Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations · Universalism, Constructivism and Near-Death Experience (Continuum Advances in Religious Studies) by Shushan, Gregory -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Foreword by Gavin Flood Acknowledgements Abbreviations of Primary Sources Introduction

Part One: Theory and Methodology in Concept and Application

Part Two: Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations

4. Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt 5. Sumerian and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia 6. Vedic India 7. Pre-Buddhist China 8. Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica

Introduction The Pyramid Texts Teaching for King Merikare The Coffin Texts The Book of Two Ways Summary and Conclusions Introduction The Bilgames Texts Inana’s Descent to the Underworld and Other Dumuzid Texts Ningishzida’s Journey to the Netherworld The Death of Ur-Namma Enlil and Ninlil Etana and Other ‘Ascent’ Texts Other Miscellaneous Texts Summary and Conclusions Introduction The Vedas The Brahmanas The Upanishads Summary and Conclusions Introduction Shang Inscriptions and the Confucian Classics Early Daoist Texts Chu ci and Other Poems Popular Songs Shanhaijing Funerary Documents Summary and Conclusions Introduction The Popol Vuh The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel Relación de las Cosas de Yucatán Legend of the Suns Annals of Cuauhtitlan History of the Things of New Spain and Other Spanish Documents Mexica and Aztec Poetry and Songs Summary and Conclusions

9. Analysis of Similarities and Differences 10. The Interface of Conception and Experience 11. Alternative and Supplementary Theories 12. Conclusions: Theoretical Eclecticism and a New Comparative Framework Notes References Index

Conclusions Constructivist Conceptual Logic, Cognition, and Neurotheology Metaphysical