Introduction
The belief about survival of consciousness and the soul reincarnation has been propagated by many people from different points of view. There are many research works that has been done and put into writing by various scholars to prove the belief of reincarnation. This paper will break down the research work done by Dan Darling dubbed Zen Physics: The Science of Death, the Logic of Reincarnation. I will endeavor to provide an objective summary of this excellent research by the scholar; an attempt to convince as many folks about the science of death and the possibility of reincarnation. This paper will also critically evaluate the data presentation in the book as well the discussions thereof.
Death is the inevitable end of all the living souls in the world, whoever thinks otherwise has buried his head in the sand and will delay in adjusting to the truth of life (McClelland 262). However, human beings have a soul which does not die with them; the fate of the soul is the main interest of this paper. Where does the soul go at death; is it kept somewhere until some time? Does it resurrect and live again? Does it get lost without ever returning? Does it immediately get into another being and live again? Does our consciousness end at the moment our natural mechanism break down? These are some of the questions that this paper would want to explore to bring out a proper understanding rather than assumptions about the soul of a man.The Book Summary
David Darling makes a lot of submissions about the soul of man and what happens to it at death in his book. The book is based on the findings of a research done with great care and detail for academic and religious purposes. There are evidences presented in the book supporting the conclusions of the research that Darling carries out about death, consciousness, reincarnation and the soul. There are two conclusions of Darlings research that are supported by evidences of study. The first conclusion is about incarnation of the soul; David believes that incarnation is plausibly bound to happen. Life after death seems to be an indisputable fact for all souls; life does not end at death (Stemman 123).
The consciousness of an individual also does not stop at death; there is a continuation of the same into the next world. Davids research concludes that immediately one dies he/she begins another life. Secondly, the book concludes that the brain restricts the rise of consciousness at death. The mind, however, must be clear as it is the most essential property of the universe. Science seems to be enjoined with religion and psychology in proving this continuity of life in all human beings; disputing this fact may fail to hold waters. Death basically connotes a transition from the physical to a spiritual life thereafter.
The book Zen Physics: The Science of Death, the Logic of Reincarnation, connotes the thought of death to make men threatened and trembled. Many people dread the occurrence of death because they do not know where they will be thereafter. The changes that occur on the corpses some of the times prove the thought in people that there is no hope of life after death. The purple-red stain on the bottommost part of the body, the stiffening of the eyelids and immediate inflexibility of the whole body are some of the changes that instill fear in people.
More dreadful changes in the dead bodies come after a number of days; the greenish skin discoloration that begins from the abdomen to the whole body in a weeks time. Bloody blisters also develop on the skin weakening the body such that the skin easily peels off at the slightest touch. All these are signs of decay and a disapproval of the belief about life after death. It is these changes that men see in the corpses of the departed ones that alleviates the hope of life after death at all costs. One would not find it easy to believe that the rotting individual was alive elsewhere. The changes in the corpses brought about the invention of different methods of preserving and disposing the corpses (Weiss 65)
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However, David proves from the statements of physicists of old time that death is basically a transition of life from the physical to the spiritual. One only goes to a dreamless sleep as stated by Socrates. Transition from life to non-life is a factor relative and subject to the individual interpretation. The creation at the beginning of time was only made of chemical substances wrapped in a casing; these chemicals became complex with time and increased the intellectual capacity of human beings. At death, the physical body becomes doomed and gives room to the control of the spiritual man (Pojman & Louis 234). There may be no proof for the continuous life of the soul for it leaves no mark or recognition mechanism whatsoever.
The soul is neither a phenomenon nor does is there any logic to claim its physical or supernatural state; only the effects can be felt and proved. The brain has the sole work to interpret and assess the things that draw its attention such as wisdom, ideologies and occupant catechism. The brain factors perceptions, words, actions and gestures that define and direct it at the end. Human beings are also shaped from the environment, doctrinal belief systems and caretakers. Consciousness is defined as the symmetry-breaking factor between the objective and the subjective (Darling 20).
Consciousness is what informs the bounds of being a person and different from all others. It is the ability to know what one is as opposed to others. One would be better concerned about what happens to his/her soul rather than what happens to his/her corpse after death (Darling 41). This means that people believe they are more than the body substance and the brains; we are what our bodies and brains give rise to. Self-consciousness is defined as the ability to have an I-thought.; this means that a person accepts the fact that he/she exists.
Analysis and Evaluation
Before I got to read this book, I had a different perspective of self, consciousness, the brain and the soul. I had thought that a persons self is actually ones perception of life and their inbuilt actions. Consciousness according to me used to be ability to recognize changes in the environment and the ability to fine-tune and acclimatize to the changes. Reading the book has given me the perspective of a pathway of thinking and feelings that gives way to the rise of consciousness. The reading of this book helped me to understand the character of mentality and the brain.
The juicy matter was the very blend of science and philosophy; Darling uses the contributions and conclusions of old time philosophers to prove his findings. Besides this, there is great use of known principles and findings of science that provide a basis for Davids arguments. David uses physics, quantum mechanics and philosophy to prove the mind boggling question of whether there is life after death using numerous theories and sacred beliefs. I agree with the presentation of data and hard knowledge based on real cases in this book; the facts are without doubt convincing to all. The book uses simple English and can be understood by all, David easily opens the eyes of all to a new understanding and facts.
This book is well researched and the findings cannot be doubted for anyone who reasons with facts. There is a simultaneous approach to studying what consciousness is and what it is not such that the final conclusion is clear. There is a communal thought in identity among people that David replaces with the I-thought consciousness of identifying self. There is a firm founded theory about what happens to the soul after death; when one can no longer see what happens some moments after the very last breath. When the material brain lastly dies and the rest of the body begins rotting, where does the soul go? And what happens to it? This book validates my belief about survival of consciousness and the ability to re-incarnate