In eastern spiritual traditions, samsara is often used to describe worldly existence, the cycle of birth and death or the transmigration of the soul from one incarnation to the next. But the concept of samsara is actually much broader and includes psychology, universal laws of nature, the illusory quality of existence, and even the question of free will. In Samsara - An Exploration of the Hidden Forces that Shape and Bind Us, the author takes a look...

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. There's never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. It's all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because...

"A mystery man and a smartphone? Things are about to get interesting! I'm continuing to level up and kick some monster booty into the next stratum! But there's more to this world than I thought ... and it seems there are some big figures at play behind the scenes. Like this man, for example--he just popped up out of nowhere! And ... what's this? Holy crap, a cell phone! Maybe I'll finally be able to communicate with someone down here in this labyrinth...

"Mom, I'm home! Let's have a nice family reuni--ack!! Been lookin' for a chance to take out earth dragon Araba, but man, that dude's crazy strong! In the meantime, I'm keeping busy with other things. I got a surprise visit from my siblings--must be getting under Mom's skin, heh-heh. Then I'll fight round two with the bees and have a nice, relaxing nap at home--Wait, are those humans?! Time for a revenge match! But hold on, if I follow the humans,...

"In Becar, everyone knows that who you are in this life will determine what you are in your next life. The augurs can read your fate in your aura: hawk, heron, tortoise, jackal, human. Armed with that knowledge, you can change your destiny with the choices you make. But for the darkest individuals, you come back as a kehok, a monster, and you will always be a kehok for the rest of time. Unless you can win the Races."--Publisher.

"You think you can beat me? You and what army?! Oh...that army... I think I'm finally getting the hang of things! This Middle Stratum is filled with fiery magma (with monsters to match!), but I've been holding my own. I may be a weak little spider, but I've got brains on my side-three of them, in fact! I've got information brain to call the shots, body brain to execute the moves, and my new magic brain to figure out... whatever the heck is up with...

Mother, have you heard the news that you're dead? The other mes have been hard at work around the clock, consuming more and more of Mother's soul. And today is the day! Ever since Mother tried to eat me as a wee just-hatched spider baby, it was inevitable. When the dust settles, only one of us will walk outta that labyrinth alive-and it ain't gonna be her!!