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ZSUZSA MAJER on the websites of different Tibetan Buddhist organizations which often have books or fliers published or made available online with advices on death and dying. If we turn our attention to descriptions of Tibetan death rituals in travellers’ books and early scholarly literature, we have many useful sources. In Waddell’s book there is a chapter on astrology, divination, sorcery and necromancy including death ceremonies.* Evans-Wentz devotes a section to the death ceremonies, funeral and burial traditions in his book.* Nebesky-Wojkowitz has descriptions of several connected rituals in different chapters of his book“, such as the ceremonies ransoming from death (Tib. ‘chi bslu) or using a substitute (Tib. glud, ling ka, glud gtor)°, glud, ‘chi glud or ‘chi bslu ceremonies, and mdos ceremonies’, and the ceremony where the dead and the living are simbolically separated". Snellgrove in his book devotes a chapter to the description of Tibetan death rituals? in which he describes in detail the ceremony with the name-card as substitute for the person, through which the deceased is released from each of the six spheres in turn, and is shown the way to the pure buddha-field of Avalokitesvara. Beyer’ does not deal with death ceremonies separately, but mentions of the signs of death, dying and connected rites, long life initiations, the rituals of ransoming death, and of course the Bardo tédol text. Kvaerne in his two works gives descriptions of Tibetan Bon death rituals"', including the transference of consciousness (Tib. ‘pho ba) performed immediately after death, the recitation of the Tib. bar do thos grol guidance for the deceased, another ritual in which the consciousness of the deceased is led along the path to liberation by displaying various cards (Tib. tsag /i) to a picture (Tib. byang bu) of the deceased into which his consciousness is summoned. This includes also making an effigy of the deceased out of dough and offering it as a ransom (Tib. glud) to malevolent spirits. At the end the picture of the deceased is burned. He also mentions the cremation of the corpse. Germano” gives descriptions of three Tibetan 3 Waddell, Laurence Austine: The Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism. 2" ed. London 1934, pp. 450-500. 4 Evans-Wentz, W. Y.: The Tibetan Book of the Dead. 2" ed. London 1949, pp. 18-28. > Nebesky-Wojkowitz, R. de: Oracles and Demons of Tibet. The Cult and Iconography of Tibetan Protective Deities. S-Gravenhage 1956. Chapter XVIII. Sacrificial objects and offernigs, pp. 343-368; Chapter XIX. Thread-crosses and thread-cross ceremonies, pp. 369-397; Chapter XXVI. Protection against evil, pp. 503-537. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, R. de: Oracles and Demons, pp. 359-362. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, R. de: Oracles and Demons, pp. 503-537. Nebesky-Wojkowitz, R. de: Oracles and Demons, p. 511. Snellgrove, David: Buddhist Himalaya. Oxford—Glasgow—London 1957. Chapter ‘Guiding the Consciousness after Death’, pp. 262-274. Beyer, Stephan: The Cult of Tara: Magic and Ritual in Tibet. University of California Press, Berkeley — Los Angeles — London 1978. Kvaerne, Per: Tibet Bon Religion: A Death Ritual of the Tibetan Bonpos. Iconography of Religions Section 12 — East and Central Asia (Book 13). E. J. Brill, Leiden 1985; Kvaerne, Per: Cards for the Dead. In: Religions of Tibet in Practice. Abridged Edition. Ed. Donald S. — Lopez, Jr. Princeton University Press, Princeton — Oxford 2007, pp. 372-376. Germano, David: Dying, Death, and Other Opportunities. In: Religions of Tibet in Practice. Princeton University Press, Princeton — New Jersey 1997, pp. 351-357. © 0 a a 350
