Dialogue With Death

Dialogue with Death is not a book on death and dying. It is a book about life and living: what life is for, who we are as human beings, why we are here. Yet it is death that forces these questions on us. If we could live forever, there would be little urgency in finding answers. But the fact is that whatever our age or the status of our health, none of us has time to waste in learning what life is for.We begin to take life seriously when we take death seriously. Otherwise, as Thoreau said, we run the risk of discovering, when we come to die, that we have never lived. This is not a negative observation. It is completely positive, for it brings life into focus. Every moment is precious. There is so little time: not a day to waste on quarreling with those we love, no time for anything that robs our lives of joy, hope, and meaning. Fulfilling the purpose of life becomes our overriding priority, and that brings joy, hope, love, and meaning to us and to those around us. Let this book be your guide.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

In the Dialouge with Death the author presents the superb mtsticism of Sri Aurobindo as he has expounded it in his own inimitable style in the exquisite poem Savitri.Savitri is a movemental work in which sri Aurodindo is seen as a yogi and a philosopher a mystic and an occultist a poet and a lover all at once. It contains the quintessence of Sri Aurobindo`s great spirtiual adventure which aimed at bridging the gulf between Heaven and Earth.

Have you lost a loved one? The loss can be inestimable, the grief excruciating. What helped you? Did someone say something comforting? Did someone offer a consolation, which you resented? Have you ever tried to comfort someone with a terminal illness or one who has lost a loved one? Knowing how to help or what to say that is not trite, insincere, or superficial can be difficult. The point of view of a grieving person is quite different from that of those who wish to offer comfort. In a multicultural society such as ours, anticipating the beliefs of the grieving person can be even more difficult. This book explores the perspective of a grieving person. It considers the merits and potential harm of alternative comfort strategies. As a philosophical analysis of grief, it emphasizes an understanding of the beliefs that underlie grief and the usefulness or dangers of emotions. Because grief is so complex and sensitive, a narrow approach runs the risk of alienating the grieving person. The ideas in this book are expressed in a dialogue among three characters. Their discussion is broad and fundamental. Starting from the familiar consolation, “She’s no longer suffering” and the grieving person’s resentment toward the expression, the three friends articulate the value of life and the evils of death. Their discussion enriches their understanding of grief. Many consolations offered to mourners are poor arguments. Even the better ones do their work best in the context of a greater understanding of grief.

Why am I here? Is there a purpose to my life? What happens when I die? These deep questions are addressed with clear wisdom, vivid images and memorable stories.

In The Ethics of Death, the authors, one a philosopher and one a religious studies scholar, undertake an examination of the deaths that we experience as members of a larger moral community. Their respectful and engaging dialogue highlights the complex and challenging issues that surround many deaths in our modern world and helps readers frame thoughtful responses. Unafraid of difficult topics, Steffen and Cooley fully engage suicide, physician assisted suicide, euthanasia, capital punishment, abortion, and war as areas of life where death poses moral challenges.

"In 1937, while working for the London News Chronicle as a correspondent with the loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War, I was captured by General Franco's troops and held for several months in solitary confinement, witnessing the executions of my fellow-prisoners and awaiting my own. [This book] is an account of that experience written immediately after my release, in July-August, 1937 ... My principal interest in writing [this book] was an introspective one : the psychological impact of the condemned cell. From this view point, the political background was irrelevant, and the narrative, as far as it went, was the truthful account of an intimate experience"--Page xiii-xiv.

Kathopaniñad is a unique Upaniñad which starts with a kathä (a story) of a young boy who is ready to face the Lord of Death in his quest for Truth to know what lies beyond death. He asks the very pertinent and philosophical question, ‘Is there or is there not, and if it is what is it?’ In short, this teaching is an extravaganza of spiritual knowledge and meditation that guides a student step by step to the glorious state of immortality, peace and bliss.