Into the jaws of Yama, lord of death : Buddhism, bioethics, and death /

Tsomo (Univ. of San Diego) provides an introduction to Buddhist beliefs concerning death and addresses their bioethical implications. Specialists will be irked by the abundance of references to important ideas and Buddhist scholars lacking any sort of citation. General readers, on the other hand, will have trouble following the introductory chapters, which are disorganized and sometimes repetitive. The coverage of Indian beliefs on death is inadequate, relying on two sources, Vasubandhu and Buddhaghosa. The coverage of East Asian perspectives is even more problematic, consisting of a brief survey of Chinese views. Other regions in East Asia are not discussed and are dismissed as being part of "the Chinese cultural diaspora." The work often fails to provide readers with adequate background information; in discussing the practice of self-immolation in East Asia, the author makes several references to the Lotus Sutra, but fails to explain the connection between text and practice. The discussion of bioethical issues is more interesting, but it wavers between description and advocacy, with the latter often trumping the former. This work is best suited for interested scholars tolerant of these types of problems. ^BSumming Up: Optional. Researchers. D. B. Gray Santa Clara University