user5188: I found this book in a local bookstore and went online to research it. I could not find much reference to it.  The author, George C. Adams Jr., purports to have been given a lost sutra of the Buddha, given on his deathbed, to Ananda. It looks like a work of complete fiction to me but was wondering if anyone has more information on it.

user8238: Based on one of the reviews of the book:

The conversation recorded in this Sutra, between Lord Buddha and his
  closest disciple Ananda, largely unravels the core teachings of
  Buddhism, and portrays the Buddha as condemning himself to hellfire on
  his own deathbed for the errors in his teachings which he suddenly
  confesses to. In these, his final teachings, Buddha is in fact veering
  in a completely new direction, away from the austerities, sensory
  deprivation and renunciation which are the hallmarks of his teachings
  in the Pali Cannon, which form the traditional basis of Buddhism. He
  practically does a u-turn, and goes full speed towards a more
  humanistic teaching, one that discourages renunciation and accepts
  romantic love, one that honors the sacred value inherent in sensory
  contact with the objects of the world, and even affirms the existence
  of a Self – an entity consisting of the noblest essence of the
  personal identity. Having spent much time around several Enlightened
  Masters of the modern age, I personally cannot imagine any of them
  having such a deathbed renunciation of their core teachings. Such a
  strange turn of events would, I think, be reserved for deluded
  teachers such as Rev. Jim Jones, or perhaps Andrew Cohen, who after
  three decades of claiming himself Enlightened suddenly admitted that
  he wasn’t Enlightened after all. I certainly never imagined the Buddha
  to be in that category.

Sounds to me like the author is trying to create some controversy to sell his book by promoting his own ignorant understanding of Buddhist teachings. Wrong View, Wrong Intention, Wrong Speech, Wrong Action and Wrong Livelihood being displayed here. Bad karma all around.

user10048: I'm the author of the Deathbed Sutra, so I can assure you that it's fiction.  It was intended as a work of philosophical fiction which examines some problematic aspects of the Buddha's teachings in the Pali sutras. 

user5154: Deathbed Sutra of the Buddha
From the customers' reviews of the book, I get the impression that it is a fictional work to provoke a reassessment of one's thinking in light of controversies.
A few reviews from customers:

This book a very clever merging of philosophy and fiction, which examines and challenges some fundamental Buddhist beliefs in a manner that manages to be both deeply insightful but also delightfully entertaining. It’s a short work, but packed full of dense analysis of Buddhist thought, using the clever device of a fictional conversation between Buddha and his attendant, Ananda. Readers are likely to love it or hate it, but in either case it’s definitely a great read.
While it's not a "DaVinci Code for Buddhists" as stated on the back cover, it does offer a fast moving narrative conversation that moves along through the final night of the Buddha's life. It left me wondering what will happen next, and what will the Buddha say next? Thought-provoking and fun at the same time.

MVFWIW is if you are new to Buddhism then it is advisable to learn about the authentic teachings first and when you have cultivated wisdom and faith then to challenge that faith and wisdom with controversies.
As it is Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana have provided enough divergent materials for your wisdom and faith to work on.

5188: <p>I found this book in a local bookstore and went online to research it. I could not find much reference to it.  The author, George C. Adams Jr., purports to have been given a lost sutra of the Buddha, given on his deathbed, to Ananda. It looks like a work of complete fiction to me but was wondering if anyone has more information on it.</p>
 8238: <p>Based on one of the reviews of the book:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The conversation recorded in this Sutra, between Lord Buddha and his
  closest disciple Ananda, largely unravels the core teachings of
  Buddhism, and portrays the Buddha as condemning himself to hellfire on
  his own deathbed for the errors in his teachings which he suddenly
  confesses to. In these, his final teachings, Buddha is in fact veering
  in a completely new direction, away from the austerities, sensory
  deprivation and renunciation which are the hallmarks of his teachings
  in the Pali Cannon, which form the traditional basis of Buddhism. He
  practically does a u-turn, and goes full speed towards a more
  humanistic teaching, one that discourages renunciation and accepts
  romantic love, one that honors the sacred value inherent in sensory
  contact with the objects of the world, and even affirms the existence
  of a Self – an entity consisting of the noblest essence of the
  personal identity. Having spent much time around several Enlightened
  Masters of the modern age, I personally cannot imagine any of them
  having such a deathbed renunciation of their core teachings. Such a
  strange turn of events would, I think, be reserved for deluded
  teachers such as Rev. Jim Jones, or perhaps Andrew Cohen, who after
  three decades of claiming himself Enlightened suddenly admitted that
  he wasn’t Enlightened after all. I certainly never imagined the Buddha
  to be in that category.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Sounds to me like the author is trying to create some controversy to sell his book by promoting his own ignorant understanding of Buddhist teachings. Wrong View, Wrong Intention, Wrong Speech, Wrong Action and Wrong Livelihood being displayed here. Bad karma all around.</p>
 10048: <p>I'm the author of the Deathbed Sutra, so I can assure you that it's fiction.  It was intended as a work of philosophical fiction which examines some problematic aspects of the Buddha's teachings in the Pali sutras. </p>
 5154: <p><a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/1782796126" rel="noreferrer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Deathbed Sutra of the Buddha</a></p>
<p>From the <a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/1782796126" rel="noreferrer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">customers' reviews</a> of the book, I get the impression that it is a fictional work to provoke a reassessment of one's thinking in light of controversies.</p>
<p>A few reviews from customers:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This book a very clever merging of philosophy and fiction, which examines and challenges some fundamental Buddhist beliefs in a manner that manages to be both deeply insightful but also delightfully entertaining. It’s a short work, but packed full of dense analysis of Buddhist thought, using the clever device of a fictional conversation between Buddha and his attendant, Ananda. Readers are likely to love it or hate it, but in either case it’s definitely a great read.</p>
<p>While it's not a &quot;DaVinci Code for Buddhists&quot; as stated on the back cover, it does offer a fast moving narrative conversation that moves along through the final night of the Buddha's life. It left me wondering what will happen next, and what will the Buddha say next? Thought-provoking and fun at the same time.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>MVFWIW is if you are new to Buddhism then it is advisable to learn about the authentic teachings first and when you have cultivated wisdom and faith then to challenge that faith and wisdom with controversies.</p>
<p>As it is Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana have provided enough divergent materials for your wisdom and faith to work on.</p>
