Book Description
A magisterial work of social history, Life After Death illuminates the many different ways ancient civilizations grappled with the question of what exactly happens to us after we die.
In a masterful exploration of how Western civilizations have defined the afterlife, Alan F. Segal weaves together biblical and literary scholarship, sociology, history, and philosophy. A renowned scholar, Segal examines the maps of the afterlife found in Western religious texts and reveals not only what various cultures believed but how their notions reflected their societies’ realities and ideals, and why those beliefs changed over time. He maintains that the afterlife is the mirror in which a society arranges its concept of the self. The composition process for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam begins in grief and ends in the victory of the self over death.
Arguing that in every religious tradition the afterlife represents the ultimate reward for the good, Segal combines historical and anthropological data with insights gleaned from religious and philosophical writings to explain the following mysteries: why the Egyptians insisted on an afterlife in heaven, while the body was embalmed in a tomb on earth; why the Babylonians viewed the dead as living in underground prisons; why the Hebrews remained silent about life after death during the period of the First Temple, yet embraced it
in the Second Temple period (534 B.C.E. –70 C.E.); and why Christianity placed the afterlife in the center of its belief system. He discusses the inner dialogues and arguments within Judaism and Christianity, showing the underlying dynamic behind them, as well as the ideas that mark the differences between the two religions. In a thoughtful examination of the influence of biblical views of heaven and martyrdom on Islamic beliefs, he offers a fascinating perspective on the current troubling rise of Islamic fundamentalism.
In tracing the organic, historical relationships between sacred texts and communities of belief and comparing the visions of life after death that have emerged throughout history, Segal sheds a bright, revealing light on the intimate connections between notions of the afterlife, the societies that produced them, and the individual’s search for the ultimate meaning of life on earth.
Customer Reviews:
Blessed Beyond Belief.......2006-04-25
First, I must admit that I'm not totally impartial due to the fact that I have come to consider Dr. Segal a great mentor. Nevertheless, it can be said with absolute certainty that his treatment of the subject is very full-bodied and complete.
Moreover, you should not be intimidated by the book's length. For by connecting the subject to his personal life and contemporary issues, he keeps you interested throughout the long and fascinating journey.
If you're like me, you'll be both moved and amazed by what you've learned.
A Must Read.......2006-02-17
Professor Segal's book is a must read for anyone interested in tracing the development of thinking concerning post-mortem existence. Segal's approach is well-researched, and he makes conections across the centuries and cultures that might otherwise go unnoticed. His grasp of the bredth of the material concerning western society's beliefs of life after death is breathtaking.
A Weighty Tome.......2005-09-22
Alan F. Segal's book "Life After Death" is my first read of his work, and certainly the most massive book I have read in some time. Considering the sheer scope of the topic Segal has attempted to cover, the size of the book should come as no surprise. However, the physical weight is where the "weightiness" ends.
Now, before you freak out about over 700 pages of text on life after death, it should be emphasised that Segal writes in a very accessible and easy going manner. A few of the words he uses require a dictionary, (at least, I needed one), but the incidence of this was not a burden. Segal keeps you moving and presents a great level of quotation from ancient sources to highlight his points. His manner and style of presentation and discussion are absolutely fantastic.
Segal presents the beliefs of different cultures from a more social viewpoint than anything, and deals with how these beliefs can illustrate what the people thought of about themselves and the world about them. What you end up with is a very interesting discussion not just on life after death, but also some of the political, cultural and social concerns that went into them. This makes for a very well-rounded discussion.
Segal takes you through various cultures and civilisations, and throughout he inter-connects various ideas between them to show how they illustrate each other by contrast or simularity. These cultures include chapters on Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Canaan, Israelite, (broken into various chapters), and much more, including detailed chapters on Christian views and their development through the centuries.
This book is really a great overview of the topic, and it is relatively easy to find from Segal's referencing further material for more specific reading. Segal has done exceptionally well to squeeze such a vast topic into about 750 well-written and dynamic pages.
This book gets a big "thumbs-up" from me. I will certainly be reading more of Segal's work in the future.
Ours Is To Dream.......2005-03-08
The author attempts to explain an oxymoron - Life After Death. He does so elegantly, enlightening and entertaining along the way. It may shock those who think we've always held the beliefs we now hold and that these beliefs arrived fully developed without undergoing all the development associated with such ideas. The author is authoritative and sympathetic as we wind through the ages, civilization upon end, rewriting not only the rules but also the game.
Starting with the unchanging Egyptians one discovers that they indeed changed their beliefs about life after death, not once but several times. Then the citizens of Ur take center stage. On and on we move, ancient Persia, Greece and finally the dawn of our modern Western ideas, Israel. It is difficult to call one view more "sophisticated" than another due to the transmission and borrowing of ideas between cultures. Each new encounter led to another modification.
The primary question had to be decided..."Is there life after death?" Most cultures concluded that "something" existed beyond death. (Oddly, the Old Testament is silent on the subject.) They were unsure where it was or what occurred. Religious leaders and rulers were included (of course) then a new idea of titantic import emerged, one that affects us to this day: All who lead "good lives" (honored rulers and gods, obeyed social rules) are eligible for eternal bliss. Its corollarly - bad people get punished - was a natural development.
Our ideas of an afterlife had evolved from a dark existence to a an opulent physical place to a democratic mystical union with Christ in "heaven". The idea of resurrection muddied the waters but stopped debate on the subject. Christianity substituted "being in Christ" for a physical place while Islam's version promises sensuousness and pleasure for ever. A well-researched and well-written book - get it today.
Skeleton Key to the Western Mind.......2005-01-19
I just finished reading Professor Segal's tome, "Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion." He has done a superb job at summarizing (yes, 700 pages is but a summary of this vast subject) these notions, at least as they appear in the Western world.
This subject has fascinated me for a long time but I began to study it more carefully five years ago. At that time, I had begun work on my book, "Brain & Belief: An Exploration of the Human Soul," and wanted to juxtapose ideas of the `soul' with our current notions of the mind as derived from the brain sciences. It was quite a surprise to discover that no single text existed that summarized ideas about the soul. The best resource was a prolonged article in Mircea Eliade's excellent Encyclopedia of Religion. Besides that, there were some specialized accounts about Greek ideas of the soul, Egyptian ideas of the soul, etc. but nothing that put them into a larger context outside of their particular cultures. To truly provide context, you would need to show how our most ancient ideas about the mind and about the afterlife came about, how they took priority within the Western mindset, and then how they changed over the last two to three thousand years. A monumental project, to be sure, but one that should have existed somewhere within a university library. Sadly, this was not the case.
It became a personal duty to provide at least a basic summary and reading guide for this subject. So in my 400 page work I devoted the first 100 pages to a history of the soul and spent another 20 or so pages discussing ideas of the afterlife at a later point. This was barely sufficient to provide a set of key points.
The key points which I chose to highlight and which Professor Segal reviews in much greater detail include the idea that the core of Western spirituality and philosophy-the idea of a disembodied soul-is largely the product of Plato's influence. Especially in the "Phaedo," Plato discusses the soul and its immortality. Plato got the lion's share of these ideas from Orphism (and its variant, Pythagoreanism). In turn, it is likely that these `religions' got their ideas from shamanic traditions common in prehistorical European culture. From these ancient ideas -- as articulated in the Platonic works -- came the driving force of the soul and the afterlife in the Christian and Muslim faiths. But, added to the notion of a disembodied soul were ideas about physical resurrection.
Ideas about resurrection derived from Zoroastrianism and (at least it is my contention) it is from Zoroastrianism that ancient Judaism took its ideas of resurrection (esp. in Daniel). Around the time of Jesus, then, the previously afterlife-devoid Jewish faith (First Temple Judaism vs. Second Temple Judaism) had started to steep in Platonic and Zoroastrian influences. One must not forget that in Jesus' time, Judea was part of the Roman Empire and that the Roman Empire was a cultural cosmopolis of the highest order, the one great city. At any given marketplace, one might discuss Plato, hear something about the mystery religions, and consider the moral rectitude of the Jews' single god. Through the genius of Christianity and its apologizers the incompatible ideas of physical resurrection and the disembodied soul essentially fused (or at least transmitted themselves in an uneasy alliance from generation to generation).
Reading the New Testament leads to an uncertainty about what to expect from Christian salvation: physical resurrection at the end of days or immediate afterlife entrance (thanks to the soul) at each individual's bodily death. Most people are fairly unappreciative of the explicitness of resurrection in the New Testament and thus imagine their loved ones' souls immediately going to heaven. In short, soul based ideologies have achieved the most popularity. Plato's influence has outshone all others.
It is a personal joy to see that Professor Segal's historical research generally follows the contours of this outline. "Life After Death: A History of the Afterlife in Western Religion" provides generous details about each and every aspect of Greek (esp. Platonic), Jewish, Christian, and Muslim ideas about the afterlife and-by necessity-discusses each of these traditions' ideas about the soul. The book, though massive, is a wonderful read and sure to quicken a few important debates.
To understand, at least on a summary level, the historical background of these ideas is of the utmost importance for understanding the history of the Western world. And because history (memory) is the core of personality, one must understand these issues to gain insight into our present world and its entrenched issues. From the trade center bombings, to stem cell debates, to environmental policy, one cannot truly understand the political perspectives of all sides until one appreciates these ideas about the soul and about the `end' or `aim' of human existence, ideas about the afterlife. This book is a must read and if the subject titillates, you might move on to "Brain & Belief" as a follow up.
Book Description
Life Everlasting is a fascinating examination of man's future life from the time of death until his entry into the heavenly realms. The book reaches beyond the commonplace to give profound new insights into the nature of the life to come.
This book examines eyewitness accounts of more than 200 individuals who have ventured into the spirit world and have then returned to tell of their experiences. It also draws extensively from the scriptures and from the discourses of Latter-day Saint leaders. As the evidence of these accounts is analyzed, numerous new understandings are revealed to the reader. Within these pages are vivid descriptions of spirit-world conditions including buildings, landscaping, wearing apparel, organization, occupations, and Church callings. Many instructive descriptions of the amazing capabilities of spirit beings are provided. Of special interest are the vivid descriptions of Jesus Christ as He has appeared to many who have entered into Paradise. The numerous roles of spirit beings who visit the earth, as Gardian Angels and in other capacities, are described in detail. The factors which govern man's time of death are discussed, and the nature of man's "new birth" into the next life is desc! ribed in detail by those who have experienced it.
Life Everlasting peers into the spirit prison and hell and reports conditions in those environments. Then it sweeps forward in time to analyze the nature of the resurrections and final judgment. A careful consideration of the final rewards available to man is made, with detailed and spcific coverage of the fate of the sons of perdition and the destinies of the inhabitants of the telestial, terrestrial and celestial kingdoms. The final chapter is a penetrating explanation of the nature of godhood and exaltation.
Few books have ever combined such a wealth of now concepts and interesting information with the careful presentation, documentation and scholarship of Life Everlasting. Latter-day Saints will find strong evidences which confirm their beliefs in the afterlife. Others, no matter what their religious oriention, will find Life Everlasting to be one of the most far-reaching, comprehensive presentations of life-after-death experiences in print. It is inevitable that this book will continue to be widely read and discussed for many years to come.
Customer Reviews:
Life Everlasting...a way to get through the death of a loved one!.......2007-04-07
I first read this book the summer of 1973 after my mother died. I had grown up believing fully that there was, indeed, life after this earth experience but I was SO ALONE at the age of 13 that I hardly knew what to do. My twin and I were the youngest at home and the rest of the siblings were grown. My father buried his grief in work. I had no comfort until I found this book. It gave me my time to work through the process of death but mostly to grieve as I couldn't cry in front of anyone else so, I'd read the book and have a good cry. I now have six children of my own and have purchased 8 books, one for each of my children, one to keep in my home, and one to keep as a loaner copy...always ready. Over the years, I've given many of these books to friends and the families of friends going through this process. I KNOW it makes a difference but YOU'LL have to judge that for yourself. It's NOT newfangled or fancy but truth never is! I recommend it with all my heart!
Somewhat truth.......2006-05-27
I read the book. It did not touch me as other books have. I've enjoyed incredible books such as THE MESSAGE and RETURN FROM TOMORROW. This book was not in the same calibur. I was rather disappointed. I don't recommend buying it--try your local library first.
What is Heaven really, actually like?.......2006-03-11
This makes heaven palpable, real place. He pulls it all together so well. I know this is true and it is harmonious with the scriptures. I need to read it again.
Life Everlasting: A Definitive Study of Life After Death.......2006-03-08
I never received this book. I ordered it and the book was unavailable.
phenomenal and fascinating.......2005-12-13
quite a phenomenal book, and i would easily say that it's one of the most powerful books that i have ever read. forced to deal with the death of his own child, crowther uses people's very personal, spiritual experiences to illustrate theories of life after death. easy to read, but very, very deep.
Book Description
LIFE AFTER DEATH: A Study of the Afterlife in World Religions by Farnáz Ma'súmián
What happens to us when we die? What is the soul? Where are heaven and hell? Is there a reckoning with the creator? Questions such as these about death and dying have frightened and fascinated humanity since the beginning of time. LIFE AFTER DEATH explores these questions in detail by providing a general overview of answers from the scriptures of seven world religions: Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and the Bahá'í Faith. The book examines the viability of reincarnation and transmigration theories, as well as various ideas that attempt to explain near-death experiences. Theological scholarship combined with insight and sensitivity make this book thoroughly readable, a simple introduction to profound and complicated subjects.
"A substantive primer." . . . Publishers Weekly
"Whets the appetite for further study and provokes a reappraisal of one's beliefs about death and beyond." . . . The Expository Times
"Carefully researched and engagingly written, this comparative phenomenology on the special topic of the progress of the human soul beyond this world will challenge many traditional assumptions." . . . Christopher Buck, Ph.D., Michigan State University
Customer Reviews:
Life After Death.......2002-10-26
Life After Death is true to its title. The book was first published in 1995 and has been reissued. The first seven chapters cover the religious ideas of afterlife in Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and the Bahai faiths. Farnaz Masumian goes on to discuss Reincarnation & Transmigration, the Near-Death Experience (NDE), and Religion & the NDE Phenomenon. The result is a treasure of information in 175 pages.
One of the most important features of the book is that, in discussing afterlife, she quotes "chapter and verse" from the sacred texts of each religion. Each chapter focusing on a religion includes the major writings of the religion, the primary concepts that relate to afterlife, the influence and/or similarities of that religion in relationship to other religions.
The big difference between religions of the East and West involves the concepts of reincarnation and transmigration which form the cornerstone of Eastern belief about afterlife but remain a minority position and esoteric idea in the West. The chapter on the Near-Death Experience (NDE) provides a standard and basic overview. She concludes that the most plausible explanation for NDE's is that they are, "universally available mystical experiences". The final chapter, "Religion and the NDE Phenomenon", is an excellent integration of the NDE into the literature of the world's religions.
All-in-all, Life After Death by Farnaz Masumian is an outstanding book. Having the Scripture and verse quotations from the world's religions alone is worth the price of the book. Added to this is her careful analysis of the concepts and contradictions both within and between the various religions. This book is a "must" for all students of life after death in general and the NDE in particular.
Excellent intro to religions and life after death.......1998-04-02
You must be alive right now, otherwise why would need this book?
So for arguments sake, you're alive and you know someday you won't be. You would like to know what's on the other side. This book by Farnaz Ma'Sumian can provide you details on the beliefs of all the major religions in the world. The book offers an introductory overview of Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and Bahai.
Additionaly Ma'Sumian has researched Near-Death Experiences (NDE) quite well and offers a broad explanation of current theories to these experiences.
The book is fair, impartial and well written. For those seeking theological information on the subject of life after death this is a wonderful introduction.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent survey of beliefs and experiences relating to the afterlife
- Poor research methods on Judaism
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After Death: How People Around the World Map the Journey after We Die
Suzanne Lipsett , and
Sukie Miller
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
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ASIN: 0684838699 |
Amazon.com
Mixing contemporary case studies drawn from her own psychotherapy practice with cultural data gathered by the Institute for the Study of the Afterdeath is Miller's recipe for an inspirational discussion of what happens after we die. From an analysis of the institute's database of beliefs from cultures comfortable with the idea of death, Miller constructs an map of the "afterdeath," giving readers a face to go with death, rather than leaving them to stare into amorphous nothingness. After Death isn't a comprehensive tour book to the other side, but it is the beginning of an important conversation that most people avoid, as well as a handle for grasping this final mystery we all have to face at some point in our lives. --Brian Patterson
Book Description
For centuries death has drawn our attention. Some fear the imagined darkness while others consider it a peaceful reunion with family and friends; still others view death as nothing more than a transition. Despite our curiosity and the vast literature on death and dying, no one has truly examined from a cross-cultural standpoint what happens to us after we die.
Using extensive and innovative research, anecdotes, and stories, Sukie Miller has woven together the results of groundbreaking studies of attitudes worldwide toward the afterdeath. Identifying four distinct stages of the afterdeath, Waiting, Judgment, Possibilities, and Return, she clarifies and analyzes the results of her work in India, Brazil, Indonesia, West Africa, and the United States.
In 1969 Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross asked, "What happens to us as we die?" In 1975 Dr. Raymond Moody sought to discover what happens to us when we die, and in 1994 Dr. Sherwin B. Nuland introduced us to the physical realities of death itself. In this novel look at cross-cultural afterdeath systems, Dr. Sukie Miller now reports and reflects on what happens to us after we die.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent survey of beliefs and experiences relating to the afterlife.......2006-03-28
Sukie Miller has produced an excellent survey of beliefs and experiences relating to the afterlife. She distills from this collection four stages in the process of transitioning to spirit life. These stages go well beyond the merging with the Being of Light that is well known from the Near Death Experience.
Stage I is a Bardo state of waiting, as one adjusts to the transition from physical to spirit existence. Stage II is one of judgment and life review, an immersion in the deeper truth of the meanings of one's total life experiences. Stage III is a less homogeneous collection of beliefs and reports (Miller does not distinguish between the two in this discussion), that may include heavenly realms, encounters with angels, and varieties of other visions. Stage IV is the return to physical existence, in another incarnation.
Far beyond the contributions of this book in cosmologies are the richly detailed anecdotes of Miller's explorations and work with people who have had glimpses into the infinite in the last stages of their lives. She also shares the stories of others who, like her, work in these areas between life in the flesh and life in spirit worlds. Here are a few of these stories.
This book is highly recommended to anyone working in end of life midwifery.
Poor research methods on Judaism.......2005-01-17
I don't know about the rest of the religions presented in this book, but Sukie Miller's claim that Jews do not believe in an afterlife is just plain WRONG! True, SOME Jews do not believe in an afterlife, but others most certainly do. Unfortunately, her academic credentials (quite bona fide) have made this book something of a classic in the field, with the result that it continues to mislead the general public about Jewish beliefs.
When I met Sukie at a conference in Las Vegas a few years back, I asked her if she had interviewed any Hasidic rabbis or other Orthodox Jews for her study. No, she replied, she had not. Who, then, did she actually survey? Mostly secular colleagues at various academic institutions. Therefore, in my opinion, her presentation of Jewish beliefs is not valid, because it does not in any way represent a true cross-section of Jews. It merely represents a limited, specialized sample of secular Jewish academians on college campuses. Pretty sloppy research if you ask me, especially since she went out of her way to contact believing members of the other religions. The fact that Sukie is herself Jewish makes it even worse. She should have known better.
Book Description
A dramatic exposition of the classical Muslim division of human life into five stages: before conception, life in the world, life in the grave, the resurrection, and heaven or hell. Extensive Qur'anic and Hadith references explain the condition of the soul at each stage.
Customer Reviews:
Will wake up the sleeping heart.......2005-02-17
This relatively short treatise of Imam 'Alawi al-Haddad is a piercing reminder of where we are and where we are going. This book is both enlightening and terrifying (in a good way). The Shaykh guides us from the time before our conception all the way to our endpoint in the fire or the garden and reminds us of what is important in each phase of our life and what our responsibilities are.
This book is not indepth in its topics, but that is not its point. If you want to study every hadith about the judgment day for example then you can do that somewhere else. A brief outline is given of every stage, both the seen and the unseen, to give a basic view of what has and is going to occur, but the focus is on the spiritual and what we can do to change our state.
If you have a heart that is not dead this book will have a positive effect on you.
Book Description
1927. The after death experiences on the Bardo plane, according to Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup's English rendering. This book is meant to teach the reader the art of living life so that death is a fulfillment and not the end. It is a book about rebirth from death; how the soul travels through life, then from one life to another, that there really is no true death. This volume give sage advice on how to learn from mistakes in previous lives and how to make one's destiny perfect.
Customer Reviews:
A classic.......2005-02-11
This translation deserved the good reviews. The text has been summed up well in other reviews. A word about the author seems appropriate. It is worth pointing out that W.Y. Evans-Wentz was an American (one reviewer stated that W.Y. E-W was English).The confusion here stems from the fact that W.Y. E-W went to Oxford, England, as a Rhodes scholar. He was a very articulate and erudite man - well versed in the Western classics, Western mystery tradition etc. - and in his footnotes, he made frequent cross references to such.
A few people now fault E-W' work - because of the universal sweep of his intuitions.It has even been suggested that he corrupted the purity of the Tibetan teachings - by his inter-cultural or trans-cultural horizons.Some Tibetan Lamas (i.e. Trungpa) have faulted E-W's work on such grounds.Western afficionadoes of Tibetan Buddhism - people who like to imagine themselves among the elect(Professors and pop followers alike) have chimed in.
Such people forget (or prefer to ignore) the fact that W.Y.Evans-Wentz spent many years studying and working with Tibetan Lamas. Be assured, W.Y. Evans-Wentz' projects had the blessing of his Tibetan co-worker - Lama Kazi Dawa Sammdup. There are those who would argue that this blessing did not extend to the commentary material - subsequently added by E-W, after his work with the Lama. But how E-W presented the material to a Western audience - was his business.
Death is most certainly a universal experience - and E-W placed it in a truly universal context. Is that so surprising?
The Jungian commentary appended to the first ed. of this text has also come in for criticism (some editions now delete it). But Jung had something - when suggesting that we ought to read the TBD 'BACKWARDS' - to understand the difficulties modern minds get into - when trying to approach such territory. Still, as E-W points out, late medieval Western culture had a similar perspective on death. It was part of life, we similarly understood the need to 'live our dying' - and the need to 'die-in-life' to find the greater spiritual life. There are chapels in Europe, constructed entirely of human bones. It looks morbid to modern people - but, in fact, it signified a triumph over death. Death is the greatest adventure. Whatever we may be doing, death is the ultimate destination that awaits us. Many European cathedrals have a 'memento mori' - an image of death, saying: "I was as you are;as I am, so shall ye be. " Will you be able to pay the ferryman - when the boat comes?
Not "Pop Buddhism," A Guide For The Living.......2004-04-28
This is not the Richard Gere "pop Buddhism" approach. This is the work of an English academic in the early 20th Century, as he uncovers an "Oriental" classic for a Western audience. Evans-Wentz even brings Carl Jung into the picture for the Westerners, as Jung's psychology was "New School" at the time and offered a sublime link between Oriental and Occidental thinking. I hold this book in the highest regard, not because it is a mystical Buddhist text, but rather because it offers tips for daily living and and self-actualization. As with most quality philosophical doctrines, this book is a paradox...a book of the dead that is really an abstract book for the living, regardless of religion or nationality. It is a refreshing and enlightening break from an increasingly fundamental world.
The Original Book and Translation (1927).......2003-10-14
This is the original "Tibetan Book of the Dead". All other versions are a toned-down version of this work by different authors who want to accommodate people who do not want to put the work in. You need to put the work in. No one can spoon-feed this kind of wisdom to you.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead is an extremely authoritative translation of the original texts of the "Bardo Thodol" by Lama Kazi Dawa-Samdup who schooled W.Y.Evans-Wentz in Tibetan Buddhism. The book is an extremely important piece of work for both the scholars of psychology and religion, and the lay person who has the time to spend working on it. The book is also the reality behind the "Necronomicon" which has been popularized by fiction writers, such a H.P.Lovecraft, but has been completely taken out of its true context.
To begin with, this book is a beautiful book once you truly understand the message that it is trying to convey to the reader - or more correctly, when the reader correctly understands the message that is being conveyed. It has a primordial air to it and is certainly ancient in its wisdom and understanding. The book was translated in the early 1900s and was first published in 1927. Be warned - this book is exceptionally difficult to read because the standard of grammar used is of the highest acumen humanly possibly. Evans-Wentz was a Doctor of Literature, a Doctor of Science and a Master of Arts. If you don't have a full size Oxford dictionary, then you will have trouble reading it. There is also a difficulty in the translation. There are many Tibetan words that do not exist in English so Evans-Wentz sometimes derives a more descriptive meaning behind the message that is trying to be communicated to the reader. Dr. C.G. Jung has written an introduction at the start of the book which is mostly concerned about explaining the Tibetan meaning of the words "Soul" and "Mind". It is for reasons like these that the book requires multiple readings to fully absorb the information that is being presented. So what exactly is The Tibetan Book of the Dead? It is a corpus with several teachings. Tibetan Buddhist monks believe that if you understand the meaning of death then you will understand the meaning the life. It expounds in detail on the illusions of the human mind and gives a context for working out many questions that are philosophical and spiritual in nature.
The book is essentially split into three parts. The first part has introductions from various students of theology, psychology and Buddhism. Evans-Wentz then explains the nature of the book and gives a rough breakdown of what we will find in the "Bardo Thodol" and how it is used to help the dead find their way to Nirvana during the after-death ceremonies (like an Irish wake) but also how the book can be used as a guide for the living, which is its true intended purpose. The middle part of the book is the "Bardo Thodol" translated directly into English and third part covers the topic of Buddhism in general with references to the different schools of thought and Christianity.
The middle part of the book, the actual "Bardo Thodol", is split into three parts. There is an introduction at the start which explains the entry into the "Chikhai Bardo", the first of the Bardo regions that one automatically enters at the point of death. Then there is the second phase of the "Bardo Thodol", the "Chonyid Bardo" before the final phase of the "Bardo Thodol" the "Sidpa Bardo". Essentially these three areas can be explained as - the moment of death and the dawning of the light or nirvana, the karmic illusions of worldly things and finally the rebirth process. However do not think that this means that everybody is reborn or that Tibetans/Buddhists take reincarnation literally. It is all part of a thinking puzzle. You have got to work out things for yourself. There are hidden meanings in there. You must compare the different concepts in this book to find out what it really means! Question the "Bardo Thodol". Question what it teaches! Question what it says about itself!
The Bardo Thodol is a technical and thoroughly scientific examination of consciousness that is still highly regarded as one of the most logical and controlled methods of understanding the mind and its relation to the world of phenomena. At first glance the book may seem horrid, uncanny and evoke a fear by the mere mention of the word "death", but this is a book about the living, dedicated to life and expounds on some of the most important questions that man can ask himself. It is extremely satisfying and worthy of repetitive readings. There is a pile of footnotes to help guide you through each page.
Enormously recommended! ! ! !
(As a side note Evans-Wentz wrote several other books to follow up on this one. They should be read in the following order - (1)The Tibetan Book of the Dead, (2) Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa, (3)Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines and (4)The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation.)
The Definitive Book of the Mind.......2003-03-23
First published in 1927. Translated by LAMA KAZI DAWA-SAMDUP. Edited by Dr. W.Y Evans-Wentz, formerly of Jesus College, Oxford who spent the rest of his life dedicating himself to following the teachings of this very translation. This writer is the one who first produced the teachings of 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead' to occident man in the west. It still remains the definitive edition to this day. The book also has many footnotes and an important lengthy introduction by C.G. Jung to introduce the occident mind to the nature of the book. The footnotes are the helping hand in reading and understanding the text.
This is a book about the raw mind. It may take you many lifetimes to understand. You may understand it after the first reading. There are no devices, tools, sects, schools or Gods used to get you there. This is a book about your mind. The mind is the only device you should need along with the book to bring you to the understanding of - knowing the nature of reality. Then when you are done with the book pass it on and use the only tool that this book expounds on. The mind.
I have not even attempted to read anything else since I found this book. That is because it is definitive. The book only needs your mind. Nothing else. That is why this book is THE definitive book of the mind. Christians should not be afraid of this book in any way shape or form. It is good natured, good willing and does nothing more than help expand your goodness.
It is through the book of the dead that you will learn the book of life.
As the recently deceased Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, of Tiruvannamalai, South India, admonished Evans-Wentz when he sojourned in his ashram he said - "Each of you should ask yourself, 'who, or what, am I?' Why am I here incarnate? Whither I am destined? Why is there birth and why is there death?'"
This book has never been equaled by any other book. And I am not just talking about within the confines of theology.
This is THE book.
The central book of Thanatology.......2000-09-25
This book is probably the pre-eminent "global" text on Ars Moriendi. Stripped of culturally conditioned paraphernalia ( various Bodhisattvas, elaborate Mahayanist mythologies etc ), what remains is probably the most descriptive essay on the "great beyond" ( apart from Plato's "Phaedo", which I find even more aesthetically and cognitively persuasive, but greatly differing in spirit ).
Among the greatest merits of the book are, IMO, a clear exposition of the Trikaya doctrine, ie. Mahayanist ontology; subtle psycho-spiritual analysis ( mainly in footnotes ) of 'Knower' ( principle of consciousness, caitanya or shes-pa - permanent reincarnating "I": an entity in perfect concordance with Tantricism but not very plausible in Buddhist Theravada orthodoxy ) and visionary cartography of the three ( "Divine"( Chikai ), noetic/causal ( Chonyid ), and psychic/imaginal ( Sidpa )) supraphysical Bardo states/worlds.
Probably the biggest failure is Jung's introduction, something that makes a man suspicious whether Jung had read "Bardo Thodhol" at all. Avalon's foreword is not bad, but also not very illuminating. What makes the book readable and understandable are Evans Wentz's intro and footnotes without which "The Tibetan Book of the Dead" would be a dry and dull read. Since inception of Wentz's "Tibetan Canon" ( 4- 5 books ) many eminent authors ( Chogyam Trungpa, Tarthang Tulku, Sogyal Rinpoche,..) have written numerous works on the Vajrayana, but, as far as I'm concerned- they haven't succeeded in surpassing these early masterpieces.
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The After-Death Life
C. W. Leadbeater
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Theosophy
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ASIN: 1425346871 |
Book Description
THIS 58 PAGE ARTICLE WAS EXTRACTED FROM THE BOOK: Inner Life, by C. W. Leadbeater. To purchase the entire book, please order ISBN 0766105571.
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Akibat: Life After Death
Sherifa Lucy Goodenough
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
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Metaphysics
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General
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General
| Islam
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Mysticism
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Mysticism
| Other Practices
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ASIN: 0766105067 |
Book Description
Voice of Inayat Khan Series. Sufism is the religious philosophy of love, harmony, and beauty. Death; Day of Judgment; Heaven and Hell; End of the World; Haunted Places; Spiritualism.
Customer Reviews:
hidup sesudah mati.......2000-02-11
I really find this book amusing,I mean,...I read it in indonesian,I wonder if thios book is the same as the one that I read in indonesian,coz I'd like to give it to a friend,who really wanted it.It's a very old book,but been republished again and again in indonesia,if there's the translation in english I would really want to buy it.Thank you.
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