Greg Stone, the author of Under the Tree is happy to respond to queries and comments; reviews are welcomed. Contact: authors@pinkunicornpublishing.com
Interview with Author Greg Stone
What motivated you to write Under the Tree?
Finding few books that addressed the Afterlife in an in-depth manner, I felt such a book was needed. I thought it might be well received and, so far, I haven’t been disappointed. The feedback I’ve received has been gratifying.
Personal experience — I’ve spent most of my life exploring spiritual matters — prepared me for the writing task. From the beginning, my goal was to avoid platitude and weak speculation.
I wanted to leave readers with hope and yet provide sufficient substance and reality. After engaging in numerous on-line discussions regarding death and the after-life, it seemed to make sense to write the book rather than repeating the same message in each new chat venue. Of course, even after writing the book, I find myself in frequent chats.
Is the book inspired by actual experience?
Everything in the book was inspired by personal experience. It is not, however, a one-for-one account of such experiences. The subject is dramatized, fictionalized. Nonetheless, the contents could have been written in a non-fiction format.
Why did you write Under the Tree as a work of fiction?
Throughout history, the primary mode of conveying spiritual truths has been storytelling. Christ spoke in parables. The Buddha’s teachings were spoken narratives.
Most of us are more comfortable with new information when it is conveyed in a story. Fiction allows the reader to identify with characters in a drama, and allows them to consider ideas at their own pace.
For example, a reader might come upon an idea that is difficult to accept: it may be new and challenging. In reading fiction, the reader attributes the belief to the character, without having to endorse the idea themselves. The reader can disagree with that character’s views and continue reading.
In non fiction, however, the writer speaks directly to the reader and asks him or her to accept his views. That may be difficult if the views expressed are foreign and unfamiliar. Picking up a work of fiction, the reader is prepared to travel to new and strange lands. Reading non fiction, however, they look for the familiar. They may not be ready to “buy into” the writer’s point of view.
With Under the Tree, if a reader comes upon a concept with which she disagrees or with which she’s unfamiliar, she can continue reading, simply accepting that that character holds those beliefs.
Knowing the contents of Under the Tree would challenge many readers, I thought it best to write in the fiction format. After all, a book about the Afterlife is a trip to a new and strange land.
Why is it important for us to understand the post-mortem state?
Tibetan Buddhists have long understood the importance of the period after death. The Tibetan Book of the Dead (otherwise known as Great Liberation through Hearing) is an instruction manual used by monks to guide the recently-deceased through the post-mortem stages called the bardos.
Tibetan Buddhists consider the afterlife period critical in determining what happens in future incarnations. In the bardos, one makes great strides toward becoming enlightened or encounters barriers that dictate a less-promising future. The realms in the Tibetan Afterlife include heavens and hells.
In Christian thought, we also find planning for the Afterlife is important, though Christians often focus on a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” judgment as to the final destination, heaven or hell.
There are other differences: Buddhism provides a more detailed scenario of the Afterlife; Buddhists believe the person continues to grow spiritually after death and believe actions after death have further consequences; Buddhists believe a person’s post-mortem fate is more the result of his or her own actions and his or her self-judgment rather than the result of external judgment; Buddhists believe in rebirth, not an eternal heaven or hell.
A little-known fact is that one Buddhist afterlife realm, a “pure land” (like heaven), is reached by practicing strong faith and devotion to a compassionate Buddha. This has strong parallels to the Christian model of unwavering faith in Christ as Savior.
In these traditions, as well as others, preparation for the Afterlife is preparation for an important transition. Most of the time, we plan and prepare for life’s mundane events while, historically, denial or fear of death has kept us, as a culture, from paying proper attention to this very important transition. Under the Tree was written to correct this oversight.
So you feel there are “real world” consequences to what we do or don’t do in preparation for the afterlife?
Yes. The Buddhist strengthens control over the mind as, once the person departs the body, he or she enters ideational realms. Ability to control thought becomes ability to control the post-mortem reality. The person with little ability to control his thoughts finds himself tossed in confusion and besieged with terror which results in reincarnation in a lesser state, perhaps in one of the hell realms.
Christian beliefs are similar but with focus on complete spiritual devotion to a compassionate savior, the Christ. To the degree one focuses on spiritual devotion to serving a compassionate savior one achieves mental control in the Afterlife.
Too often, however, a fear of going to hell is sufficient to attract one to such realms. Unless one calms such fears, fear itself will draw one to that realm. For that reason, motivating people with a “fear of hell” proves to be a losing proposition.
Preparation for the post-mortem state is a practical matter with significant consequences. Under the Tree guides the reader into this process.
What is a pink unicorn? What is its significance in the book?
Skeptics use the phrase “pink unicorn” to refer to belief in God or belief in the supernatural. It is a derogatory term meant to mock belief in that which does not exist except in the imagination.
I use the metaphor as a critique of the skeptics’ taunt. Skeptics commit serious errors in their criticism of the “imaginary.” Imagination is more primary and more real than the so-called objective world upon which the skeptic bases his argument. This is explained in the discussion of Idealism found on the site or in Under the Tree. (Idealism is a philosophy found in the works of Plato, the Buddha, and Bishop Berkeley.)
Idealism, by the way, is the ONLY philosophy that can be supported or falsified by science. The only one. Most skeptics are unaware of this.
Do you hate skeptics who attack the existence of spirit?
Understanding the mental conditions which prompt attacks on the spiritual and the supernatural, I find no reason to hate. Such response would be foolish.
We’re dealing with long-term issues that span many lifetimes. Behind such hostility lurks some of the most incredible fears one might imagine. When people are driven by fear, they will attack. It is that simple.
Yet one cannot simply let such hatred dominate the marketplace of ideas. There’s a fine line to be walked. Though one may recognize fears that fuel negative emotions, one must not shy away from presenting spiritual views. Unfortunately, such views will inevitably arouse fears in a small minority.
In Under the Tree, Ray Carte faces this dilemma. He knows he will be attacked when he presents his certainty that we survive death. A public discussion of his near death experience will bring a negative response. He must weigh costs and benefits. From time to time, each of us faces the same dilemma.
One purpose of this site is to assist those who find their spiritual views challenged by skeptics. If those under siege feel they must respond to the skeptic, this site can provide support and information useful in the preparation of counter arguments. Reading Under the Tree helps readers flesh out their own views of the Afterlife.
Do you believe science will eventually encompass the study of the spirit?
Science has been tainted by the bias of philosophical materialism. This bias defines science in purely naturalistic terms, placing the entire endeavor in an arbitrarily narrow box. The bias limits the scientific search for knowledge to natural or material causes and effects. Those limits would be fine if the universe was a closed system in which only natural causes and effects were at play; if, however, the universe consists of both natural and supernatural causes, then science, under the influence of an arbitrary definition, fails.
The failures in science are most noticeable in two areas: cosmology and the study of consciousness. Failure in those disciplines will force science to re define itself. This philosophical distortion of science is a temporary affair. Eventually, the spiritual and the supernatural will be explored by science.
If you were appointed to run an institute devoted to the study of the paranormal or the spiritual, how would you design the program?
The primary task is the creation of a cogent, comprehensive model of the supernatural and spiritual. Lack of an overall model undermines parapsychology as well as studies of the survival of consciousness. Without a cohesive view, efforts tend to be disjointed and irrelevant.
After setting the stage, I would develop research protocols that link the hypotheses, with particular attention on foundational factors. As individual hypotheses are verified, the overall framework will come into relief. This conceptual skeleton will allow researchers and institutions to see the relevant issues.
An example of the problems science faces can be found in my critique of Dying to Live. A study of the NDE written by Susan Blackmore, Dying to Live sets out to compare the “Afterlife hypothesis” with the “Dying Brain hypothesis.” Blackmore, however, lacks a coherent model of the Afterlife and only musters a straw-man version of the hypothesis.
One is tempted to write Blackmore off as a biased materialist. If one looks closely, however, her failure can be seen to be a case of a missing model. Lacking a coherent model and lacking the personal experience needed to construct a model, she crashes and burns.
In Under the Tree, conflict arises between those who believe in the afterlife and skeptics who dispute its existence. How do you propose resolving the conflict?
The fears mentioned earlier must be addressed. That is not an easy task. The topic of our spiritual existence and the Afterlife touches the deepest aspects of our self identity and our emotional core. It is very difficult to move past emotional reactions to reach a rational foundation for discussion.
There is a wonderful book titled Difficult Conversations that addresses the challenge of discussions that threaten identity. That book and others produced by the Harvard Negotiation Project provide excellent templates for entering into principled discussions aimed at diminishing conflict between spiritual and secular views.
One project that warrants more of my attention concerns resolving spiritual conflict. Plans are in the works for the formation of a non-profit that mediates Culture War issues.
In Under the Tree, you refer to Buddhist concepts and Christian concepts. Some feel Buddhism and Christianity are like oil and water.
The similarities may be greater than the differences.
The problem lies primarily in the misinterpretation of Buddhism rampant in the West. One finds a contingent of atheists and philosophical materialists camped in western Buddhist circles. A few passages in the Buddhist scripture lend themselves to misinterpretation along lines that complement the bias of atheists and materialists. This gives Buddhism an anti-transcendental, anti-spiritual and anti-Christian flavor it does not inherently possess.
There are Christians as well who have lost the spiritual ground of their religion — some are apologists for evolutionary psychology who see religion as a brain-originated illusion. The breakdown in spirituality can be found within religions, as well as within secular groups.
In such cases, adherents lose touch with the spiritual ground of the religion. The closer one moves toward the spiritual base, the more similar religions become to one another. At the level of spirit, the differences are less, the commonality more pronounced. Conversely, the farther away religions move from spiritual ground, the more one finds differences appearing and conflict arising.
To resolve inter-faith conflict will require a move toward the spiritual foundation. As religions move to that spiritual core, differences are shed. The surveyed trend toward people saying, “I’m spiritual, not religious,” reflects a populist move to the core.
The flyer characterized Under the Tree as a western Tibetan Book of the Dead. In what way is that true?
As mentioned previously, Tibetan Buddhists give considerable importance to guiding the deceased through the transitional stages after death. The Tibetan Book of the Dead provides instruction on what to expect, and how to handle events one encounters.
Under the Tree provides the same type of instruction for a contemporary reader. During Ray Carte’s NDE, the reader encounters events found “on the other side.”
In the Tibetan Book of the Dead, a reader learns of the important role played by familiarity. Having prepared properly, the deceased moves past barriers with ease. Lack of preparation, however, negates progress or results in terror.
Under the Tree prepares readers to recognize post-mortem events they will encounter. When the time comes, the reader will recall lessons from Under the Tree and will be able to overcome difficult moments. Under the Tree may be one of very few books readers can use to prepare for the Afterlife.