BUDDHIST TRADITION: THE MOUNTAINS OF TIBET

The Mountains of Tibet is a New York Times Outstanding Children’s Book of the Year and Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year (1987).Written by Mordicai Gerstein, is an inspiring look at life after death for all ages.

Mordicai Gerstein has illustrated and written nearly 50 children’s books. He is also a painter, sculptor, designer and director of animated film.

The Mountains of Tibet is the story of a Tibetan woodcutter that dreams of exploring the world, but is too busy with his life to ever leave his valley. The years pass and he grows old and dies.

After he dies, he is taken on a journey through the cosmos and all the places on Earth as he makes choices that lead him to a new life.    Where will he go?

 

 

The book includes a commentary by Sogyan Rinpoche that explains the ancient Buddhist teaching on living and dying, and how it is presented to children in this book: “This teaching of Tibet tells us that life and death are parts of one whole, and that to understand death is to hold the key to understanding life… ”

 

I enjoyed very much explaining to my kids the notion of “Karma”:   “Buddhists believe that we choose our future in this life by how we act, speak and think. When we die, the kind of karma we have accumulated will shape how and where our next life will be“.

The Mountains of Tibet contains many relevant teachings, that tell us that perhaps both life and death are within the mind.