The-Tibetan-Book-of-Living-and-Dying

Preface
I WAS BORN IN TIBET, and I was six months
old when I entered the monastery of my master Jamyang
Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, in the province of Kham. In Tibet we
have a unique tradition of finding the reincarnations of great
masters who have passed away. They are chosen young and
given a special education to train them to become the teachers
of the future. I was given the name Sogyal, even though it
was only later that my master recognized me as the incarnation
of Tertön Sogyal, a renowned mystic who was one of his
own teachers and a master of the Thirteenth Dalai Lama.
My master, Jamyang Khyentse, was tall for a Tibetan, and
he always seemed to stand a good head above others in a
crowd. He had silver hair, cut very short, and kind eyes that
glowed with humor. His ears were long, like those of the Buddha.
But what you noticed most about him was his presence.
His glance and bearing told you that he was a wise and holy
man. He had a rich, deep, enchanting voice, and when he
taught his head would tilt slightly backward and the teaching
would flow from him in a stream of eloquence and poetry.
And for all the respect and even awe he commanded, there
was humility in everything he did.
Jamyang Khyentse is the ground of my life, and the inspiration
of this book. He was the incarnation of a master who
had transformed the practice of Buddhism in our country. In
Tibet it was never enough simply to have the name of an
incarnation, you always had to earn respect, through your
learning and through your spiritual practice. My master spent
years in retreat, and many miraculous stories are told about
him. He had profound knowledge and spiritual realization, and
I came to discover that he was like an encyclopedia of wisdom,
and knew the answer to any question you might ask
him. There were many spiritual traditions in Tibet, but
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