Tale of Karma Wangzin and her Travels Between Life and Death, Tibet, 17th-18th century, Ink on paper, On loan from the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Tibetan MSS 00026

Tale of Karma Wangzin and her Travels Between Life and Death, Tibet, 17th-18th century, Ink on paper, On loan from the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, Tibetan MSS 00026

This handwritten loose-leaf book (Tibetan, pecha) tells the story of a Buddhist woman named Alak Karma Wangzin who was a delog--that is, a person who dies briefly and then revives, and therefore can reveal the mysteries of life after death. Karma Wangzin tells how she entered 18 different Buddhist realms of hell--both hot and cold--before returning to her body. This pecha is written in the formal Tibetan uchen script (literally 'with a head').

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

17th-18th century

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Dimensions: L: 7.7 W: 38.5 H: 4.3cm

Materials: Ink on paper

Tibetan

Fisher Tibetan MSS 00026

Tibet