"What exists after death? Explain it to me," insists the young student Nachiketa as he puzzies over this supreme mystery in the Kathopanishad. Swami Rama's penetrating commentary on the ensuing dialog between Nachiketa and Yama, King of Death reveals a clear, profound philosophy of death and immortality, embellished with his own insights. Raised since early childhood by a great sage of Bengal who lived in the Himalayas, Swami Rama draws upon his own experience in writing this book, as well as upon the experience of sages he has met and studied with who were also personally acquainted with the death of the body and with what lies beyond. This approach makes the book uniquely valuable, for as he states. "Those who attain the highest knowledge and immortality by reaching the state of super consciousness, they alone can unravel the mystery of death." He also gives practical advice and instructions on how to understand the various levels of consciousness and attain the superconscious state. In his efforts to enrich the spiritual growth of Westerners, Swami Rama has founded the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, with its headquarters in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. The recipient of the Martin Buber Award for Service to Humanity, he is also the author of many books, including Living with the Himalayan Masters, Lectures on Yoga, A Practical Guide to Holistic Health, Choosing a Path, Enlightenment Without God, Inspired Thoughts of Swami Rama, and Book of Wisdom (Ishopanishad).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Swami Rama
Yogi, scientist, philosopher, humanitarian, and mystic poet, Swami Rama is the founder and spiritual head of the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga science and philosophy, with its headquarters in honesdale, Pennsylvania, and therapy and educational centers throughout the world. He was born in a Himalayan valley of Uttar Pradesh. India, in 1925 and was initiated and anointed in early childhood by a great sage of the Himalayas. He studied with many adepts, and then traveled to Tibet to study with his grandmaster. From 1949 to 1952 he held the prestige and dignity of Shankaracharya (spiritual leader) in Karvirpitham in the South of India. He then returned to the Himalayas to intensify his meditative practices in the cave monasteries and to establish an ashram in Rishikesh. Later he continued his investigation of Western psychology and philosophy at several European universities, and he taught in Japan before coming to the United States in 1969. The following year he served as a consultant to the Voluntary Controls project of the Research Development of the Menninger foundation. There he demonstrated, under laboratory conditions, precise control over his autonomic nervous system and brain. The findings of that research increased the scientific community's understanding of the human ability to control autonomic functioning and to attain previously unrecognized levels of consciousness. Shortly thereafter, Swami Rama founded the Himalayan Institute as a means to synthesize the ancient teaching of the East with the modern approaches of the West. He has played a major role in bringing the insights of yoga psychology and philosophy to the attention to the physicians and psychologists of the West. He continues to teach students around the world while intensifying his writing and meditative practices. He is the author of many books and currently spends most of his time in the mountains of Northern India and in Pennsylvania. U.S.A.
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