DEATH & LIFE

Peter Koestenbaum (1976). Is there an Answer to Death?

Peter was my philosophy of existentialism professor when i was an undergraduate at San Jose State University back in the early 1980's. He was the most dynamic, charismatic, and fascinating professor i ever had. He would stride into the lecture hall with cane and thermos in hand, and lecture straight through to the end of class, only occasionally pausing for questions...he talked of life, death, philosophy, psychology, theology, and quantum physics!

In this book, Koestenbaum guides us into the experience of our transcendental ego, our cosmic consciousness, the stream of consciousness that always was, is, and will be...he does this via immortality exercises about death.

some of the immortality exercises are: identify at what age you will die, how you will die, writing an autobiography, making a list of unfinished business...in considering our fear and anxiety associated with death, we can accept our finitude and realize that we can create an authentic and meaningful life, and that we can experience immortality right now by withdrawing into the inner silent center of pure consciousness via relaxation, breathing, and meditation.