Life After Death - The Book of Answers

Author: Deepak Chopra
Publisher: Ebury Publishing (Random House Group)
Pages: 282
Price: Rs 495

Eisha Sarkar
Published in Times Wellness on , January 15, 2010

Nothing sells better than death - in the literary world at least. Tons of paper have been devoted to murder mysteries, urban thrillers, war-time anecdotes, criminal psychology, after-death experiences and anything that speaks of the circumstances around which life ends. But is death all that gory? In his 'book of answers', Life After Death, mind-body medicine guru Deepak Chopra explores circle of life and death.

In order to make the understanding of death less complex (and more interesting), Chopra keeps drawing from the story of Savitri and Satyavan from "The Book of the Forest" of the Mahabharata. Yama, the Lord of Death, shows up in her front yard one day, waiting to take away her husband the moment he returns from work as a woodcutter. Savitri is terrified. What strategy could possibly turn Death away from his inexorable mission? Or can one really turn death away?

Chopra delves into Vedanta philosophy to answer questions on life and after-life. He explores the concepts of heaven and hell as described by Christian and Hindu beliefs. "The Christian brothers who taught me loved to talked about what life would be like in heaven, and for them God's home was as real and solid as any building in Delhi. The swamis and yogis agreed with that but only because they believed that Spirit permeates every plane of existence... My Christian schoolteachers relished the idea that every desire would come true in heaven, and once again the swamis agree in their way... I wasn't sure why people died in the Christian scheme. Some who died were loaded down with sin, it seemed, like criminals who have come to the end of their bad actions, while others died to meet God, eager that their time had come. In India someone dies after reaching the maximum evolution allotted to that lifetime; they have come to the end of what their karma can teach them."

Chopra deftly moves through the 'web of worlds', with the help of numerous examples of near-death experiences (NDE). He finds a space, Akasha, where the spirits rest and where guardian angels are born. He draws from physics the natural laws of creation and uses them to explain the concept of eternity. Chopra finds that death is after all a part of re-creation, what Eastern philosophy often terms as reincarnation. Matter and energy remains constant. Cells die to make way for new cells. Lives end to make way for new lives. Death is more a function of space than time.

The book is heavy and needs to be read over and over again for better comprehension. Chopra does make an effort to make things easier by sharing his own experiences and those of others. In one of the more interesting sections on mind fields he talks about telepathic relationships between pets and their owners - where an African Grey Parrot in a room can actually 'guess' what pictures its owner is looking at. In yet another, he pulls out vignettes from Tibetan Buddhism - of lamas who've been reborn and who recall their 'soulful' experiences.

Chopra's idea of writing this book is to bring in a fresh perspective towards death and its acceptance. Death is mournful, but thankfully, it's not the end!