Preparing for Life After Death
What happens after the body dies usually boils down to a wide range of different beliefs — a matter of faith. These days, what can’t be proven scientifically is usually rejected or so we think. The truth is we can’t even scientifically detect and prove that we have thoughts. The closest we’ve come is to measure brain wave activity. Yet we all know we have thoughts. That’s not a matter of faith or belief.
For those who do not need scientific measurements to realize they know things, I offer the following common sense and perhaps global consensus about life after death. By common sense, we mean that inner sense or knowing common to most of humanity.
To know this is not to contradict science, but to simply be willing to look beyond the limitations of current scientific understanding. As Sir Isaac Newton said “I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
Deep within, we all know what happens after the body passes. It is only the mind that sometimes gets confused, not the soul.
Only the body dies. The individual being, the soul, lives on. The soul’s experience is then much like a dream. We are free to dream most anything as a reflection of our mental state. The state of mind one has cultivated in life continues on after the body is left behind. At that point, it’s not about philosophies, beliefs, or disbelief, but rather more about the nature of one’s awareness — the tone of what has been held in our hearts. In that sense, we all create our own unique heaven or hell. Yet just as every drop of rain returns to the ocean, every soul’s journey is to return back to wholeness, back to Oneness, back to Source, back to what is called the Divine. The only question is what one experiences along the way as determined by the state of mind.
Though state of mind is cultivated throughout one’s life, the moment of transition is also important. It is rather like diving into the ocean. There are swan dives and there are belly smackers. So in preparation for death, it is wise to come to peace with all things. Understand that though many get confused along the way, what lies at the depth of every individual is Divinity. Rest into that Divinity. Even at the very moment of transition, allow the breath to let go peacefully. Though it is understandable there may be fear, gently favor love.
Many wonder what life after death is like. But that is highly individual. It’s a little like asking what life on earth is like. For some it is heavenly, and for others it is a living hell.
No matter what your life on this earth has been like and no matter how far away or how close this transition may be, it is wise to choose to favor the inner knowing, peace, and goodness that dwells naturally in your soul. As the time approaches, it becomes increasingly important to let go of judgment, not only of others, but even more importantly of yourself. That which we judge is superficial. That which we are in our essence is Divine. Time to be with and meditate upon that essence and let go of all the rest.
Dr. Michael Mamas is the founder of The Center of Rational Spirituality, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the betterment of humanity through the integration of ancient spiritual wisdom with modern rational thought. From personal issues to global trends, Dr. Michael Mamas helps individuals and organizations develop a deeper understanding and more comprehensive outlook by providing a ‘bridge’ between the abstract and concrete, the Eastern and Western, and the ancient and modern. Dr. Michael Mamas has been teaching for 35 years (including the U.S., India, Europe, and Canada) and writes on a variety of subjects on his blogs, MichaelMamas.net, DrMichaelMamas.com, and RationalSpirituality.org.
