Literature:
Lauren W. Rabb. "A young widow named Eleanor Strayer is finding it hard to get over the death of her husband and get on with her life, when she discovers a packet of letters from a woman who lived 100 years ago. The letters are from Gertrude Picknell, the young wife of the artist William Lamb Picknell. It soon becomes clear that it may not be coincidence that Eleanor has found these letters -- Gertrude's life clearly echoes Eleanor's own. When the letters abruptly end before the close of Gertrude's story, Eleanor embarks on a quest to find out what happened to the woman. In discovering Gertrude, Eleanor discovers herself, and learns that sometimes we get a second chance to correct mistakes we made in the past." This novel has a series of five-star reviews from enchanted readers on Amazon.com. Click here for information about ordering this book.
Traditional Beliefs:
By Kalu Rinpoche. Comparing Kyabje with Milarepa, the greatest meditation master Tibet has ever known, His Holiness the Dalai Lama extols the author of Luminous Mind as a "beacon of inspiration" for spiritual practitioners of all traditions. Noting that "there have been few like him before or since," His Holiness urges us to delve into this remarkable anthology of the late Kalu Rinpoche's essential instructions so that we may encounter "the full range of Buddhist practice from basic analysis of the nature of the mind up to its ultimate refinement in the teachings of Mahamudra." Includes Mind, Reality, and Illusion, The Transformations of Mind: Lives, Deaths and Rebirths, and The Paths of Liberation, which includes introductions to the essence of the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana paths as well the the higher teachings of Mahamudra and Dzogchen. Click here for more information.
Sogyal Rinpoche. A phenomenal worldwide bestseller since its publication in 1993, this book presents Tibetan Buddhist views on death, rebirth, and karma in a form that is uniquely accessible to the Western mind. Beginning with Buddhist views on impermanence and the nature of mind, Sogyal Rinpoche goes on to describe the bardos or transition states in which rapid evolutionary advances are possible; as well as the dying process and advice on helping the dying. Click here for information about ordering this book.
- Reincarnation: An East-West Anthology
- Joseph Head. Paperback / Published 1989. A large selection of pro-reincarnation quotations from thinkers of many different religious, philosophical, and literary traditions around the world. Click here for information about ordering this book.
- Karma and Rebirth in Classical Indian Traditions
- Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty (ed.). Hardcover / Published 1980. A collection of very intense scholarly essays that look at Indian reincarnation beliefs from a philosophical and sociological perspective. Click here for information about ordering this book.
- The Dimensions of Karma.
- S.s Rama Rao Pappu. Hardcover / Published 1994. Another collection of interesting essays in much the same vein as O'Flaherty's book. Click here for information about ordering this book.
- The Book of Reincarnation and the Afterlife (Chinese Popular Classics)
- Martin Palmer, Joanne O'Brien. Paperback / Published 1997. A look at beliefs about the afterlife in the three closely-intertwined traditions that comprise traditional Chinese religion: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Includes discussions of the two types of soul, tables of actions and their consequences, ancestor worship, immortality and the eight immortals, the eighteen hells, and "The Three Lives": a popular astrological work that gives indications about your previous, present, and next life. Click here for information about ordering this book.
- Immortality & Reincarnation
- Alexandra David-Neel. Paperback / Published 1997. Click here for information about ordering this book
- Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth in Tibetan Buddhism
- Rinbochay etc. Paperback / Published 1985. Click here for information about ordering this book