Understanding Death
Description
What is death? How can we respond to death? Why must we die? Where do we go from here? Do we go anywhere?
Understanding Death offers a thorough introduction to the views and practices of various religions regarding death and life after death. Drawing on examples from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Shamanic traditions, this student-oriented textbook explores how different conceptions of the "self" or soul inform the way humans interpret life and assign meaning to the phenomenon of death.
Incorporating contributions from members of each faith, Understanding Death provides readers with a comparative overview of how death is expressed and constructed in religious texts and canonical interpretations. Accessible chapters discuss how major religions address the nature of death itself while illustrating how history, philosophy, and ritual reflect what is important in understanding the meaning of death in that religion.
Now in its second edition, Understanding Death is revised and updated throughout, featuring three entirely new chapters on Sikhism, Jainism, as well as changing attitudes and new technologies related to death and dying in the twenty-first century.
Understanding Death: Ideas of Self and the Afterlife in Religions of the World, Second Edition, is an ideal textbook for undergraduate students and lecturers in Religious Studies programs, and an excellent resource for non-specialist readers interested in the subject.
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ANGELA SUMEGI is Associate Professor (ret.) in Religion at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. She is the author of Dreamworlds of Shamanism and Tibetan Buddhism: The Third Place and a Senior Editor with the International Network for Training, Education, and Research on Culture, a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of Indigenous communities around the world.
Content
Preface to the Second Edition xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
1 Understanding Death 1
Debates and Definitions 4
Death and the Self 9
Religion, Ritual, and Transformation 14
Notes 18
References and Further Reading 19
2 Death in the Ancient World 21
Egypt 23
Bodies and Souls 24
Transforming the Body 26
Going Forth by Day 28
The Story of Osiris 30
Mesopotamia 33
Gilgamesh and the Search for Immortality 34
Bones and Ghost 36
Iran 38
Zoroaster and the Evil of Death 38
Salvation for All 39
Notes 42
References and Further Reading 43
3 Jewish Perspectives 45
Creation, Disobedience, and Death 48
The Soul and Sheol 51
Resurrection and the World to Come 55
The Journey of the Soul 59
Rituals of Departure 65
A Conversation on Understanding Death with Estel Lita and Marsel Russo 70
Notes 72
References and Further Reading 73
4 Christian Perspectives 75
The Death of Jesus 77
Developments in Christian Thought on the Soul 80
Resurrection and Eternal Life 84
Heaven and Hell 87
Rituals of Departure 95
A Conversation on Understanding Death with Trevor and Marjorie Myers 98
Notes 100
References and Further Reading 101
5 Muslim Perspectives 103
The Names of God 107
Ruh and Nafs 110
The Trial of the Grave 113
The Garden (Janna) and the Fire (Jahannam) 116
Modern Islamic Views on Heaven and Hell 120
Rituals of Departure 122
A Conversation on Understanding Death with Mine Khan 125
Notes 127
References and Further Reading 128
6 Perspectives of Indigenous Peoples 129
Soul Theories 133
The Destiny of Souls 137
Afterlife Among the Warao 138
Rituals of Departure 142
A Conversation on Understanding Death with
Albert Dumont 148
Notes 150
References and Further Reading 151
7 Hindu Perspectives 153
Feeding the Ancestors 154
The First Sacrifice 156
Death, the Immortal 160
The Inner Controller 161
In the House of Death 166
Paths to Liberation 169
Rituals of Departure 172
A Conversation on Understanding Death with Sudha and Harsha Dehejia 178
Notes 179
References and Further Reading 180
8 Sikh Perspectives 183
Guru Nanak 183
Sri Guru Granth Sahib: The Book that Embodies the "Imperishable Light" 185
"There Is No Hindu and No Muslim" 186
Liberation of the Soul and the Guru's Grace 191
Hukam and Death 193
Re-defining
Ritual 196
Rituals of Departure 198
A Conversation on Understanding Death with Gurcharan Singh 203
Notes 205
References and Further Reading 207
9 The Shramana Movement: Jain Perspectives 209
Abandoning the Householder Life 209
Jain Perspectives: The Concept of Soul (Jiva) 213
Non-violence (Ahimsa) and Asceticism: The Path to Liberation 214
Sallekhana: The Heroic Death 218
Rituals of Departure 220
Mantras and Prayers That May Be Recited at a Jain Funeral 223
A Conversation on Understanding Death with Yash and Jagmohan Humar 225
Notes 227
References and Further Reading 228
10 The Shramana Movement: Buddhist Perspectives 231
The Life and Death of the Buddha 232
Foundations of the Buddha's Dharma 234
The Process of Becoming a Self 237
Nirvana: The Deathless 243
Mahayana and the Bodhisattva Ideal 246
Rituals of Departure 248
A Conversation on Understanding Death with Ton Nu' Nguyen Phu'o'c Thuy Lan 256
Notes 258
References and Further Reading 258
11 Religion in Chinese Culture and Daoist Perspectives 261
Ancestors and Other Spirits of the Dead 263
Soul Theories 269
Daoist Perspectives: The Nameless Way 270
Transformations of the Self 272
The Search for Immortality 274
Rituals of Departure 277
A Conversation on Understanding Death with Wei-ting Liu 283
Notes 286
References and Further Reading 287
12 New Ways of Accommodating Death 289
Keeping the Faith: Religious Accommodation 290
Conquering Fear: Death Positive and Beyond 294
Life Beyond Death: The Near-Death Experience 299
Notes 304
References and Further Reading 305
Index 307
