An Amazon reviewer from Manchester, UK

This is a fascinating book and must have taken a lot of courage to write it; it really does make you think about your own beliefs. I found it really thought provoking and I would recommend anyone Buddhist or not to read it. I have struggled over this subject for many years, but came to my own conclusion on what I believed, but this book makes you re-address your beliefs. I found Nagapriya to be very honest in his comments and not at all dogmatic,he has a marvellous insite into what can only be described as a very difficult subject. I am sure anyone who buys this book won't be disappointed!

Pure Land Notes, 36, Summer 2004

This books is a very good and clear analysis of the Buddhist position on karma and rebirth. Nagapriya not only looks at all aspects of the Buddhist case for karma, reincarnation and rebirth, but also at the philosophical and religious arguments for and against. He also gives a good account of the scientific research into reincarnation conducted by Prof. Ian Stephenson and others.

The whole subject is one that has been subject of many misrepresentations, particularly in relation to the Tibetan tradition, and the author is very clear in what is and is not meant by the various concepts....

One of the first things one notices about this book are the impressive recommendations printed on the back cover. In his endorsement, Stephen Batchelor calls it, "...an excellent overview of the complex and frequently misinterpreted Buddhist doctines of karma and rebirth ... of interest to anyone in need of a clear presentation of the strengths and weaknesses of these ideas". I do not think I could put it any clearer if I tried.

An Amazon reviewer from Birmingham, UK

At last, a modern view of karma and rebirth
How refreshing to read a truly modern perspective on karma and rebirth, and to have the theory interpreted straightforwardly with well-told stories from familiar books and films. I like Nagapriya's style; clear explanation of the traditional theory coupled with a sympathetic but honest critique. I especially like the emphasis on Buddhism as a path to be tested and experienced, not as a set of fixed doctrines or dogma that have to accepted if one wants to be called a Buddhist. This book brings karma and rebirth alive for me in a way that makes sense of my life, in terms that I understand. There's nothing else like it on karma and rebirth.

An Amazon reviewer from Manchester, UK

Refreshingly direct
This book is a refreshingly direct exercise in creative investigation of some key traditional Buddhist teachings. But its relevance certainly reaches far beyond people who would identify themselves as 'Buddhists'. While everyone has heard the word 'karma' and has some inkling of what 'rebirth' might mean, Nagapriya shows how these terms are commonly very much misunderstood or taken in unhelpfully literal ways. Karma is not fate but a natural principle by which our actions condition our future and influence the world around us including other people. While having a strong grasp of traditional Buddhist texts and materials, Nagapriya does not stand on ceremony in criticising traditional approaches where he thinks that these are not helpful to the individual. His overall emphasis is on how Buddhist teachings must foster personal transformation; otherwise they are irrelevant. He makes his case by using many contemporary examples from films, from novels, from the news, and from his personal life. The result is a very up-to-date engagement with Buddhist teachings expressed in a crisp, clear, and accessible style. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is at all interested in these themes.

David Fontana, Caduceus (Winter 2004)

For anyone anxious to obtain a scholarly yet eminently readable account of the Buddhist teachings on karma and rebirth, this book is a must. The author ... covers a comprehensive range of topics such as the origins of a belief in karma and rebirth, the nature and fruits of karma, the mystery of death and of what if anything lies beyond, the six realms in which rebirth is said in Buddhism to take place, the evidence for rebirth, questions such as does a belief in rebirth matter, and the nature of self. In dealing with these subjects he is careful to demonstrate not only the differences in approach between the various Buddhist traditions, but the difficulties that Buddhism itself has had to face in dealing with these complex issues.... The very fact that this book sparks off questions of this kind is of course further proof of its quality and I end as I began by recommending it wholeheartedly to all those who wish to know more about Buddhist teachings on karma and rebirth, at least from one very important perspective.

Winston Higgins, Dharma Vision

We are nudging into a phase when western Buddhists are seeking to explicitly re-orient traditional doctrine for practitioners with western cultural experience. This development breaks with the previous polite silence around the ways in which certain traditional Buddhist orientations grate on modern western sensibilities. Stephen Batchelor's work is the most prominent here. And two years ago, in One Dharma, Joseph Goldstein suggested that we in the west should free ourselves from Buddhism's old denominational brand loyalties (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, and all their subdivisions). Now Nagapriya proposes we take a good hard look at the conventional Buddhist understandings of karma and rebirth -- to see how coherent, plausible, and appropriate to our cultural experience and spiritual priorities they really are....

In this book he promises -- and delivers -- a 'personal' account of his own conundrums around karma and rebirth, but his philosophical training as much as his wide knowledge of matters Dharmic and ancient-Indian make this an attractive and orderly exploration of the area. Like the best western philosophy around these days, he addresses the reader in conversational tones, with none of the older scholastic showing off and pulling rank. As a Dharma practitioner, he addresses fellow practitioners in straightforward language. Also as promised, he doesn't prescribe conclusions, but rather provides menus of possible responses where traditional doctrine seems unclear or culturally incongrous. At the same time, he lets us in on how he himself deals with the dilemmas he unfurls....

In my experience of teaching introductory courses on Buddhism, no question excites more curiosity than rebirth, and none deserves more attention than karma and the ethical foundations of the Dharma. After reading Exploring Karma and Rebirth, I'm going to be giving much clearer answers to these enquiries in the future.

Don't miss this one!

An appreciative reader

...An excellent book. Interesting, stimulating, with good traditional background setting the scene.