THE WHEEL OF LIFE AND DEATH : A Practical and Spiritual Guide

New York, NY: Doubleday, 1989. First Edition . Hardcover. NEW - COLLECTIBLE/Near Fine. Text/BRAND NEW & Bright. First Edition. Bi-color boards/Fine. DJ/NF w/trace edge rubs. A resourceful, sensitive, practical, philosophical, and humanistic approach to life and death from Zen teacher Philip Kapleau (1912 - 2004) through viewing dying is but a mere shift in an unbroken continuum of life and death. Interweaving ancient Eastern thought, modern commentaries and dialogues in such a way that the fear of death is overcome, pain minimized, pain and grief lessened, and dignity retained. On the practical side, pros and cons of cremation versus burial are weighed along with how to make funeral services a meaningful rite of passage. Tempering breathing & meditation exercises, plus appendices on the hospice movement and "living wills" for persons who do not want their lives artificially prolonged in the event of terminal illness, round out the volume. 370 pgs in 5 parts: I, Death; II, Dying; III, Karma; IV, Rebirth; and V, Supplements..