Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Illustrations vii
4. Acknowledgments ix
5. Prologue: The Genre and the Purpose 1
6. Chapter 1. Raising the Curtain 7
7. Chapter 2. The Lay of the Land 19
8. Chapter 3. Life Begets Death, Death Begets Life: The Life Course Begins 38
9. Chapter 4. Adolescent Discord: Family Needs versus Spiritual Deeds 56
10. Chapter 5. Growing Through Travel: The Pilgrimage for Knowledge and Prestige 74
11. Chapter 6. The Merits of Matrimony: Commencing the Householder Life 98
12. Chapter 7. High Peaks and Deep Valleys: The Imponderable Nature of Everyday Life 114
13. Chapter 8. Anticipating the End of the Life Course: The Anxieties of Old Age 129
14. Chapter 9. Parting Breaths: Death Is But a Transition 142
15. Chapter 10. Transcending Death: Rising Corpses and Reincarnations 157
16. Appendix: Place Names 171
17. Notes 175
18. Glossary 189
19. References 195
20. Index 213