This book provides brief but profound instructions on preparing for death. Because it is short and accessible, it has been read by a wide range of people, many of whom have commented that it is a book they feel comfortable giving to their elderly parents or to friends who are dealing with life-threatening illnesses.

Born in eastern Tibet in 1930, His Eminence Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of the abbot of Chagdud Monastery. The monastery was established in the early thirteenth century and is still standing today. The son of Dawa Drolma, one ofTibet's most renowned female lamas, Chagdud Rinpoche received extensive training from many great lamas and belongs to the last generation of teachers to have received complete training in the vast wealth of Vajrayana Buddhist teachings and methods while still living in Tibet. In 1959, he was forced into exile and, during the two decadees that followed, served the Tibetan community in India and Nepal as lama and p[hysician. In 1979, at the invitation of some of his students, Rinpoche came to the West and began establishing teaching centers. Chagdud Gonpa Foundation now has more than a dozen cetners throughout North America, as well as a constantly growing number of local practice groups. Rinpoche moved his primary residence to Brazil in 1995, where he has established six centers. In addition to his scholarship, realization, and boundless compassion, the evocative power of Chagdud Rinpoche's singing voice has made him renowned among both Tibetans and Westerners.