Samsara - the Wheel of Birth, Death and Rebirth
A journey through spirituality, religion and Asia
by Rebecca Harrison
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Pub Date 12 Oct 2019 | Archive Date 25 Feb 2020
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Description
Travel with the author on a fascinating journey exploring Nepal, Bali, Cambodia and India, where samsara, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, is at the core of their rich cultures and the religions of Buddhism and Hinduism.
What insights into suffering, life and death, and what happens after death, could the idea of samsara offer to people outside of those cultures?
Does spirituality mean anything in a twenty-first century world and can it exist without religion?
What clues might quantum physics, parapsychology, mysticism or psychedelics give about samsara, consciousness and ourselves?
This book will get you thinking about your own beliefs, life and death, and where they might fit in to the bigger picture as you travel with the writer in extraordinary cultures of astonishing variety.
Available Editions
| ISBN | 9780648706601 |
| PRICE | US$4.05 (USD) |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Bharath R, Reviewer
I picked up this book quite by chance based on the synopsis. This is a well written book which sincerely explores the key concept of ‘Samsara’ – the essence of life as outlined in Hindu & Buddhist philosophies.
Rebecca takes to exploring spirituality after the suffering and painful death of her partner of many years. She is drawn to the concept of ‘Samsara’ and how Hindu and Buddhist philosophies outline the essence of life and the afterlife. Her interest takes her to Nepal, Indonesia - Bali, Cambodia and later India – all societies where spiritual traditions are strong.
This book delves deeply into philosophy steering clear of rituals and other aspects of organised religion. The most interesting aspect of the book is how the author always has an eye on the latest advances and insights from science – especially neuroscience, psychology, quantum mechanics and cosmology. There are elaborate musings around the intersection of spirituality & science. The book is also frank – pointing out the tendency of people to use spirituality as a way to rationalise unfairness, politics etc. There is also considerable space devoted to esoteric practices in some traditions.
I did run into a few inaccuracies. There is some confusion around Karma (but then it is fairly widespread among many) which she readily admits to. There is however, one huge huge huge blooper – Adi Sankaracharya finds only a passing mention in the book as a ‘Hindu apologist’. This callous reference to someone, who in my opinion was India’s greatest philosopher made me cringe. The author does not realise that many of the great philosophers she refers in the book all derive their clarity around Advaita Vedanta (which advocates non-duality and the oneness of everything) from Adi Sankara’s profound teachings.
This book is a sincere enquiry into ‘Samsara’, with great discussions intermixing spiritually & science. Hence, it is certainly recommended if this subject interests you as it makes for very engaging reading.
My rating: 4.5 / 5.
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