Major religious traditions of the world contain perspectives of perennial importance on the topic of death and afterlife. Such concepts are not only reflected directly in mortuary and funerary practices, but also inform patterns of beliefs and rituals that shape human lifestyles. Here thirteen scholars, each a specialist in a particular religious tradition, outline the beliefs and practices relating to death and afterlife. The volume introduction provides a framework for understanding the evolutionary relationships among world religions and the unity as well as the diversity of their quest for overcoming death.