A Guided Tour of Hell: A Graphic Novel
This true account of Sam Bercholz’s near-death experience has more in common with Dante’s Inferno than it does with any of the popular feel-good stories of what happens when we die. In the aftermath of heart surgery, Sam, a longtime Buddhist practitioner and teacher, is surprised to find himself in the lowest realms of karmic rebirth, where he is sent to gain insight into human suffering.
Under the guidance of a luminous being, Sam’s encounters with a series of hell-beings trapped in repetitious rounds of misery and delusion reveal to him how an individual’s own habits of fiery hatred and icy disdain, of grasping desire and nihilistic ennui, are the source of horrific agonies that pound consciousness for seemingly endless cycles of time. Comforted by the compassion of a winged goddess and sustained by the kindness of his Buddhist teachers, Sam eventually emerges from his ordeal with renewed faith that even the worst hell contains the seed of wakefulness. His story is offered, along with the modernist illustrations of Pema Namdol Thaye, in order to share what can be learned about awakening from our own self-created hells and helping others to find relief and liberation from theirs.
This collection of paintings was exhibited for several months at the Asian Art Museum in 2018. According to museum records, this solo exhibit was attended with an unprecedented number of viewers. Click A Guided Tour of Hell to view all 26 acrylic paintings by Pema Namdol Thaye.
Thaye and Bercholz at the Asian Art Museum exhibition opening, San Francisco
“An apocalyptic guided tour through the infernal Buddhist hells realms revealed during a near-death experience. A courageous and subjective account, resonant with Buddhist doctrine, that veers far from the heavenly realms of much modern NDE literature. Sam Bercholz’s narrative is vividly illustrated by Pema Namdol’s brilliant artwork.”
Passion, Acrylic on Canvas