Chapter 3 "Reflection and Change" Summary

Sogyal begins by recanting a story of his youth. Krisha Gotami was a young woman whose child had passed away. When she asked Buddha for assistance in bringing the child to life, he sent her to town in order to obtain a mustard seed from a home where death had not taken a life. Optimistic, the woman traveled to town, only to find no home had escaped at least one death. Returning to Buddha, Krisha Gotami realized her selfishness in believing only she had suffered, and sought Buddha's teachings. Sogyal uses this story to illustrate the concept that near-death or life altering events can change individuals' viewpoints permanently.

Sogyal recants three personal stories of near-death experiences that clearly display changes in motivations, emotions, purposes, goals, and personalities due to facing death. One woman, Freda Naylor...