Good Life, Good Death: Tibetan Wisdom on Reincarnation - Hardcover

Stories of reincarnation, of eerie recognitions and unexplainable knowledge, send a shiver up the spine. In Good Life, Good Death, Rinpoche Nawang Gehlek, himself a proclaimed reincarnation of a lama of high stature, passes on some of the accumulated wisdom regarding the Buddhist notion of reincarnation. Whereas many Western teachers of Buddhism shy away from the topic or even deny it, Nawang Gehlek tells us, in very simple language, how reincarnation happens. Even more importantly, he teaches how to prepare for a good death and a good next life. In fact, the largest portion of the book is a primer on eliminating anger and attachment while cultivating patience and awareness. Transforming bad karma to good is the key to a favorable rebirth. Also important is eliminating the role of the ego, and Nawang Gehlek offers nine pithy arguments to "prove the ego wrong." Those looking for a technically detailed account of Tibetan Buddhist reincarnation should look elsewhere, for instance to the various versions of The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Good Life, Good Death is a short, plainly spoken guide to the reality of dying and the possibility of a good reincarnation. And to this extent, it succeeds admirably. --Brian Bruya

Rimpoche N. Gehlek was trained by the same teachers who taught the Dalai Lama, and was fully educated in Tibet. He is a favorite speaker at the Omega Institute, the Open Center, and countless spiritual centers around the world. His students cover the full range: Buddhists, Hollywood actors, esteemed composers and musicians.