{"product_id":"understanding-death-isbn-9781405153706","title":"Understanding Death","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA comprehensive survey of how religions understand death, dying, and the afterlife, drawing on examples from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Shamanic perspectives.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e \u003cli\u003eConsiders shared and differing views of death across the world's major religions, including on the nature of death itself, the reasons for it, the identity of those who die, religious rituals, and on how the living should respond to death\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003ePlaces emphasis on the varying concepts of the 'self' or soul\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eUses a thematic structure to facilitate a broader comparative understanding\u003c\/li\u003e \u003cli\u003eWritten in an accessible style to appeal to an undergraduate audience, it fills major gap in current textbook literature\u003c\/li\u003e \u003c\/ul\u003e Preface ix \u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments xiii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 Understanding Death 1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReturn from the Dead 4\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDebates and Definitions 9\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDeath and the Self 14\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRitual and Transformation 19\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 22\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences and Further Reading 22\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 Primal Perspectives on Death 25\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSoul Theories of Primal Peoples 28\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Destiny of Souls 34\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfterlife among theWarao 35\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRituals of Departure 40\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Conversation on Understanding Death 44\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences and Further Reading 46\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 Death in the Ancient World 49\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEgypt 51\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEgyptian Soul Theory 52\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransforming the Body 54\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEgyptian Afterlife 56\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Story of Osiris 58\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMesopotamia 61\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGilgamesh and the Search for Immortality 63\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Spirits of the Dead in Mesopotamian Culture 64\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePersia 66\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eZoroaster and the Evil of Death 67\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSalvation for All 68\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 71\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences and Further Reading 71\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 Jewish Perspectives on Death 73\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Beginning of Death 78\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Soul and Sheol 80\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResurrection and the World to Come 86\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Journey of the Soul 91\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRituals of Departure 97\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Conversation on Understanding Death 101\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 103\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences and Further Reading 104\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 Christian Perspectives on Death 105\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Death of Jesus 107\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDevelopments in Christian Thought on the Soul 111\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResurrection and Eternal Life 114\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHeaven and Hell 119\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRituals of Departure 128\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Conversation on Understanding Death 131\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 133\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences and Further Reading 133\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 Muslim Perspectives on Death 135\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Names of God 140\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRuh and Nafs 143\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Trial of the Grave 146\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Garden (Janna) and the Fire (Jahannam) 150\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eModern Islamic Views on Heaven and Hell 154\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRituals of Departure 156\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Conversation on Understanding Death 159\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 161\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences and Further Reading 162\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 Hindu Perspectives on Death 165\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFeeding the Ancestors 166\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe First Sacrifice 168\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDeath, the Immortal 173\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Inner Controller 174\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the House of Death 180\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Three Paths to Liberation 182\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRituals of Departure 187\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Conversation on Understanding Death 192\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 194\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences and Further Reading 195\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 Buddhist Perspectives on Death 197\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Life and Death of the Buddha 198\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Noble Truths 201\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKarma, Self, and the Wheel of Becoming 204\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNirvana: The Deathless 211\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRituals of Departure 214\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Conversation on Understanding Death 225\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 227\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences and Further Reading 228\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 Daoist Perspectives on Death 229\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Ancestors 230\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSoul Theories 235\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe NamelessWay 237\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTransformations of the Self 239\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Search for Immortality 242\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRituals of Departure 245\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA Conversation on Understanding Death 250\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNotes 252\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReferences and Further Reading 253\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex 255\u003c\/p\u003e  \u003cp\u003e“Summing Up: Recommended.  Lower-level undergraduates through professionals\/practitioners; general readers.”  (\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e, 1 October 2014)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eAngela Sumegi\u003c\/b\u003e is Assistant Professor of Religion at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. She is the author of \u003ci\u003eDream Worlds of Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism\u003c\/i\u003e (2008)\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e Outside academia, she teaches Buddhist meditation and is the founder and director of a Canadian charity that supports Tibetan refugee children in India. \u003cp\u003eDeath and dying are emotive subjects, and ones which are central to the traditions and lived realities of many of the world's religions today. This illuminating book examines how different religions understand death, dying, and the afterlife, drawing on examples from Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Shamanism.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEncountering death almost always prompts a host of questions: What happened, and why? What do we do now? Beginning with an exploration of these shared reactions, the book traces the answers developed by the world's major religions, exploring their views on the nature of death itself, the reasons for it, identities of those who die, religious rituals, and their differing perspectives on how the living should respond to death. The way in which different religions interpret the characteristics of the 'person' who lives and the 'person' who dies forms the central theme and primary organizing principle for the book. This emphasis on varying concepts of the 'self' or soul enables students to gain a broader, comparative understanding of the subject.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"From primal to Daoist traditions, this book brings breadth and depth to major religious traditions on death and destiny. In-depth historical material and selected interviews with religious devotees bring theories to life. An easy yet informative style will speak to students very directly.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eDouglas Davies\u003c\/b\u003e, Durham University\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"What makes this book especially valuable for readers are the conversations that end each chapter. These conversations that the author has with adherents of the various religious traditions that she describes give us a more complete picture of how each tradition understands death and life. This book is a welcome addition to the literature on death and dying.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eAmir Hussain\u003c\/b\u003e, Loyola Marymount University and Editor of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wiley-Blackwell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47990428795109,"sku":"NP9781405153706","price":86.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781405153706.jpg?v=1761787789","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/understanding-death-isbn-9781405153706","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}