ed from the original Sanskrit but known today only through their Tibetan versions. The first is titled Passing from One Existence to Another

Tibetan Religion - Secrets of Tibet and the second is Death and the Transmigration

of Souls.

Tantras – Comprised of works by many not-

ed Buddhist scholars over the centuries. A large number of them are written as a dialogue be- tween the Buddha and a group of the gods. The intention of many of the Tantras is to teach the dying individual how to pacify or defeat any de- mons that they meet after they die in a level of existence that is termed the Bardo. Other rituals are listed in the Tantras for the family of the de- ceased to perform in order to assure their loved one a favorable rebirth.

Bardo is the intermediate state between death and rebirth. If the person has sinned in their life then a considerable amount of the time that they spend wandering in the Bardo will be spent with demons tormenting them until they receive an unfavorable rebirth at a lower sta- tion, perhaps even as an insect.

The reading of the Sutras and the Tantras to the dying person is to prepare them for the follow- ing:

• How to recognize the omens and signs of death.

• Understanding of the internal and external signs of the natural process of dying.

• Methods of controlling their experience in the Bardo to minimize suffering.

• How to best assure a favorable rebirth. Tibetan Buddhism also has many texts con- taining information about dying for advanced practitioners. These works are focused on how to manipulate the experience of dying by using physical and psychological energies. The most advanced techniques are said to be those of the Kagyu School which is known as the Transmis- sion of the Oral Teaching Sect. The students of the Kagyu School practice subtle yoga tech- niques called Radiant Clear Light. This Clear Light is viewed as the highest level of conscious- ness, the most profound and hardest to achieve. Those that can extend the brief flash of Clear

Light at the moment of their death can break free of the endless cycle of death and rebirth.

In his book The Universe in a Single Atom, the Dalai Lama writes, “My own teacher Ling

Rinpoche remained in the clear light of death for thirteen days; although he was clinically dead and had stopped breathing, he stayed in the meditation posture and his body showed no sign of decomposition.”

One of the great scholars in the 8th centu- ry who wrote many of the works that com- prise part of the Book of the Dead was Pad- masambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche. He was the founder of the Nyingma-pa sect of Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhists believe that Padmasambhava concealed many of his sacred works around the country of Tibet in remote locations, such as caves and mountaintops, and that they will be discovered when they are most likely to have a benefit to the peo- ple of Tibet.

There is a subset of texts within the body of work known as the Tibetan Book of the Dead that is intended to be used by Bön sorcerers. The rituals within those writings deal with protecting a corpse from being attacked by demons. Bön exorcism is used as the primary defense against demons by means of a small doll effigy of the deceased. The magical de- fense tricks the demon into entering the doll and becoming trapped. When the Bön sorcerer declares that the attacking demon is trapped, he carries it out of the village with people yell- ing and beating drums to drive it away.

Drok-juk is a magical method used by sor- cerers to project their own consciousness into a dead human or animal body. It is referred to by the Tibetans as the reanimation of corpses, but never discussed publicly.

Reading the English translation of the Ti- betan Book of the Dead adds +1% Cthulhu Mythos, +5% Occult and +10% Tibetan Lore, and costs 1 Sanity (MR 2). The book in the original Tibetan adds +3% Cthulhu Mythos, +8% Occult, +10% Tibetan Lore and costs 1D4 Sanity (MR 6).