Jamba Juice

The "Tibetan book of the Dead" video explores how the Tibetan culture views the significance of death and its role in the society. The typology explored in this video finds its roots in the India tree and falls more specifically within the realm of Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is heavily influenced by Mahayana Buddhism and Lamaism which develops into the Vajrayana branch of Buddhism . The following essay will outline the major concepts developed in the video, delve into how the three components of cosmology relate to this typology and explore how my beliefs and convictions relate to the typology.

The majority of the film is set in the small village of Ladak in the northern India it was essentially isolated from major developments in technology, conventions, norms and the evolution of what we know as today's society. As such it presents an ideal situation to see how this culture sustained its beliefs in death and how they dealt with it. Furthermore, part of the film explores how the beliefs of the Tibetan religion interconnect with the last days of an individual in Western Society.

Leading the Dead

As is typical of Buddhism, the mourning and the rituals associated with death and dying are not based on the teachings of the Bible. Instead the rituals are based on the spiritual guide and teaching of the Bardo Thodol, the Tibetan book of the dead. The video itself explores how the Bardo Thodol is used during the days leading up to death and its continued use after death.