Thurman on Translation and Death
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UR: In the introductory chapter to your recent translation of
The Tibetan Book of the Dead, you write that death is 'a
strong force close to life, a powerful impulse to the good, an
intensifier of positive attitudes and actions.' What do you mean by
that?
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THURMAN: On a very human level, Tibetan culture shares our
Western attitude towards death, that it is a frightening and tragic
end of life. On a more spiritual level, however, Tibetans have
learned that death forces everyone to let go of everything: You let
go of your mind, your personality, and your sense of control over
reality. And that is what Buddhism teaches, that nothing we think
we are, do, feel, or have has any stability. This state of letting
go can also happen in moments of great pleasure, like in orgasm, or
sometimes when you make a great gift or a great self-overcoming.
Heroic acts are done when people let go of their normal
self-guarding attitudes; at the moment of death, then, everyone
comes into some sort of heroic state. If you try to be aware that
life is fundamentally let-go-able, even when you're not actually
facing death, then you can begin to live in a more 'letting-go'
way. You can become more sensitive in your interactions, more free,
and more open. Being aware of death, even rehearsing death in
meditation can make your life more rich. The art of dying is as
important as the art of living.
You can contact Robert Thurman c/o Tibet
House, 241 E. 32nd St., New York, NY 10016; 212/213-5592.
Subscription information for the Tibet House Drum, the
bi-annual newsletter of Tibet House New York, is available from the
same address.
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