Customer Reviews

Living in the Light of Death: On the Art of Being Truly Alive

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4 star:		(2)
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Larry Rosenberg, a respected meditation teacher, insightfully succeeds in bringing death to life in this meaningful new book. "The truth is," he observes, "death is not waiting for us at the end of the road, it is walking with us the whole time," from the moment we are born (p. 13). Unfortunately, readers who are uncomfortable confronting the unavoidable realities of aging, illness, and death may find this book morbid or depressing. Instead, however, Rosenberg encourages us to view death as "a great teacher . . . it teaches us how to live life" (p. 107).

"Death is here now," Rosenberg writes (p. 80). Everyone must die (p. 87). Our remaining life span is decreasing continually (p. 88). Death will come regardless of whether or not we are prepared (p. 91). Human life expectancy is uncertain (p. 93). There are many causes of death (p. 95). The human body is very fragile (p. 97). Our wealth cannot save us (p. 99). Our loved ones cannot help us (p. 101). Nor can our body help (p. 102). When viewed correctly, Rosenberg observes, these facts can become "doorways to liberation" (p. 141) that "make life more precious. They show us that every moment is a gift" (p. 97).

This book reads easily, and is filled with both interesting anecdotes and profound insights. Reading it could change your life.

G. Merritt

This book stands out from the crowded genre of authors dealing with loss, pain, and death. Most of the books I have read on the subject focus on the struggle against death and against pain, but while Larry Rosenberg certainly supports the idea that you should embrace life, he takes an honest look at what happens to people who will lose the fight--a group that, in the final analysis, includes everyone.

Rosenberg is one of the few authors I have read with the courage to address the inevitable and to show us how to embrace what we can delay, but what we cannot prevent. Using examples from a wide variety of cultures, he looks at the way in which others face death, and shows us what lessons we can learn as we approach the ends of our lives. Whether you hope to live for eight more weeks or eighty more years, Rosenberg has an important message for you.

This book is brilliant..........using death awareness as subject, the author shows us how we can actually live in freedom now, today. His clear, experiential understanding of the dharma is revealed over and over again throughout and his convicted and loving embrace of it is an amazing gift, given graciously, to us all. One of the finest dharma books ever written!

As a new practitioner to the Buddhist way of life, I felt that this book distilled several books/teachings I've encountered on finding happiness in the present. I heartily recommend it to anyone living - especially those living in a fast-paced society.

This is one of my favorite books ever.

It asks us to take the elephant out of the closet. That elephant is that we are all alive and at some point we each will experience our own death.

That actually was very empowering for me - it helps me to make decisions about things I thought I had no choice over such as how I want to respond to certain people, situations, past experiences, and anticipations of future events.

Somehow, by really getting that I will experience my own death, my present reality and choices have come more into focus.

I like how the author writes - he is kind, firm, funny and insightful all at one time. I highly recommend this as well as his other books. Breath by Breath was a great one too!

This is an excellent, down-to-earth, practical and clear explanation of the most essential concepts of Buddhism, namely impermanence, aging, sickness, and death. Although these are topics most of us would rather sweep under the rug, the author makes a great case for confronting these issues head on. His point is that when confronted we can live our lives truer to our inner selves. The writing is clear. The analogies are simple and directly applicable. The author is honest and his sharing of his own journey helpful to the reader. This book has helped me understand these important concepts in Buddhism and I highly recommend it.

Possibly the only book that you need to read to get a perfect understanding on how life works. Larry Rosenberg writes this in simple language that is very easy to understand. I have studied these principles in my life as a Buddhist and these are presented in a non sectarian approach. I would say that this is a MUST read for anyone who wants to learn about our true nature.

Larry Rosenberg has written a book that covers all a person needs to know about death awareness. It includes the 9 contemplations of atisha in simple to read prose that is quite inclusive and profound.

A well written insightful book by an author long experienced in the Buddist tradition. The auther's idea of living the life we have is one that we too often fail to put into practice, as we pursue this or that ambition at the expense of our relationships, not to mention ourselves.