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Life & Death: A Buddhist Perspective

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"must-read"! I am serious when I say that reading James Hilgendorf's Life and Death: A Buddhist Perspective was a life-changing experience. It includes actual testimony from someone who had a near-death experience. It has changed the way I will live the rest of my life. I don't know what I would have done without it.
Whether you are a Buddhist or not, this book provides a clear and compassionate understanding of the relationship between life and death, which is often incomprehensible and frightening. Do you have aging parents or relatives? Are you getting older yourself? Treat yourself to a greater understanding of life and death, and relieve your anxieties by delving into Hilgendorf's easy to read explanations.
Basing his analysis on years of research by renowned scientists like Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, as well as Buddhist practitioners and other scholars, Hilgendorf explains why we need not fear death, if we prepare adequately now. How we improve our lives and the lives of others in the present--physically, spiritually, and emotionally--is the cause for having a peaceful death and the best preparation for experiencing even more productive lifetimes to come.

If I were to teach a basic college-level course in religion, philosophy, or metaphysics -- call it Spirituality 101 -- this book would be required reading. In fact, it would be the first week's assignment. Having read all or parts of nearly a thousand books dealing with spiritual matters, I cannot recall another that so simply and effectively blends the fundamentals of religion and science.

After providing us with the history and development of Buddhism, including an explanation of how the Soka Gakkai school of Buddhism evolved from the more traditional religion, the author moves to science, beginning with Copernicus and continuing on with Galileo, Descartes, Newton, Darwin, and Einstein. He discusses quantum physics and holograms, pointing out how all of these scientific discoveries are consistent with the Buddhist view of the cosmos.

This book has definitely clarified my understanding of Buddhism. In fact, while I prefer to wear no labels, I think I have been a Buddhist for some time, perhaps an unorthodox Christian Buddhist, but a Buddhist nonetheless.

Life & Death: A Buddhist Perspective by James Hilgendorf is a sensitive and profound look into the eternal questions of God, creation, life, and death from a Buddhist perspective. The wisdom of enlightenment and the unifying truths of Buddhism add a unique dimension to the eternal issues in Life & Death, which gathers numerous quotes from figures such as Carl Jung, Albert Einstein, and Leo Tolstoy to better present its perspective. Of special and particular interest is the transcript of a panel discussion which took place in Los Angeles (July, 2000) and revealed unique, practical insights for contemporary students of Buddhist philosophy. Life & Death is a welcome and highly commended addition to Buddhist Studies collections and supplemental reading lists.