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The Modern Book of the Dead: A Revolutionary Perspective on Death, the Soul, and What Really Happens in the Life to Come
A modern, all-encompassing exploration of what happens after we die, combining spirituality with philosophy, history, and science, all of which guide us toward the timeless truth that human consciousness lives on after death.
Throughout history, Books of the Dead have provided comfort, hope, and insight into death and dying, uniting readers with those who have passed before them and shedding light on the process of death.
In The Modern Book of the Dead , Tompkins draws from the teachings and writings of major religious and philosophical traditions that comment of the afterlife, especially Christianity and Buddhism, but without adhering to one single philosophy. He blends Eastern models of death and rebirth with a more Western emphasis on personal identity and the soul of the individual, offering a comprehensive “map” of the afterlife.
Writing in a clear and approachable tone, Tompkins proves himself to be just an average person trying to make sense of something that we all will face. With the advances of modern medicine enabling us to live longer, we have become increasingly distanced from death, and thus more fearful of the inevitable. Tompkins, however, argues that our experiences of growth and change do not stop at the moment of death, but in many ways only begin there.
Like its ancient predecessors, The Modern Book of the Dead frames death not as an end but as a beginning, yet it also embraces science and demonstrates how the older books can be brought into line with twenty-first century perspectives. Tomkins’s rich, breakthrough approach gives us the first truly contemporary, enlightened look at death and the afterlife.
Throughout history, Books of the Dead have provided comfort, hope, and insight into death and dying, uniting readers with those who have passed before them and shedding light on the process of death.
In The Modern Book of the Dead , Tompkins draws from the teachings and writings of major religious and philosophical traditions that comment of the afterlife, especially Christianity and Buddhism, but without adhering to one single philosophy. He blends Eastern models of death and rebirth with a more Western emphasis on personal identity and the soul of the individual, offering a comprehensive “map” of the afterlife.
Writing in a clear and approachable tone, Tompkins proves himself to be just an average person trying to make sense of something that we all will face. With the advances of modern medicine enabling us to live longer, we have become increasingly distanced from death, and thus more fearful of the inevitable. Tompkins, however, argues that our experiences of growth and change do not stop at the moment of death, but in many ways only begin there.
Like its ancient predecessors, The Modern Book of the Dead frames death not as an end but as a beginning, yet it also embraces science and demonstrates how the older books can be brought into line with twenty-first century perspectives. Tomkins’s rich, breakthrough approach gives us the first truly contemporary, enlightened look at death and the afterlife.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 14, 2012
22 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 1, 2012
Addressing one of the key questions central to religious thought, Tompkins brings a variety of ideas about the afterlife and assembles them into a cohesive vision of the afterlife that is both astoundingly simple and contains all the rich complexity of the religious traditions he draws it from. This engaging treatise on death and why a belief in an afterlife matters explores the similarities without neglecting the differences found in descriptions of afterlife beliefs around the world, including the non-belief of the materialistic culture of the Western world. Surprisingly life-affirming, this is a book anyone who has any curiosity about death and the afterlife should read, no matter from which religious tradition you hail.
May 2, 2012
Fascinating synopsis of the afterlife over a broad swath of cultures and millennia -- most insightful!
March 4, 2014
My Entire Worldview
By Christopher Jennings - March 2, 2014
This book holds my entire worldview.
--Reincarnation.
--Returning to the light when we transition.
--Many levels of consciousness.
An amazing book all the way around. A must read for anyone interested in knowing what happens to us when we transition.
If there are so many stories from so many disparate cultures then there MUST be SOME validity to all these stories.
This is one major tenet I've taken away from reading this book:
Once you realize that life is eternal,
That our souls our eternal,
That we return to light and physical over and over;
We then lose all our distress
We then lose all our fear of dying. For there truly is no end.
Purchase this book and read it. I believe you'll be comforted to know that there is no death.
By Christopher Jennings - March 2, 2014
This book holds my entire worldview.
--Reincarnation.
--Returning to the light when we transition.
--Many levels of consciousness.
An amazing book all the way around. A must read for anyone interested in knowing what happens to us when we transition.
If there are so many stories from so many disparate cultures then there MUST be SOME validity to all these stories.
This is one major tenet I've taken away from reading this book:
Once you realize that life is eternal,
That our souls our eternal,
That we return to light and physical over and over;
We then lose all our distress
We then lose all our fear of dying. For there truly is no end.
Purchase this book and read it. I believe you'll be comforted to know that there is no death.
December 9, 2021
No doubt an interesting and refreshing take on death and how we should look at it - presenting life as just one part of a bigger picture journey for the soul makes it easier to accept the inevitable. The author bases his theories on numerous studies including Egyptian, Indian philosophies and the Tibetan Book of the Dead, as also various religious approaches including Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. He manages to weave these various belief systems together by taking something from each stream of thought - this helps to draw the reader from some aspects familiar to them to newer revelations. All by researching near death experiences, the telling of which was fascinating.
Having said all this, I wasn't too enamoured by the literary aspects of the book. Like most non fiction, there is one premise and several examples to describe the same point. Also for those like me who have been brought up on philosophies that believe in the soul's journey, all this was not that new or revelationary. Nonetheless, not a bad one to pick up in between several fiction works on my bookshelf.
Having said all this, I wasn't too enamoured by the literary aspects of the book. Like most non fiction, there is one premise and several examples to describe the same point. Also for those like me who have been brought up on philosophies that believe in the soul's journey, all this was not that new or revelationary. Nonetheless, not a bad one to pick up in between several fiction works on my bookshelf.
July 27, 2020
Great book for everyone interested in the afterlife.
For every individual interested in the afterlife, this is a modern approach that helps understand what may happen after we die. A must read for any modern person of any age who likes these matters. Well written and well organized. Five stars.
For every individual interested in the afterlife, this is a modern approach that helps understand what may happen after we die. A must read for any modern person of any age who likes these matters. Well written and well organized. Five stars.
June 13, 2013
The preface had me on the toilet 'til my legs went numb. Some chapters lagged a bit, and the later chapters dealing with near death experiences sometimes ventured into territory I'm not even sure I can lend credence to, especially Tompkins's coverage of Frederic Myers's posthumous writing via a medium... Meanwhile, however, this extension of credulity makes the book stronger and more surprising. Tompkins tested my limits to the point of disbelief. Why should a book about the most unknown of unknowns not venture into such murky territory? Tompkins himself makes the point many times over that writing books about 'life' beyond the material zone we're locked in tends to either be overly scientific and limited by a finite range and methodology (and not to mention dryness), or too 'new age-y' and bereft of any evidence or factual anchors with which to anchor ourselves.
This isn't a great book, but maybe that's because a book of this nature has to straddle two worlds, two prospective demographics of readers, and can only be so effective before it veers too far one way or the other. Books about the preternatural tend to be so skeptical of their evidence they end up portraying their amazing subject matter as mundane and improbable fluff, else they blindly throw their weight behind unverified (and perhaps unverifiable) claims from potential crazypantses and con-artists. I think Tompkins was aiming to find a middle ground with this book. That approach works for him and against him. I admire the ambition, but I can't say this is anything groundbreaking. There are probably better books on the subject, but perhaps none with such a conscious attention to balance.
Got to love that new age aphorism, "The map is not the territory." And don't you worry, the feeling came back to my legs. Come to think of it, I finished this book on the can too, but my legs only went a little tingly the second time. It's a miracle!
I imagine my sarcasm probably isn't appropriate here. I liked this book, but I'm also glad to be free to move on to the next.
This isn't a great book, but maybe that's because a book of this nature has to straddle two worlds, two prospective demographics of readers, and can only be so effective before it veers too far one way or the other. Books about the preternatural tend to be so skeptical of their evidence they end up portraying their amazing subject matter as mundane and improbable fluff, else they blindly throw their weight behind unverified (and perhaps unverifiable) claims from potential crazypantses and con-artists. I think Tompkins was aiming to find a middle ground with this book. That approach works for him and against him. I admire the ambition, but I can't say this is anything groundbreaking. There are probably better books on the subject, but perhaps none with such a conscious attention to balance.
Got to love that new age aphorism, "The map is not the territory." And don't you worry, the feeling came back to my legs. Come to think of it, I finished this book on the can too, but my legs only went a little tingly the second time. It's a miracle!
I imagine my sarcasm probably isn't appropriate here. I liked this book, but I'm also glad to be free to move on to the next.
March 19, 2012
One of my favorite TV characters is Fox Mulder from X-Files. On his wall in his office, he has a poster of a UFO, with the words "I want to believe" in large letters. That is exactly how I feel about all the after-life theories that I hear about all the time. However, my biggest problem with them is that there is offered no scientific proof that one theory is right, or others are wrong. Without solid proof, you would fall into the trap of believing whatever "sounds good" to you. This author not only did not offer any solid proof for his views, but he also wrote the book in a very dry, boring manner. I barely was able to finish this thing, and when I did I was hugely disappointed.
The "proof" he offers is mainly from a guy who did some investigation of spirits contacting mediums from the beyond, reporting what the after-life is like. He says this is unquestionable proof because there are just "so many" stories that this guy recorded. I hate to tell the guy, but just because a thousand people report seeing a "UFO", is not absolute proof that they actually did see a UFO. You need a scientific study and scholarly research done to verify the claims! Don't even bother reading this awful book - Don't waste your money.
The "proof" he offers is mainly from a guy who did some investigation of spirits contacting mediums from the beyond, reporting what the after-life is like. He says this is unquestionable proof because there are just "so many" stories that this guy recorded. I hate to tell the guy, but just because a thousand people report seeing a "UFO", is not absolute proof that they actually did see a UFO. You need a scientific study and scholarly research done to verify the claims! Don't even bother reading this awful book - Don't waste your money.
July 29, 2012
A very well written and intelligent approach to the subject of what, if anything, happens after death. The author examines some classic texts like the Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Tibet Book of the Dead, some unique sources from a western perspective as well as scientific findings and creates an intriguing and carefully explained theory that combines the eastern notion of absorption into an oceanic consciousness and the western belief in the survival of the individual consciousness.
Tompkins brings an interesting history to his work, from growing up in a dysfunctional new age household to working at Guideposts magazine, but neither of these represents the scope and insight of this work.
Tompkins brings an interesting history to his work, from growing up in a dysfunctional new age household to working at Guideposts magazine, but neither of these represents the scope and insight of this work.
July 29, 2015
An enjoyable read and a good introduction to the topic of conscious survival of death. Not deep or paradigm shifting by any means but a good read and worth the time of anyone interested in the subject.
Mostly, however, The Modern Book of the Dead fits into the New Age/Self-Help category rather than a deep and meaningful examination of the nature of death and conscious survival of this.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommended for those interested in the subject of consciousness surviving bodily death.
Mostly, however, The Modern Book of the Dead fits into the New Age/Self-Help category rather than a deep and meaningful examination of the nature of death and conscious survival of this.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommended for those interested in the subject of consciousness surviving bodily death.
April 16, 2020
Life is a journey
Well written and thought out. The last few chapters really picked up and brought the honest evaluation of who we are and who we are not, yet. I found myself in agreement that life is a journey. I have never been satisfied with religious dogma. The thought that we are simply meatbots is insane. Books such as this open your mind to hope and possibility that is both honest and plausible.
Well written and thought out. The last few chapters really picked up and brought the honest evaluation of who we are and who we are not, yet. I found myself in agreement that life is a journey. I have never been satisfied with religious dogma. The thought that we are simply meatbots is insane. Books such as this open your mind to hope and possibility that is both honest and plausible.
September 15, 2015
This book was really interesting since it seemed to focus a bit more on the idea of reincarnation. Some chapters were great and I sped through them others were tedious. One thing I did not like was he would be discussing one topic then all of a sudden it changed to something else then back. It still went with the flow of the chapter but made it hard to concentrate. The last few chapters were not favorite and seemed a bit far fetched to me.
March 14, 2013
Excellent, comprehensive, review all the documentation from the 'dawn of time' - from the Myth of Er to reports through medium and those amongst us with NDA's. Bogged down for me a bit in the middle, though well worth the plow through -- to the other side -- with lots of insights to reflect upon, and reflection to yield insight, whether based on personal experience or pure imagination!
March 28, 2013
Fascinating look into a subject I have given very little thought to - what happens to us after death. The writing us a bit dry and text book like at times, but the underlying information is thought provoking at the least.
February 9, 2014
Answered (?) or at least offered a more comfortable view of what might happen on the other side of the "door". I actually finished it last Autumn - but am reading it again, just to let his thoughts sink in a little deeper this time - let myself ponder them even more.
May 27, 2012
I enjoyed this book and I plan to reread it. I found the ideas presented to come from a unique perspective.
November 13, 2013
a thorough march through his personal 'Ptolemaic System', but not factual and demonstrable enough for my 'taste'
July 29, 2014
This book is somewhat interesting, but quite repetitive. It is better suited for someone who has not read about related subjects in any depth.
October 15, 2015
Very informative
July 22, 2022
So meta that I couldn't finish it
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews