A comprehensive survey of how religions understand death, dying, and the afterlife, drawing on examples from Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Shamanic perspectives.* Considers 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* Places emphasis on the varying concepts of the 'self' or soul* Uses a thematic structure to facilitate a broader comparative understanding* Written in an accessible style to appeal to an undergraduate audience, it fills major gap in current textbook literature

Preface ixAcknowledgments xiii1 Understanding Death 1Return from the Dead 4Debates and Definitions 9Death and the Self 14Ritual and Transformation 19Notes 22References and Further Reading 222 Primal Perspectives on Death 25Soul Theories of Primal Peoples 28The Destiny of Souls 34Afterlife among theWarao 35Rituals of Departure 40A Conversation on Understanding Death 44References and Further Reading 463 Death in the Ancient World 49Egypt 51Egyptian Soul Theory 52Transforming the Body 54Egyptian Afterlife 56The Story of Osiris 58Mesopotamia 61Gilgamesh and the Search for Immortality 63The Spirits of the Dead in Mesopotamian Culture 64Persia 66Zoroaster and the Evil of Death 67Salvation for All 68Notes 71References and Further Reading 714 Jewish Perspectives on Death 73The Beginning of Death 78The Soul and Sheol 80Resurrection and the World to Come 86The Journey of the Soul 91Rituals of Departure 97A Conversation on Understanding Death 101Notes 103References and Further Reading 1045 Christian Perspectives on Death 105The Death of Jesus 107Developments in Christian Thought on the Soul 111Resurrection and Eternal Life 114Heaven and Hell 119Rituals of Departure 128A Conversation on Understanding Death 131Notes 133References and Further Reading 1336 Muslim Perspectives on Death 135The Names of God 140Ruh and Nafs 143The Trial of the Grave 146The Garden (Janna) and the Fire (Jahannam) 150Modern Islamic Views on Heaven and Hell 154Rituals of Departure 156A Conversation on Understanding Death 159Notes 161References and Further Reading 1627 Hindu Perspectives on Death 165Feeding the Ancestors 166The First Sacrifice 168Death, the Immortal 173The Inner Controller 174In the House of Death 180The Three Paths to Liberation 182Rituals of Departure 187A Conversation on Understanding Death 192Notes 194References and Further Reading 1958 Buddhist Perspectives on Death 197The Life and Death of the Buddha 198The Noble Truths 201Karma, Self, and the Wheel of Becoming 204Nirvana: The Deathless 211Rituals of Departure 214A Conversation on Understanding Death 225Notes 227References and Further Reading 2289 Daoist Perspectives on Death 229The Ancestors 230Soul Theories 235The NamelessWay 237Transformations of the Self 239The Search for Immortality 242Rituals of Departure 245A Conversation on Understanding Death 250Notes 252References and Further Reading 253Index 255