Editor's Note xii
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction xv
A Note on the Drawings xxiii

PART ONE: DEATH

1. Existential Aspects of Death 3
What Is Life, What Is Death?
The Masters' Reactions to Death
What Is "Birth and Death"?
The Force of the Universe
Why Do We Fear Death?
Ego
Facing Death Fearlessly

2. Meditations on Death 33
Reflections on Death: Eight Points of View
Meditating on the Word Death
Meditation on a Death Koan
A Meditation on Death Using Beads
The Day of the Dead in Mexico
Matters of Worldly Anxieties

3. Facing Death 44
Socrates
Duncan Phyfe
Leah
Seng-chao
Sri Ramana Maharshi
Gautama the Buddha

PART TWO: DYING

4. The Dying Person and Death 63
The Process of Dying
Daily Dying
We Die as We Have Lived
Survival and the Inner Voice
Should One Struggle Against Death?
Dying Well
Two Different Ways of Dying

5. The Dilemma of Pain 78
Existential Pain
Physical Pain

6. Suicide and Euthanasia 90
Suicide
Euthanasia

7. To the Terminally Ill 98
The Value of Repentance
Keeping Your Mind Clear
Breathing to Dispel Anxiety
The Mind at the Moment of Death
Reflections on Death
Meditations for the Dying Person

8. To the Family and Friends of the Dying 108
Dying in the Hospital or at Home?
The Last Hours of the Dying

9. Cremation or Burial? 113
Six Options for Taking Care of the Body
Prepaying Your Funeral
Are Funeral Directors Necessary?
Wakes and Vigils
The Body's Presence at the Funeral
Waiting Until the Life Force Leaves the Body
Religious Aspects of Cremation

10. Creating the Funeral Service 122
The Service
The Value of Chanting
Funerals for Newborn Babies

PART THREE: KARMA

11. Understanding Karma 139
Life's Seeming Injustice
The Wheel of Life and Death
Why Believe in Karma?
Karma and Causation
Karma and Intention
Karma Is Not Fate
Primary and Secondary Causes

12. Changing Your Karma 146
Can "Bad" Karma Be Prevented?
Simultaneous and Progressive Cause and Effect
Variable and "Constant" Karma
Transcending Karma
Collective Karma
Lightening the Karmic Burden
When Others Are Wrong I Am Wrong

13. The Interconnectedness of All Life 159
We Are Our Brothers
Karma and Suicide
Karma and Abortion
Karma and Euthanasia
Karma and Retribution
Karma Realized Now and in the Future
Karma and the Intention to Learn
Karma and Compassion
Karma and Change
Creating Good Karma

PART FOUR: REBIRTH

14. The Case for Rebirth 175
What Lies Beyond?
Belief in Afterlife
The Intermediate Realm
Rebirth and the Aim of Life
Rebirth Distinguished from Reincarnation
What Passes Over?
The Power of Will
Can Fear Be Carried from Life to Life?
Remembering Past Lives

15. Further Implications of Rebirth 196
The Moral Effects
Heredity, Environment, or Karma?
Parents, Children, and Rebirth
Rebirth and Special Affinities and Aptitudes
Near-Death Experiences

APPENDIXES

Appendix A: Living Wills 209
Living with Technology
The Rise of Patient Autonomy
Advance Directives
Physician Assistance for the Dying

Appendix B: Hospice Care 218

Appendix C: What to Do upon Someone's Death: A Checklist 222

Appendix D: Consoling the Bereaved: Do's and Don'ts 225

Appendix E: Meditation 227
What Is Meditation?
Meditation at Rest and in Motion

Notes 233
Glossary 247
Bibliography 253
Index 265