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A review by schinko94
Delog: Journey to the Realms Beyond Death by Delog Dawa Drolma
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This is an interesting little read. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Zangdok Palri and Yulokod.
I'm not sure how particularly believable I found the accounts of the hell realms to be, because some of them felt like morality tales. Which, fair enough, morality is a cornerstone of Buddhism, but would you really get sent to hell for flicking a flea into the snow? I don't know, that seems a bit extreme to me. Same thing with some of the lamas and monks residing in that realm--They were sent there for some relatively minor offenses, and they had an ostensible connection to a lama or other virtuous monastic, so why are they still there if it's a bodhisattva's mission to save those who have a connection to them from the hell realm?
Then again, people are also routinely saved from this realm by people in the pure lands, and this happens several times throughout the story. So maybe it isn't wildly unrealistic to be sent to hell for something small if you also have a good chance of being saved by a bodhisattva. In any case, I have no doubt that Dawa Drolma actually went through what she says she went through. Chagdud Tulku was a preeminent master of meditation and if he says it's true, then I believe him.
I'm not sure how particularly believable I found the accounts of the hell realms to be, because some of them felt like morality tales. Which, fair enough, morality is a cornerstone of Buddhism, but would you really get sent to hell for flicking a flea into the snow? I don't know, that seems a bit extreme to me. Same thing with some of the lamas and monks residing in that realm--They were sent there for some relatively minor offenses, and they had an ostensible connection to a lama or other virtuous monastic, so why are they still there if it's a bodhisattva's mission to save those who have a connection to them from the hell realm?
Then again, people are also routinely saved from this realm by people in the pure lands, and this happens several times throughout the story. So maybe it isn't wildly unrealistic to be sent to hell for something small if you also have a good chance of being saved by a bodhisattva. In any case, I have no doubt that Dawa Drolma actually went through what she says she went through. Chagdud Tulku was a preeminent master of meditation and if he says it's true, then I believe him.