Zen Physics: The Science of Death, the Logic of Reincarnation

Rating:
Summary: Lots of intriguing ideas.. but..
Review: I am impressed with this book since it attempts to find a soul for the Universe and at same time not deny the brain directs personhood.
The question I have is ,if we are person destroyed ,( memories burned to dust) with the death of the brain, what in heavans name is experience, love, relationships and higher level human consciousness all about? It seems rather odd if there be a God or a Universal consciousness as Darling tries to prove throughout the book, that it could be absolutely without memory, purpose, direction, ability to integrate past,present, future.
How from a tabula rasa containing nothing spon creation of something? If this Universal mind has no intellect and no will and no memory of anything from where did everything in our World come from. Its like saying here is this "HOLY" cow without a memory, creates purposeless cow-flops which die and return to dust. The cow has no memory of their creation or their experience. The cow God just drops them off and lets enthropy take over, until they turn to dust.

I think and sense there is more to the story of reality than Darling has proposed, but I did enjoy his attempts to link quantum mysteries with mind and Zen philosophy.
I also think in certain places Darling draws conclusions about the mind from too biased and materialist grand stand.
For example, Sperry's split brain experiemnts are intriguing, but the idea of a single mind receiving input from two senory or computer hubs, the left and right brain cannot be ruled out.
If I receive two or more radio signals at once I too might behave as the split brain person ( one mind, trying to integrate different signals) What if one station tells me the cat is dead and the other the cat is alive. I might well in one moment say its dead and the other its alive. If God is intellectless, mindless and memory less (HE/SHE)
can be no better than a vast empty vessel. Why or how would such a vessel ever generate a World as full of personhood and experience as this?

Rating:
Summary: Profound, well organized, memorable
Review: I bought this book a couple of years ago while on a business trip, only to read it this year. I found it carefully lays out the scientific basis of death, and the loss of consciousness which results. It then proceeds to apply a Zen perspective in a clear and careful manner. I came on-line to buy it for a friend, and I am sad to learn it is out of print. I value my copy all the more. I am very lucky to have found it, and would recommend it to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally well written, profoundly clear and logical
Review: I was browsing through a local used book store and found myself face to face with this gem of a book. I read the sleeve and felt stongly enough to buy it on the spot, not knowing at the time that it would very well be the best, most well written book I had come across in years. Darling has aquired a profound insight into the process of death and the many misconceptions we have about it. He systematically walks you through the scientific process of death as well as other scientific phenomenon and lets you see for yourself that there isn't a huge mystery behind it all. Darling doesn't give you the answer to "the great question", but points you in the correct direction with style. I'm sorry to see that it is currently out of print. I highly recommend to anyone reading to search for this treasure!