GOOD LIFE, GOOD DEATH: Tibetan Wisdom on Reincarnation

Tibetan lama Gehlek says he doesn't want to persuade readers of reincarnation; rather, he wants them briefly to consider reincarnation and see how that consideration changes their attitude toward death. His insightful discussions of anger, love, compassion and ego will help readers not only reflect on death, but also—as the title suggests—to live a good life. Still, Gehlek's fundamental message is about dying: we all have to die eventually, and we should not fear it. He urges us to get to know our death, to imagine and accept it. And though death shouldn't be scary, he admits that it is often hard, even ugly. Gehlek acknowledges that one can have a "bad rebirth," and he cautions that "What I learned in the Buddhist tradition about hell would make your hair stand on end." But that occasional harshness only enriches the book, providing a useful corrective of the feel-good, pick-and-choose ethos of American religion. Gehlek is a felicitous writer, especially gifted with analogy ("Attachment is... like dipping paper in oil. When the paper touches the oil... a large amount of oil is quickly absorbed.") What might seem like needless name-dropping in another writer's hands—to wit, Gehlek's many references to Allen Ginsberg—here seem gentle and organic. Buddhist readers will cheer about this fresh voice, and even those who don't believe in reincarnation will find something valuable in this short meditation on death. (Oct.)

Forecast:As if Gehlek's own merits aren't enough, the foreword by the Dalai Lama and the introduction by Robert Thurman are sure to help this book find an audience.