Heaven vs Reincarnation

by S. Dharma

When humans first started to think about God times were very tough, life was a bitter struggle and naturally people hoped and prayed for a super being to help them, comfort them. The dominant religions of today reflected that attitude, made God in the image of the most powerful man of those days, the king, master or Emperor. This super being is our savior, will save us from having to face a tough, difficult life. If we pray hard, this super being will give us eternal childhood; life in a protected bubble. That has been the narrative of the past and sadly, still remains the narrative of the present. It is time for a paradigm change--time for the strong to write a new narrative about Faith and God. Time to stop asking God for this and that and start saying,"What can I do for God?"

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Spirituality

246 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2014

Reviews

[Joe Krakovsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in the Goodreads give away.

In all honesty, I did not finish this book. My main reason was that as I read it I got the feeling the author was trying to convert me. Now I don't have a problem with that, after all, isn't that what true believers are suppose to do? They want to share the message and secret to happiness. What I didn't like was the author's attitude towards non-believers. He gave me the impression of subtle jabbing at other religions in a mocking way just a bit too often for me. That is not to say the man doesn't know his business, or in this case religion. He was just the pushy or obnoxious salesman I would walk away from.

Based on what I did read, the author was explaining reincarnation as taught in Hinduism. It isn't quite what I had thought. Well, maybe it is later on in the book. In the beginning of the book it is described as changing your outlook on life as a form of reincarnation. That in itself can be a good thing, and is the first step to happiness.

My rating of this as a 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 is because while there is a lot of information here, I just am not interested for the above reasons. This is not to say that it might not help somebody else. So I will pass this book on and hope that it brings hope or happiness to someone in need.

[Joni Haynes · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I won this book from Goodreads, I expected to be fascinated. I call myself a reincarnationist (even being aware that we cannot truly know), so expected this to be an intellectual probing of what facts are available to us. However, that was not the case. The author obviously has an agenda...exhorting everyone to "choose" reincarnation and doubt heaven. In his/her book, even the Dalai Lama is put down for stating that he looked forward to heaven. Wow! My question: Are reincarnation and heaven mutually exclusive??? The author claims that only reincarnation is real; that heaven is a fantasy, and only for weak people who are looking for "pie in the sky". I only found one thing in the book to agree with: that Hell exists only as a human construct. We all choose our beliefs, but this book was, to me, beyond belief.

[Joan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Won this book on Goodreads. So glad that I didn’t spend money buying it! I have heard of being close-minded but really??? This is SUPPOSED to be comparing heaven and reincarnation. How can you have a comparison when you have already made up your mind and have decided that everything that you THINK is absolute truth. Really maybe he should have entitled his book “I’m Right And You’re Wrong”. Sorry but I couldn’t even finish this book, he rambles on and just repeats himself.

[Frankalicious · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing! I thought there would more scientific evidence ( I would even settle for anecdotal evidence) for reincarnation but it turned out to be written diarrhea of a Hindu fanatic. I knew when the author stated early in the book there is zero evidence for a judeochristlamic theology and then proceeded to profess the truth of Hinduism the book was doomed. There is not any scientific evidence for any theology. Anyway, as an atheist, thought this book would at least be an interesting read but it failed in that arena too. Back to my glass of wine. Cheers.

P.S. There should be a negative rating scale to a -5. Just an idea.

[Threasa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads and couldn't wait to read it. However, it seems the author is so adamant that his way is the only way, I couldn't read but a few pages. He seems to be angry in my opinion, and I just didn't want to read any more of his rant.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inrteresting take on reincarnation and karma. I don't know much about Hinduism. The author says that it isn't really a religion, and the points he brings up are valid. His opinions on Christianity may offend some, I advise to take if you have a strong belief in Christianity and are easily upset when your beliefs are challenged.

I really enjoyed this. I often wonder what is in store for people after they have left this life. Sherman's ideas on this are another possibility. Did this book change my beliefs on anything? No, but it did make me more aware of certain ideals.

A friend of mine just started reading my copy. He is probably more qualified to write a review on this book from a religious standpoint. I will link to his review once he has posted it.

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

This book is essentially a persuasive essay in which the author makes a case for choosing the precepts of Hinduism-- especially regarding karma, reincarnation, and the concept of Moksha--over those of other religions. While I found much of the book to be rambling and repetitive, it is clear through his writing that the author feels strongly about his thoughts and beliefs. I did learn a lot about Hinduism in the book and discovered that I hadn’t really understood the true definition of karma prior to reading it. It is certainly a useful resource for exploring the concepts of karma and reincarnation, and it begs the question to people of all faiths: “Am I living my life for myself or for God?”

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and think that it interesting. I would recommend it to everyone.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a terrible disappointment. I actually won this book with a GR Giveaway and was so excited. I was so hoping to learn some great things about reincarnation and hear some really solid arguments from either side. But this was just terrible. I have no idea how this guy even got this published. He does say in the beginning that he is not a good writer, but my daughter who is 11 could write a better book than this. He rambles, he repeats over and over and over and over (x infinity!), and really is just plain rude. This is a person that in real life I would blatantly walk away from while he was still preaching at me. I did grow up Catholic, but am 100% not offended by what he said. I actually agree with a few of his points. I took an Eastern Religions class in high school and was immediately drawn to the idea of reincarnation, Buddhist and Taoist ideas, so I was hoping to learn about these ideas more. But nope. I would highly NOT recommend.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most interesting take on Hindu religion, as (fortunately) contrasted with Christianity. The contrast centers on the strength of those who see the world in terms of Hinduism, and the weakness of those who rely on the Christian G_D. As a Christian, I think the author has a point here, but I couldn't find his (her?) recognition of the Christian doctrine of sin as the contributor to the Christian's inability to EARN Heaven, as he (she?) describes the Hindu's ability to EARN reincarnation (and then LEARN for the future). I received this thoughtful but too-long (repetitive) book via Goodreads Giveaways.

[Kitti · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am a person that enjoys learning about spirituality and other "religions". I had a lot of trouble reading this book because I found the author to be narrow minded, insensitive, and insulting, so I put the book down after a couple of chapters. He states, from the beginning of the book, that some people will not like his style and I agree - readers must either love his work or not. The seriousness of feeling judged by the author, in which God I choose to celebrate or how I worship Him is personal, I could not get past this negative feeling. The author needs to learn an important part of winning over his readers by being more sensitive toward others and their beliefs.

[Michael Kott · Rating 1 out of 5]

The one star is very generous. This is just a preachy book about Hinduism and is very repetitive. Poorly written and organized. I gave up around page 50 and just skimmed the remainder. I had already read everything he had to say. He just kept repeating it.

[Aimee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping for an educated and thoughtful review of the similarities and differences. This is not that. This is a book that opts to disparage one religion.

[Haley Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through goodreads first reads.

First of all, the author mentions in the foreword that he/she is not a talented writer and they did not take their time writing this book and apologized for the poor writing skills. I can't say I disagree with them. Heaven Vs Reincarnation is filled with grammar errors, and the author has a tendency to ramble and repeat the same concepts over and over. This book probably could have been condensed to five chapters instead of 21.
It is evident that the S. Dharma is very passionate about his beliefs. I think this is why he tends to ramble and vent about how distasteful modern religions are. For example, page 169 of the book says the following:
"Hitler said there was only room for a supposed 'pure Aryan' race in his Germany. These people were saying 'God' only has room for a few 'pure' people in his Heaven. The same sick ideas! So much hate! So much anger! I ask why. Why can't you be happy that you are going to Heaven; why all the hate directed at others who may not be like you? It puzzles me to no end why good people willingly participate in this evil."

Now that I've gotten my criticism out of the way, let me tell you why I gave this book a 4 star rating.
I appreciate that even though S. Dharma does not have a professional writing tone, he is very honest and down to earth. For example, on page 179 he says "I get discouraged at times writing this book. Am I speaking to a deaf audience? Is it still a weak world? Are there any strong, brave people out there for whom this book will resonate?"
S. Dharma does not offer any scientific reasons to believe in reincarnation, but he states them as facts. However, I don't think his intentions were to persuade anyone that reincarnation is fact. I think his intentions were simply to shed light on the noble teachings in Hinduism. I enjoyed reading about several of the characters and stories prominent in Hinduism. S. Dharma also has several unique ideas and he is very persuasive in conveying them.

[Rheaah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even reading the first 20 pages was a struggle.

This book seems to make reference to The Creator as a co-dependent, passive aggressive, insecure empty-nester forever needing an insatiable, eternal need to be satisfied with great deeds from the created, to inspire 'pride' or something. As if the real Creator has nothing better to do than subject shards of essence to lifetime episodes of 'Quantum Leap'....on the reincarnation side.

Now for the heaven part, he's been listening to too many antebellum, Pentecostal-type spirituals and taking it too much to heart. Sadly , I suppose people probably still do this today.

He must be talking about a waaay different creator.

I was really hoping into 70-90 pages along , seeking some provision of sophisticated references, examples and such to these two states of existence, sadly he spent more time ranting than providing arguments, clarity or counter-arguments, something substantial, grounded and clear even for the novice, but he failed to do that.

This book does a great disservice to people who have no background in studying religion in its proper context, approach and making contemporary comparisons; waste of time and mental energy.

[Doseofbella · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power & Intelligence of Karma & Reincarnation
By: Dharma
Clink Street Publishing
Copy Courtesy of Goodreads Giveaway
Reviewed By: tk

Enlightening, powerful, defining narration that is clearly from a highly intelligent mind.

An incredible walk along the path of blind faith.

Most of us have been taught from a young age how to worship, when and where we pray, which church to go to and which faith to follow. As we get older and mature questions will be asked and most never sufficiently answered on just who is this supreme being, and how do we know what is expected from us.
Being raised Catholic I have always had issues in believing that all our questions will be answered when we pass from this world to the next. What about right now in this moment, when we are suffering and lacking guidance? Some will move forward making the right choices for them as individuals. Others will remain stagnant, and wait for direction that may never com.

When it comes to religion, what if we're all wrong?
Will this book answer those questions? No, however for many people it will help you focus on what is important to you, and give you a valid reason why you think and feel the way you do. To explore your soul and hopefully fin some of those answers have always been inside of you the whole time.

Anyone with any doubt where you belong, suppressed or otherwise this is for you. 5/5

[Payal Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heaven vs. Reincarnation is about good karma and being faithful to your responsibilities. The author states that there are no such things like heaven and hell, and these mystic places are actually mere fragments of imagination that lull us into a feel good experience. Everyone looks up to a sugar God who is present only to answer everyone's prayers and provide them a comfortable and lazy existence after death. However, the fact is that everything happens according to our karma. If we do good we accumulate good karma and good things happen to us and if we do bad then vice versa. Instead of asking help for God, we should actually look up to God and ask how we can help Him. the best thing to do is to help our fellow beings on earth- be it man or animal and progress in our efforts even in face of difficulties. These and many more thoughts awaits you inside the book.

The book is essentially written in the form of an essay and stresses on Hindu vision of reincarnation or rebirth. I found the book very meaningful and found myself agreeing with all that the author said. However, with regards to writing skills- the author is bit lacking (the author had stated this drawback in the initial pages). The book could have been shorter and more engagingly written. Still it is a beautiful and informational book that stimulates our minds and have us thinking and evaluating on all the religious things taught till now.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won't a copy of this book on Goodreads in Iexchange for a fair review.
I couldn't finish it because of its repetitive presentation on the subject.
I have read other books on the subject, but this one was like reading sentences in monotone.

[Diane]

I did not finish reading the book or the accompanying cartoon book. I thought I was going to read a book which compared beliefs of heaven and reincarnation. Instead it was a book for believing in reincarnation and putting down the belief in heaven. The author apparently has no real concept of Christianity and believing in the Holy Trinity and Heaven

I won this book on Goodreads, thankfully I didn't spend money on it.

[Richard West · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this book were a college textbook, it would surely be for "Introduction To Hinduism 101" since in many respects, the author does their best to introduce the reader to the basic concepts of Hinduism, often to the point of saying the same thing over and over. And over.

As one of those people who have long believed I've been here before (the philosophy I've adopted was "you keep doing it over until you get it right") with minor exceptions, falls into Hindu teachings. And, being an otherwise non-religious person (raised in a fundamentalist sect where you were hell-bound if you didn't adhere to their teachings) who has little or no use for religious denominations and sects, perhaps I've been an adherent to Hindu teachings without realizing it. It could be worse, I could have years ago fallen for the heaven or hell stuff, but the concept of reincarnation always just seemed to make more sense. And no, I don't feel I was Julius Caesar, Henry VIII (I couldn't have handled 6 wives, the one I had in this life was enough!), George Washington, David Crockett or any other famous hero - I was just a person doing their best and
helping others throughout past lives. And, that is what it's all about; you struggle to do your best, helping others and if you succeed, you move on by choosing life and helping make the world a better place. (I really have to admit though, I'm not all that excited about going through the baby stage time after time after time, but at least that's not something a person remembers!)

Overall, an interesting read although it took a while (memo to me: don't try to read a book during the school year when you have to prepare exams, read papers and do reams of paperwork) and while at points I had the thought "OK, I've read this already, we're repeating things" - I actually lost count of how many times the term "sugar daddy" was used, it had to be close to 100 - it was worthwhile and helped me understand a few things about my point of view towards life.

[Priscilla Tine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received HEAVEN VS REINCARNATION as a promotion from Goodreads. I found this book to be an excellent argument for reincarnation. If it doesn't convert you, it certainly will have you questioning much about your own beliefs.

[Susan Csoke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent read for one and all!!!!! Thank you Goodreads for this free book.

[Roxanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a Goodreads win review. I really liked this book. I am very interested in Heaven, and Karma in the big picture of life.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well thought out opinion on managing spiritual rules so to speak. The concept of giving, is great. As an atheist, I didn't relate to some of the ideas presented. However, it was a pleasant read.

[Erika Kraus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this in the giveaway! I found S. Dharma to be intelligent as well as informative.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads. I found this book to be interesting and frustrating at the same time. The views are very strong which can be off-putting for some. I wish the author was more objective on the subject instead of just taking one view as the correct path, reincarnation and rejecting heaven, that Hinduism is the only way while the other religions are not the best path after death but I have to give credit as the author does say that the Hindus welcome and accept everyone and that God is for ALL not for just some people or for people who follow the 'right" religion, which is great, but the author makes generalizations on the other religions and paints them with too broad a paintbrush. The cowards way out is to go to heaven and not reincarnate to help out their fellow man. Not all religions promote this, only some. The book is very repetitive which bogs down the concepts. If this book was written as a motivational book rather than a religious book it would have been better. If the author took out heaven and reincarnation and replaced it with people who own up to their mistakes vs. cowards and people who beg for mercy it would have been more to my liking. The author points out on p 87 "it is amazing that the leading religions of the day are Communist, Socialist religions!" And on p 33 " Only in a topsy-turvy world of religion do we get a person being REWARDED for quitting on life!" The author's point is that people are looking for a hand out or welfare and they have not earned anything and want things for free, only through hard work, studying and pain and suffering can achieve great goals. I agree with this statement, it is right on, but it is not religion that causes this, it is politics and government. Especially liberal, progressive ideology and the Democrat party that promotes the travesty of welfare and the something for nothing mentality. They are now promoting if someone doesn't want to work they don't have to and we should provide for them and just give them money, what a bunch of garbage. I totally agree with the author that things have to be earned not given, but I view heaven and reincarnation as, why can't we have both of those options not just one or the other. I tried to keep an open mind about this and commend the author for tackling this subject as I am sure that the author knew there would be a lot of backlash over this, and I respect his position and respect his pride in being a Hindu!

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book examines the authors ideas on Heaven and Reincarnation. He compare the two ideas. What the reader soon finds out, the purpose of the book is to convince the reader that reincarnation is real, while heaven is not real. The author is very judgmental towards anyone that doesn’t believe what he believes. He refers to people that believe in heaven as weak or cowards. He seems angry, but also desperate to get his point across. Honestly, I agreed with every point he made. There are many things about Heaven and Hell based religions ( Christianity), that don’t make sense. There are many things about reincarnation religions ( Hinduism), that do make sense. He uses endless analogies to show that his point of view is the correct one. Full disclosure, even though I agreed with every thing this author said, I only managed to get about half way through the book, before I had to stop reading it. I couldn’t and didn’t finish the book. The tone of the book seems angry. The constant analogies proving he’s right and others are either wrong or mislead, really made me lose interest quickly. I could recommend this book for someone interested in this subject, but for me personally, it seemed like whether you agree or disagree with his ideas, the author is beating a dead horse. Thank You Goodreads, I won a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Even though I didn’t like it, I am glad I had the opportunity to read it!

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I wanted to give it a good review. Unfortunately I didn't care for the book and I couldn't force myself to write a good review. Don't get me wrong - the subject matter is fascinating. I've always been intrigued by the idea of reincarnation and Karma, and the idea of heaven and hell and was very excited about a comparative book. Comparing religions is a fun and interesting thing to do. However, this book just didn't work for me. I need to do further reading.

The author's style of writing in the first several chapters was almost angry and confrontational, and nearly caused me to give up on finishing it. The writing style was what some might call rabid/fanatical. As I read further into the book the writing style seemed to calm down significantly - but it was very repetitive and didn't really support the idea of reincarnation in a clear and precise informational manner. Flogging a dead horse might be a better description of the authors attempt to push his point.

I've decided to keep this book though and re-read it after I've done some more reading on reincarnation by other authors - in the hopes that once I have a foundation I can appreciate the book and its subject matter.

[Jimmy Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A view of reincarnation or heaven. Which do you believe

This is a comparison of the authors beliefs on reincarnation and heaven. As with all religious discussions, it is very easy to reach a heated level very quickly. I read this book and took an objective look at the information contained. I found the author to be very well read and confident in his knowledge of the subject. Many people believe that reincarnation exists and this book shares some insight from a personal view. There are also many people who believe in heaven and the material in this book may test your compassion for other views. I stand firm on one's right to choose what they believe and support. This book gives you some useful information which allows you to learn about reincarnation from another point of view. Interesting read with good information. The book is easy to follow and does a good job of keeping the reader interested in the material.

[Shanell Meek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of food for thought

Heaven vs. Reincarnation by The Dharma provides and interesting insight into the Hindu vision of reincarnation or rebirth but really seems to focus on asking ourselves when we can do for God instead of using God as a personal “wish granter”. This is definitely not a new concept or theory, but the author does provide some good for thought.
The book is written more like an essay, and I think it would do the author well to set a more conversational tone, as if he was sitting next to his chosen audience rather than the almost “preachy/clinical” tone that it seems to present. Aside from that I do feel like there is good information for those seeking answers or guidance I their religious journey or for those just looking to expand their knowledge of religion, or explore others thoughts on God/ the afterlife/ reincarnation/ heaven/ hell and everything in between.