Becker, C. B. (1985). Views from Tibet: NDEs and the Book of the Dead. Journal of Near-Death Studies, 5(1) 3-20.
Abstract: This article presents a Tibetan perspective on near-death experiences (NDEs) and life after death. Tibetans have been concerned with death and deathbed visions from ancient times. After reviewing the beliefs of the Bon religion and of Vajrayana Buddhism, this article focuses on the theories of the Tibetan Bardo Thodol or Book of the Dead (Evans-Wentz, 1957). Many similarities to modern NDE reports are noted, including hearing a noise and moving through darkness into light, out-of-body-type experiences, heavenly and hellish deities and scenery, life-review and judgment, etc. It is seen that the Tibetan Buddhist philosophical idealism, while challenging traditional paradigms, has potential to explain some previously inadequately understood NDE findings such as personal and cultural variations.
Copyright: © 2008 International Association for Near-Death Studies
Link: http://www.iands.org
Topics:
Afterlife, Belief in
Characteristics of NDEs—Autoscopy, Out-of-Body
Characteristics of NDEs—Emotions, Distressing
Characteristics of NDEs—Emotions, Pleasurable
Characteristics of NDEs—Parapsychological Phenomena NOS
Cross-Cultural NDEs
Explanations of NDEs—Philosophical
Nearing Death and NDEs NOS
Religion and NDEs—Buddhism
Shamanism and NDEs