John lennon wrote tomorrow never knows in january 1966, with lyrics adapted from the book the psychedelic experience. The psychedelic experience a manual based on the tibetan. In 1964, the most famous lsd prophet and fbi informant, timothy leary, along with richard alpert and ralph metzner, wrote the psychedelic experience, which was based off the teachings of the tibetan book of the dead and established the philosophy turn off your mind, relax, float downstream. A manual based on the tibetan book of the dead by drs.
The tibetan book of the dead or the bardo thodol is the english translation of the famous tibetan death text, the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state. Jul 14, 2011 as its name suggests, the book is a manual inspired by the buddhist funerary text liberation through hearing during the intermediate state, more commonly known as the tibetan book of the dead. Mar 21, 2017 it is based on the tibetan book of the dead, an ancient mortuary text properly called the bar do thos grol, which would be read aloud to a dying or dead person, and describes the process of death. Download the tibetan book of the dead free pdf ebook. The text is said to have been composed in the 8th century by padmasambhava and re discovered in the 12th century. Quotations on the tibetan book of the dead, buddhism, clear. The compendium of texts known as the tibetan book of the dead contains exquisitely written guidance and practices related to transforming our experience in daily life, on how to address the processes of dying and the afterdeath state, and on how to help those who are dying. The author wrote, i have written the tibetan book of living and dying as the quintessence of the heartadvice of all my masters, to be a new tibetan book of the. The tibetan book of the dead and neardeath experiences. The approach of comparing it with the egyptian book of the dead in terms of mythology and lore of the dead person seems to miss the point, which is the fundamental principle of birth and death recurring constantly in. The tibetan book of the dead was called in its own language the bardo thodol, which means liberation by hearing on the afterdeath plane.
In 1964, leary, alpert, and ralph metzner published the book the psychedelic experience. A manual based on the tibetan book of the dead by timothy leary and richard alpert that was an adaptation of. After reading this guide, the prepared person should be able, at the very beginning of his. The tibetan book of the dead has made been an interesting appearance in popular culture over the past couple years. The tibetan book of the dead or the afterdeath experiences on the bardo plane english translation by lama kazi dawasamdup compiled and edited by w. A manual based on the tibetan book of the dead by timothy leary, richard alpert and ralph metzner, which was in turn adapted from the tibetan book of the dead. Quotations on the tibetan book of the dead, buddhism. The tibetan book of the dead, whose actual title is the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state or bardo thodol, is traditionally believed to be the work of the legendary padma sambhava in the 8th century a. May 06, 2017 the tibetan book of the dead, whose actual title is the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state or bardo thodol, is traditionally believed to be the work of the legendary padma. The tibetan book of the dead by gyurme dorje, hardcover. According to buddhist scholar and translator robert thurman father of uma, the tibetan book of the dead, or bardo thodol, organizes the experiences of the betweentibetan, bardo usually referring to the state between death and rebirth. But when sixties liberationism met the occultas it did with the manson murdersit was often with sordid consequences. Before his appearance, the film provides some brief context of his supposed incarnation from the th dalai lama and his rise to governance, then exile.
Oct 10, 2019 the tibetan book of the dead has been traditionally attributed to padmasambhava, an indian mystic who was said to have introduced buddhism to tibet in the 8th century. D the book acts as a guide for the dead during the state that intervenes death and the next rebi. Whenever in doubt, turn off your mind, relax, float downstream. Tibetan book of the dead evanswentz tibetan verses of the bardo the invocation tibetan book of the dead houston i tibetan book of the dead houston ii. His eyes soon alighted upon a copy of the psychedelic experience, dr timothy learys psychedelic version of the tibetan book of the dead. Like the egyptian book of the dead it is meant to be a guide for the dead man during the period of his bardo existence. The text describes owns own consciousness, not formed into anything, in reality void, and the intellect, shining and blissful,these two,are inseparable. Manual based on the tibetan book of the dead by timothy leary, richard alpert, and. During that time, i have drawn on traditions outside the mahayana.
Astrology, kabala, hippies, yogis, witchcraft, satanism, drugs, ufosthey all became the common currency they are today. The title of this song came from ringo starrs phrase tomorrow never knows that he said in a television interview in 1964. My deepest work with tibetan buddhism has been with the tibetan book of the dead. The bardo thodol is recited by tibetan buddhist lamas over a dying or recently deceased person in order for them to recognize the nature of their mind and attain liberation from the cycle of rebirth. It is based on the tibetan book of the dead, an ancient mortuary text. The tibetan book of the dead is very hard to understand in that it is written mainly in symbols. The finale of my eightmovement composition tibetan book of the dead.
John lennon was not referring to actual floating when he sang, turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream in the beatles groundbreaking 1966 record tomorrow never knows. Nov 15, 2011 the finale of my eightmovement composition tibetan book of the dead. The tibetan book of the dead is a most unusual book in the annals of recorded thought. According to the tibetan book of the dead, it is enough to think of a place to find yourself there immediately, even if it is at the other end of the world. In this quote jung settles for the exoteric and misses the esoteric. People want to know what happens after death, so a book like the tibetan book of the dead naturally becomes a source of curiosity. He will cut off your head, rip out your heart, pull out your guts, lick your. When in doubt, relax, turn off your mind, float downstream. In turn off your mind, gary lachman delves deep into the dark heart of the mystical sixties. The tibetan book of the dead is a kind of baedeker for the.
In this first installment above, the tibetan book of the dead. Jun 22, 2018 i have been a practicing zen buddhist for the last 38 years. Leonard cohen narrates film on the tibetan book of the. Thurman reveals the true spirit of the ancient text in a way that reaches modern minds and this is important, if we were to publish any ancient text as originally written very few would grasp the true meaning. A way of life, the dalai lama weighs in with his own views on life and death at 33. Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream it is not dying, it is not dying. After reading this guide, the prepared person should be able, at the. John lennon buys timothy learys the psychedelic experience. Tibetan book of the dead mind of clear light youtube. The book is a reinterpretation of the tibetan book of the dead and a guide to understanding it through psychedelic drugs.
The tibetan book of the dead says that everything you see is a symbolic representation of your mind. When he looks into the mirror of evolution, all your sins and virtues will clearly and distinctly appear therein. A manual based on the tibetan book of the dead is best remembered for the line whenever in doubt, turn off your mind, relax, float downstream, which was lifted by john lennon for the song tomorrow never knows on the beatles 1966 album, revolver. Tomorrow never knows is a song by the english rock band the beatles, written primarily by. While the book of the dead has, of course, a long and illustrious history in tibetan buddhist life, it also has its place in the history of the west. As its name suggests, the book is a manual inspired by the buddhist funerary text liberation through hearing during the intermediate state, more commonly known as the tibetan book of the dead. The message of the book there seems to be a fundamental problem when we refer to the subject of the tibetan book of the dead. Invocation o god, boundless light of this reality, o loving and fierce celestial beings, angels and guides, o great spiritual teachers and saints i acknowledge the oneness of the infinite potential. The book stresses over and over that the free consciousness has only to hear and remember the teachings in order to be liberated. The tibetan book of the dead, the egyptian book of the dead, dmt and dying. This book in its deeper levels of meaning deals with problems common to the state of life. Like many religious texts, the tibetan book of the dead has an esoteric as well as a literal meaning.
Oct 21, 2005 the tibetan book of the dead translated by gyurme dorje, edited by graham coleman with thupten jinpa 496pp, penguin classics. The buddhist sect responsible for this manuscript holds that with death man passes into what they call the bardo world. The author wrote, i have written the tibetan book of living and dying as the quintessence of the heartadvice of all my masters, to be a new tibetan book of the dead and a tibetan book of life. It takes time, effort, and a particular frame of mind, to truly get to grips with the text. The book includes the line, turn off your mind, relax, and float downstream, which john lennon later adopted for the lyrics to the beatles song tomorrow never knows. In the tibetan book of the dead, the void is reality, the allgood. This transmission was kept alive in the surmang monasteries of the trungpa lineage, and from there it. Jul 30, 2019 when john sang, turn off your mind, relax and float downstream, the leary quote got the ultimate framing via ringos thunderous drums and the sound engineers recording trick. Seven teachings from the tibetan book of living and dying.
We have a range of more detailed works and c ommentaries on the tibetan book of dead here on the site, do a search. Eastern philosophy became en vogue during the mid1960s and lennon became attracted to its themes of death, rebirth, and clear light of reality. Topics tibetan buddhism, mahayana, tantric buddhism, bardo. The tibetan book of the dead, whose actual title is the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state or bardo thodol, is traditionally believed to. The tibetan book of the dead is not correctly named. But you can turn off your mind, and go to the part which maharishi described as. The beatles tomorrow never knows lyrics genius lyrics. To be honest with you, only someone fairly adept in yogic practice can pull it off. Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream it is not dying, it is not dying lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void it is shining, it is shining that. Graham coleman, the tibetan book of the dead observations related to examining the nature of mind be certain that the nature of mind is empty and without foundation. When john sang, turn off your mind, relax and float downstream, the leary quote got the ultimate framing via ringos thunderous drums and the sound engineers recording trick. It is considered one of the most unusual texts of its type and is still studied by. John lennon wrote this, and described it as my first psychedelic song.
Lennon would read it while tripping on lsd, and according to his biographer albert goldman, he recorded himself reading from the book, played it back while tripping on lsd, and wrote the song. This movement represents the realization of unity between birth and death. I have read the tibetan book of the dead, but i havent. A manual based on the tibetan book of the dead, which lennon discovered at indica books and gallery inspiration for paperback writer. The tibetan book of the dead quotes by padmasambhava. Now, in one of the years most important publishing events, the entire text has not only been made available in english but in a. It is not nothingness, but rather is intellect itself, unobstructed, shining, thrilling, and blissful, is the very consciousness, the allgood buddha. But presumably unbeknownst to lennon at that time, there is. The book acts as a guide for the dead during the state that intervenes death and the next rebirth. Evans wentz e book by summum foreword this book is the first english language translation of the famous tibetan death text, the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state.
So im sure most people are aware that timothy leary and ram dass created a book based on the tibetan book of the dead and applying its principles to the psychedelic experience if you havent read it, its pretty astonishing how closely the descriptions of the bardos, or consciousness states during the death. The tibetan book of the dead is ostensibly a book describing the. Rather, the song was inspired by the psychedelic experience, timothy learys howto guide for lsd users, based on the tibetan book of the dead. Bardo thodol thangka, deities associated with the socalled tibetan book of the dead. For the best answers, search on this site they are different and so you have to buy both. Then it says, lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void it is shining.
The tibetan book of the dead, or bardo thodol, is considered a key text in understanding early tibetan religious views on life, death, and the afterlife. Basically the song is saying what meditation is all about. In 1964, the most famous lsd prophet and fbi informant, timothy leary, along with richard alpert and ralph metzner, wrote the psychedelic experience, which was based off the teachings of the tibetan book of the dead and established the philosophy turn off. Yama will tie a rope around your neck and lead you away.
So it deals with the top of the treadmill as well as the bottom of it. It is based on the tibetan book of the dead, an ancient mortuary text properly called the bar do thos grol, which would be read aloud to a dying or dead person, and describes the process of. There are other translations of the tibetan book of the dead, but i like this one by robert thurman, his knowledge of tibetan buddhism being highly regarded. The tibetan book of the dead, or the bardo thodol, is a book of instructions for the dead and dying. One of the greatest works created by any culture and overwhelmingly the most significant of all tibetan buddhist texts in the west, the tibetan book of the dead has had a number of distinguished translations, but none encompassed the work in its entirety. It is also the inspiration for the psychedelic experience. You can take from it what you need, or take all of it, and make of it what you will. Indica books was situated on the ground floor, with the gallery downstairs. I have been a practicing zen buddhist for the last 38 years. Lennon said he bought the book, went home, took lsd, and followed the instructions exactly as stated in the text.
Interviews with tibetan lamas, american scholars and practicing buddhists help explain the ancient text. The tibetan book of the dead is ostensibly a book describing the experiences to be expected at the moment of death, during an. Oct 09, 2011 according to peter brown, the lyrics of tomorrow never knows are based on the tibetan book of the dead, also known as liberation through hearing during the intermediate state and the bardo thodol. So the song starts out by saying, turn off your mind, relax and float downstream, it is not dying. The tibetan book of living and dying, written by sogyal rinpoche in 1992, is a presentation of the teachings of tibetan buddhism based on the tibetan book of the dead or bardo thodol. Dying, dmt, the tibetan book of the dead, and the egyptian. It is in fact, a manual for the tibetan book of the dead aka the tibetan book of.
He had found the first line of tomorrow never knows, one of the beatles most innovative songs. The tibetan book of the dead, a traditional buddhist scripture, is read to the dead or dying to facilitate liberation during the process of death. People get overly literal about neardeath experiences and forget that theyre seeing their own thoughts. Bardo thodol means liberation by hearing on the after death plane, it was originally written in tibetan and is meant to be a guide for those who have died as they transition from their former life to a new destination. People want to know what happens after death, so a book like the tibetan book of the dead naturally becomes a. The goal of meditation is to go beyond that is, transcend waking, sleeping and dreaming.
John was delighted and settled down on the settee with the book. How did this tibetan guide to dying sell three million copies. It was inspired by timothy leary and richard alperts book the psychedelic experience. The tibetan book of the dead a clear and empty mind. Leonard cohen narrates film on the tibetan book of the dead. The tibetan book of the dead is a buddhist text written as a guide for those who have passed from this life. Evans wentz ebook by summum foreword this book is the first english language translation of the famous tibetan death text, the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state. I think many people fear death because of not understanding it. A manual based on the tibetan book of the dead by timothy leary and richard alpert that was an adaptation of tibetan book of the dead. It deals with the art of living as well as the art of dying. The bardo thodol otherwise known as the tibetan book of the dead is a well known meditators guide for navigating the dreamlike world of the bardo. By kevin williams the tibetan book of the dead, whose actual title is the great liberation upon hearing in the intermediate state or bardo thodol, is traditionally believed to be the work of the legendary padma sambhava in the 8th century a.
They adapted that recommendation from a line in the tibetan book of the dead. Right away, on page 14 in learys introduction, he read, whenever in doubt, turn off your mind, relax, float downstream. Both print and audio versions of the translation are included in this production and should be well received by scholars and experienced practitioners. It teaches us about the interplay of life and death and is a spiritual classic for all seekers on a path to living a full and happy life. The tibetan book of the dead taboo jive say your piece. Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream it is not dying, it is not dying lay down all thoughts, surrender to the void it is shining, it is shining yet you may see the meaning of within it is being, it is being love is all and love is everyone it is knowing, it is knowing that ignorance and hates may mourn the dead. The book is a reinterpretation of the tibetan book of the dead and a guide to understanding it. Its a book that teaches you about inner states of awareness as you examine the more esoteric side of the tibetan book of the dead, which is really understood only by a few initiates, we come to see that what the tibetan book of the dead is a guide for. What is the best english translation of the tibetan book. Look at your own mind to see whether it is like that or not. The deceased must not use his power to wander in places that he has frequented in life or to find people he knows.