A Travel Guide

I did not know quUma Thurman, the cute singer of Pulp Fiction Tarantino film, was the daughter of Robert Thurman, the translator of this book. Thurman graduated Harvard in Sanskrit, studied Buddhism with Ngawang Wangyal, who founded the first monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in America. He was the first American Tibetan Buddhist monk. Given his resume, it can be considered as a reliable translation. The Dalai Lama has prefaced the book, but contrary to its description by Amazon says it does neither written nor translated. The book was written in the eighth century by Padma Sambhava.
Half of this book, in her new fuller translation, is devoted to a presentation of Tibet and Buddhism, followed by a glossary, which makes it more accessible for the casual reader. Despite the fact that he was a Buddhist monk himself, The approach Thurman is objective, scientific, elivery nexige no mysticism and no act of faith on the part of the reader.
According to Buddhism, everything is impermanence, and the existence of all living organisms can be considered as an eternal journey. The path the human being has been long, since the appearance of life on Earth, under damibes shape, and the road ahead will be long. Along with this evolution of matter, mind has evolved. What the Indians called "Atman" or equivalent of the soul, also transmigrated for billions of years, through life, death and rebirth in all its forms.
Seen in this light, death is not that terrifying thing that puts an end to any hope, but only a step in this long journey of life quest. When you make a long trip, this is the least we sy prepare, consulting guides, maps and other useful information. This book is nothing but quun accompanying manual to guide beings to the brink of death, which is just one intermediate state during the period from death to rebirth.