The Metaphysical View of Death and Life After Death Part 7

Dissolution of the physical form causes a release of the awareness-principle from the body and expands the consciousness to enfold a higher state. The absorption of the four elements are spiritually related to the activities of their subtle counterpart personified as goddesses:

1) Buddhalocana - Earth

2) Mamaki - Water

3) Pandaravasini - Fire

4) Samayatara - Air

After the absorption of the elements, what is called the "Three Paths" commences. Whereas the above is known as the "gross dissolution," the Three Paths is known as the "subtle dissolution." The Three Paths is associated with inner processes called by lamas the stages of "appearance," "increase" and "attainment." They are associated with the three "tigle," or "bindu." The tigles are described as being the essences of one's parents and possessing certain colours related to the male and female seed. The male tigle is white in colour and resides at the top of the head. It represents "skillful means." It is also related to the nirmanakaya--one of the three bodies often referred to in Mahayana Buddhism. The female tigle is red in colour and has its abode at the base of the spine. It represents "wisdom," and is related to the sambhogakaya. The third tigle is a neutral essence, it is a combination of both male-female tigles when they meet in the heart; it results in the black tigle. This tigle is related to the dharmakaya. The movements of the three tigles in the physical body result in the stages of one's realization of "emptiness," or the Clear Light of the Void, which in the average person goes unrecognized. During the death process the white tigle descends into the heart center followed by the ascent of the red tigle into the same locality. These are the stages of "appearance" and "increase." The stage of "attainment" or the "black path" occurs when both male and female bindus meet in the heart center to form the black tigle and give rise to the actual moment of death. The appearance of the Clear Light follows at that precise moment. In the black stage the average person usually falls unconscious, the Buddhist initiate of such teachings as Dzogchen or Mahamudra, however, is able to maintain awareness and recognize the Clear Light as it appears. Concerning the nature and movements of the tigles, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche in the Bardo Guidebook comments:

"Whiteness or appearance is due to the descent of the white element, obtained from one's father at the moment of conception. At that time there is a white shimmering light like moonshine. The outer sign is similar to the moon descending or rising. The inner sign is that one's consciousness feels hazy like a mirage. This should be acknowledged as the experience of the whiteness.

"The experience of redness involving the ascent of the red element obtained from one's mother at conception is like sunshine in a place filled with dust so that the sun appears very red. The outer sign is a red sun either rising or setting. The inner sign is scintillating sparks that appear and disappear like fireflies. The experience of blackness is like the darkness of the night sky. At this point one's consciousness alternates between being clear and hazy." (1991:92-93)

The phenomena of the three tigles should be considered symbolic. They represent psychological processes that purifies, as much as possible, the psyche from emotional and mental stains. Our primordial nature is the Clear Light of the Void, in Christian terms this corresponds to one's "Father" in heaven or Nur Illahi, as muslims would call it.. This shining divine spark within is clouded by negative emotional and mental qualities, recognized my muslim mystics as the "hijab" or veil. Once freed from those negative toxins of the psyche, one's true nature may be easily apperceived. The "movements" of the tigles facilitates this process. In the Bardo Guidebook the author refers to the psychological cessation of thoughts related to sensual desire, anger and delusions and in connection with the stages of the three tigles:

"During the white experience the thirty-three thought states caused by anger cease. During the red experience the forty thought states caused by passions cease. When the two essences meet, the seven thought states caused by stupidity cease." (1991:12)

And once freed from the above negative, deluded thoughts of anger, passion and stupidity, what remains is the Clear Light of the Dharmakaya--one's divine nature.

When the dying's last expiration is about to cease, lamas make it a practice to turn the pilgrim's dying body over to the right side. This they call the "Lying Posture of the Lion." The carotid arteries of the left and right side of the throat are pressed simultaneously. By such a practice it is hoped that the "awareness-principle" would emerge from the crown chakra. By pressing the arteries the remaining life-force in the body no longer re-circulates within the physical system--it is forced out through the crown portal. Pressure on the arteries prevents the soul, or awareness-principle from falling unconscious, or into the death-swoon. It also triggers the experience of the Clear Light of the first phase of the Bardo and the hoped-for recognition of it. Incidentally, it is likewise believed that the arterial pressure stimulates kundalini, or the serpent-force lying at the base of the spine, just as the death-hormone is believed to by Chaney. This occult writer also believes that kundalini is an active cause of the appearances of the bardos. Kundalini as it rises to the dying brain via sushumna, or the subtle spinal nerve, is believed by lamas to be an important factor in manifesting the Clear Light of the Void. The pressure on the carotid arteries is maintained for about six minutes after the last breath--the time that it takes for the Clear Light to dawn. We are also advised by Bardo teachings not to touch a corpse for at least an hour after death, for, it is said, that the awareness-principle is attracted to the area being touched. This would only cause the mind of the soul to be distracted and to wander away from the important bardo experiences.

Although soul-emergence out of the crown chakra is the desire of every well-informed Tibetan, the incarnated soul may also exit, according to Lamas, through any of the other eight different openings of the body, the route of which, it is said, determines the place of abode of one's awareness-principle in the after-life. Below we give the nine portals of exit and their associated realms:

Anus - Hell realm

Genital - Animal realm

Mouth - Hungry ghost realm

Nose - Human realm

Navel - Desire-gods realm

Ears - Asura/Titan realm

Eyes - Form realms of the gods

Top of head - Formless realms of the gods

Crown of head - Devachan

We shall now consider the three bardos, or the three phases of the Bardo--the Chikai, Chonyid, and Sidpa. Below we give the bardo-phases and stages, and the approximate number of days that the soul may linger in them:

1) Chikai Bardo, first stage - First to third day

2) Chikai Bardo, second stage - Third to fourth day

3) Chonyid Bardo, first stage - Fourth to eleventh day

4) Chonyid Bardo, second stage - Eleventh to nineteenth day

5) Sidpa Bardo, first stage - Nineteenth to fortieth day

6) Sidpa Bardo, second stage - Fortieth to forty-ninth day

It should be noted that not all of these bardos may be experienced by the one undergoing transition. Liberation and illumination may occur in the first or second phase making the undergoing of the succeeding stages unnecessary; it all depends upon the purity, the spirituality, and the karma of the dying pilgrim. Each succeeding stage makes it more improbable that liberation be gained; however, with the correct faith, humility, knowledge, attitude, behaviour, and awareness, the grace of the Cosmos may pour upon the one experiencing the bardo and offer attainment of the long sought-for salvation. Our understanding, awareness and reactions in the Bardo determines whether we attain enlightenment or prolong our existence in samsara.

Chikai Bardo, First Stage

In this first stage of the bardo the Clear Light of the Void dawns upon the consciousness or awareness-principle. In Vajrayana teachings this Clear Light is none other than the dharmakaya, the highest principle within the microcosmic being of man. In Theosophy, this is the Monad; or the "I AM Presence," as some esoteric schools of thought would call it; or "Yechidah" in the Qaballa, the oral tradition of Judaism.

The Clear Light is like a mirror that reflects our Divine Self, our true Buddha nature. This Clear Light is said to be resplendent and scintillating, of a brightness that surpasses a thousand suns. Recognizing, being aware, and merging with one's true nature confers upon one a new spiritual status. The experience expands one's consciousness, not unlike the "Cosmic Consciousness" of Richard M. Bucke. Fundamentally, the Clear Light is experienced when one abides in one's true primordial nature in stillness without being moved by thoughts or emotions. This usually occurs in a deep state of meditation. Experiencing the Clear Light in full awareness liberates oneself from samsara, from Maya, and the dualistic state of mind and conception. The Clear Light and liberation implies a non-dual state, a non-thought-formation, and an abidance in one's Divine nature.

According to Vajrayana teachings, the Chikai stage is the first opportunity given to us to be free from the world of birth and rebirth, of the cycle of reincarnation with its concomitant sufferings and pain. Our main problem here is maintaining consciousness while undergoing the process of soul-release and recognizing the Clear Light when it appears. Most people pass through this stage unconsciously, in a state of slumber. Various factors causes the awareness-principle to fall into a stupor and not recognize its true nature as represented by the Clear Light. Impurity of thoughts and emotions, guilt, unforgivingness, attachment to the world of form and possessions, ignorance of the bardo states and its liberating potential, karmic stains, and the influence of drugs are just some of the many causes that prevents the soul from achieving salvation in the Clear Light. Earlyne Chaney in her book, "The Mysteries of Death & Dying" comments on why the Light may not be seen:

"If there is darkness within the consciousness, it is reflected on the mirror of your mind and the mirror cannot then reflect the radiance of the Clear Light itself. At this moment when the Clear Light dawns, the mind is like a mirror and only when it is cleared of karmic obstacles can the mind reflect the ultimate light of reality. This is why it is so difficult for most of us to imagine that we may merge with the Clear Light, because the mind must be completely cleared of all karmic darkness." (1989:70)

In order to prepare oneself for the Clear Light experience, we are advised by lamas to meditate daily, and to undergo certain purifying, detoxifying processes--mental, emotional, physical and spiritual--that clears the skandhas, the aggregates of the lower constitution of the microcosm, from all psycho-physical dross that hangs like a veil over the Clear Light preventing its shimmering brilliance from emerging and contacting the soul-in-transition. The more karmic stains in the skandhas, the less we see of the Clear Light. Purifying practices such as the Heruka Vajrasattva sadhana, for instance, are often resorted to, to clear one's mental and emotional continuum of karmic stains. The necessity for purity in one's nature in order to see the Clear Light is also to be found in Christian teachings where it is said that only the pure shall see "God." Surat An-Nur of the Quran alludes poetically to the Clear Light, to Nur Illahi and how it is perceived.

Basically, one has to be detached from the five skhandas (essence of form, sensation, volition, consciousness, and deluded perception) in order to recognize the Clear Light and its transformative qualities. It takes a perfectly detached mind and a pure awareness, free from karmic stains to merge with the high energies of the Divine flame of the Clear Light of the Void. Only then is one free from all mortal states and is born into a realm beyond the laws of change, of becoming. Immortality is attained in such a manner. Bokar Rinpoche, in the book Death & the Art of Dying tells us the significance of the consummation of one's mergence with the Clear Light:

"Recognizing this fundamental Clear Light means `becoming' Buddha in the absolute body at the moment of death! It is said that it also means `being liberated as a Buddha in the first Bardo.' When awakening is attained, the bardo no longer continues." (1993:19-20)


Chikai Bardo, Second Stage

While the first stage of Chikai occurs in the swoon state approaching death, this second stage occurs after clinical death--usually half an hour after the occurrence. From the occult point of view, it occurs after the heart seed-atom departs from the physical body and the severance of the sutratma. The duration of this stage is a little longer than the previous one. In this stage the Clear Light seemingly reduces its intensity to some degree. It actually does so because of the obscurations of one's ignorance and karma. Although the Clear Light may not be recognized in the primary stage, there is still a chance for the awareness-principle, when awakened from its stupor or dream-like state to take notice of the Clear Light in this secondary phase of the Chikai. This is usually done with the assistance of the presiding guide, the Reciter of the "death manual," or the Bardo Thodol. The bardo ritual also helps awaken the deceased person to recognize the fact that it had passed through the portal of death and that it should now pay attention to the subsequent psychological phenomena. In the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the awareness-principle in the Chikai stage is advised to recognize its own primordial Self:

"O nobly-born, when the body and mind were separating, thou must have experienced a glimpse of the Pure Truth, subtly, sparkling, bright, dazzling, glorious, and radiantly awesome, in appearance like a mirage moving across a landscape in spring-time in one continuous stream of vibrations. Be not daunted thereby, nor terrified, nor awed. This is the radiance of thine own true nature. Recognize it." (1975:104)

Like the first stage, liberation is also offered here as a gift of the Divine Intelligence; it is, however, an incomplete liberation, not as totally or as fully as the liberation of the first stage. To ensure the attainment of liberation, as said before, it is necessary to practice meditation every day where a glimpse of the Clear Light may be seen and experienced in an altered-state of awareness in order to aid us to recognize its full power in the Chikai. Experience of the Clear Light in the meditative state help us to experience it in the Chikai state. Spiritual exercises such as visualizing one's physical body and aura surrounded with white light assists us greatly to recognize the Clear Light when it emerges from the depth of our being. Recollection of teachings pertaining to the bardo also increases considerably the chances that the soul would realize the Clear Light and to know the manner of correct approach toward the following bardos. The marifat or gnostic techniques of Islamic and Hindu mystics allows the practitioner to evoke the presence of the Clear Light, as does the techniques of Dzogchen.

The intensity of the Clear Light that appears to one's consciousness is dependent upon the quality of light within one's own consciousness. An impure consciousness taints the Clear Light of the Void. Normally, the average person would not experience or recognize the Clear Light of the Chikai stage; and those who experience violent deaths go through the first stages of the bardos very quickly, likewise without recognizing the Clear Light.

While experiencing the Chikai stage, it is possible for the awareness-principle to be distracted from the Clear Light by loud physical noises, or the lamenting of relatives and friends. It is for this reason that the room of the dying one should be free from any conditions that may disturb its mental focus.

Should one successfully recognize the Clear Light, one should merge into it, or absorb its radiance. This will lead one to the Buddhic or higher worlds. Otherwise, if unsuccessful in recognizing and merging with the Clear Light, one would simply fall into slumber and awaken to the subsequent bardos. It is to be noted that in this Secondary Light of the Chikai that the deceased may often catch a glimpse of awaiting relatives and friends on the Otherside, or see their presiding deity or guru, or even hear heavenly music. This phenomena is substantiated in Near-Death Experiences as recorded by doctors and researchers of the paranormal.


Chonyid Bardo, First Stage

As the awareness-principle sink deeper into the depths of the bardo--because of lack of spiritual attainment--the Clear Light of the Void lessens its shining brilliance, or to be more accurate, heavier veils enshroud it. In the previous Chikai stage, the Clear Light was a manifestation of the dharmakaya. In this Chonyid stage, the Bardo of Dharmata, the Light filters through the sambogakaya, which may be interpreted to mean the causal body. In terms of psychology, this sambogakaya may correspond to the superconsciousness, whereas the former corresponds to Cosmic Consciousness. One's consciousness at this stage sees the refracted Clear Light of the sambogakaya as coloured rays which are moulded according to the nature of the spiritual side of our psychic contents. What one sees in the Chonyid are, basically, hallucinations.

In this phase and stage one's mental and subconscious contents of a spiritual nature are projected externally onto the sambogakaya lights as psychic images. These images may take the form of gods, devas, masters, or angels--anything that reflects our spiritual conscious state. Teachings of Tibetan Buddhism refer to this stage as the appearance of the "42 peaceful deities," or the appearance of karmic illusions of a spiritual nature. It is said that these peaceful deities emanate from the heart center. The spiritual forms of these deities usually appear in the guise of the being that we often pray to and seek spiritual refuge. It is, however, important to realize that all forms that appear in the Chonyid and Sidpa are mental creations, and are, therefore, unreal. Concerning the nature of these deities, Tsele Rangorol in The Mirror of Mindfulness says that,

". . . the deities are an expression of one's spontaneously present wakefulness; they are automatically there, inherent in one's nature." (1993:10)

Visions within this and the following bardos are reflections of our habitual thought patterns. The spiritual inclined will see spiritual images at this stage, while the mind with habitual carnal thoughts would probably bypass this bardo stage as it would have done so with the previous Chikai stage and go onto the next to see visions of its based thoughts. The primary aim in this and in the following stages is to realize the "emptiness" of these images, and to grasp their real essence as being that of the Clear Light. In this manner we transform our consciousness by realizing the true basis of these visions and integrating them into our own being. Failure to do so simply results in a rebirth in one of the lower six realms. Not recognizing the psychic images as one's own thoughtforms in this bardo and in the next results in a continued existence in samsara.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore

The Metaphysical View of Death and Life After Death Part 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

When a Sadguru, or spiritual master first receives a novice or a candidate seeking Truth, one of the first steps that the master would assure himself is the sincerity and the purity of motive of the candidate requesting initiation into the mysteries. In order to augment or instill this sincerity and pure motive when absent, the master would speak to the candidate regarding death. The master would advise the candidate to contemplate upon the meaning of death and the opportunity that life provides. The master would refer to the fact that death often comes, stealth-like, at an unannounced moment; that to be engrossed with trivialities is to waste one's life; that there are no guarantees in life except for death. The chela is made to ask, "what is the purpose of life if death cuts us down at our prime, leaving us with ambitions, aspirations and unfulfilled dreams? What is the purpose of life--and death, if we are not able to take along with us through the portals of death our prized possessions, our titles, our fame, our temporal power?"

The spiritual master would be quick to point out that the true purpose of life has very little to do with the earthly, evanescent riches or power that we acquire, it has more to do with the immaterial wealth that we take along with us--our knowledge; our memories; our improved karma, habits and character; and our spiritual and psychic development. Earthly acquisitions fail to offer any help to the one undergoing transition. We each face death alone; and in death, stripped of all mundane superficialities, we come to realize our own true worth. And so, the chela, with perhaps impure motives at the outset, comes to understand after some spiritual guidance, and a prolonged contemplation and analysis of death--as related to life--that the aim, purpose, importance and goal of personal existence in this physical sphere with its many opportunities are for gaining freedom, perfection, salvation, enlightenment, and the ascension.

We should all be aware that death may come to us at any moment, this will motivate us to direct our minds into proper perspectives, and to get our priorities straight. To eat, drink, and be merry as advertisements tell us, as the philosophies of the fallen angels would have us learn, is to be sidetracked from occupying ourselves with our "Father's business."

Like the disciple referred to above, in this paper it is our intention to delve into the nature of death and its process so that we will come to know a greater life, and appreciate its intrinsic value. We will also consider the nature of certain aspects of life after transition, for this expands our spiritual horizon, and it offers us a glimpse into man's glorious future. Our main themes in this paper will be related to the following:

1) The survival of personal consciousness.

2) The process of transition.

3) The nature of life after so-called death.


The Survival of Personal Consciousness

The average person often wonders if consciousness survives death. We have commented and alluded previously on the indestructible nature of energy. There can, therefore, be no dissolution of the essence of Soul, or rather Spirit--not even through the process of transition. The forms, the structured energy-fields that the Spirit and Soul indwell and embody may change, but the essence, the spiritual aspect of the microcosm, the Monad, the SELF, is immortal. Religion, mysticism, and psychicism, refers to this verity. If a person is to know this particular truth of the survival of consciousness, he or she must learn to expand the consciousness and to spiritualize his or her mind in order to be aware and function consciously in the higher planes. Failure to realize spiritual verities label us as "dead"--a term referred to by the Piscean Master in the gospel narratives to people who are closed to the higher worlds and spiritual truths. People suffering from spiritual myopia live in physical tombs and not temples; such persons do not care much about the higher worlds and their relation to them; these individuals limit their awareness and deaden their consciousness in a three-dimensional slumber. Individuals with limited minds do not see the whole picture of life's purpose.

The writer of this paper firmly believes, or is convinced in the ability of consciousness to exist apart from the physical body. We had, personally, experienced many spontaneous astral projections, and many lucid dreams. Although experiences of astral projections may not objectively prove the survival of consciousness after death, it does give us some inkling of what it may be like to exist independently of the physical form; it also provides us with some reason for accepting the possibility and the high probability of the survival of consciousness. The reality and proof of the survival of personal consciousness itself may be acquired through one's personal interaction and relationship with the so-called dead. This normally occurs unconsciously in one's sleep and dreams, however, it may occur with full astral awareness or in the awaking consciousness. Lucid dreams are typical of the former type, whereas visitations or psychic materializations are of the latter. If we are able to contact the so-called dead who once were people living in the physical world and resume relationships with them, is this not proof that personal consciousness survives transition? Although this rhetorical-question is simplistic in form and incapable of offering positive proof regarding the survival of consciousness, being subjective in nature, and which does not carry any weight under scientific scrutiny, it does imply that some materialistically-oriented individuals are unwilling to attend to the reality experienced by others because of prejudice, pride, fear and cultural conditioning. How does the average man view death, what does he actually believe about it? Society has various beliefs concerning death, and what it entails, below are just some of these beliefs:

1) The cessation of consciousness and the annihilation of Self.

2) The termination of human relationships, and the loss of loved ones.

3) The termination of physical activities, of goals, ambitions and aspirations.

4) The passage into an unknown world or state of consciousness.

5) The facing of the Judgment and the accountability of one's sins--the fear of eternal punishment in an everlasting hell, or in contrast, pleasure, rest and idleness in Paradise.

6) Physical, emotional, and mental agony in the death process.

As we will see in later chapters, all of these beliefs are unfounded. The nature of life after transition is only unknown to those who do not seek to know. There is also no true severance of human relationships; and an eternal hell is non-existent, although a certain degree of pain and scorching may be experienced when impure substances present in the astral and mental bodies are removed by a purifying fire. Death is not the end of anything; it is a continuation of what has gone on before. Rumi, the Sufi poet, speaks of this truth in the following oft-quoted verse:

"I died a mineral and became a plant;

"I died a plant and rose an animal.

"I died an animal and I was a man.

"Why should I fear? When was I less by dying?

"Yet once more I shall die as man, so to soar

"With blessed angels; even from angelhood

"I must pass on . . .

"When I have sacrificed my angel soul,

"I shall become that which no mind conceived."


The Process of Transition

Transition is not simply the cessation of the intake of the breath or the circulation of the life-force. It is a process that involves the evacuation of the occult components within man's physical anatomy. These occult components for simplicity sake, may be called the soul, however, for the metaphysical student, a deeper understanding of the constitution of the soul must be acquired. The relationship and interaction between the immaterial aspect of man and the physical body must be known. How the spiritual components dissociate themselves from the physical body through the process of transition should be understood. It is the very presence of man's invisible forms and forces within the physical being that maintains the integrity and coherence of the particles forming the physical body. The absence of the magnetism, the electrical-force, and the energy-fields of the subtle bodies causes the dissolution of the physical form.

Psychologically, during the separation of the material and immaterial bodies, certain visions arise in the psyche. The nature of these visions are dependent upon the degree of man's inner purity. According to Tibetan Buddhists, how man responds or reacts to these visions determines the place of his abode in the higher realms. Man's moral character is the deciding factor of his place in the universal scheme. The fear of death and dying hampers the smooth transition into the higher worlds. Attachment to the world and earthly possessions causes an unnecessary prolonged struggle in the death process, and this delays soul release. Suffering and pain are expressions of this struggle. Man should learn to be detached from all mundane affairs and relationships during transition and think about spiritual matters--not because of the unimportance of the former, but because occupying the mind at the time of transition with spiritual aspirations and hope assists the soul-consciousness to release itself from some of the harsh phenomena experienced in the bardo. Passing over into a new realm is like being born into the physical world. The process is somewhat similar, and this is in accord with the law of correspondence and the Hermetic axiom, "as above, so below." When one is born into this physical world one goes through the birth canal; during transition one experiences a "tunnel-like" effect, a wormhole. During birth we are greeted by smiling relatives, likewise, the birth into a higher world surrounds us with people whom we love and who loves us.

Passing over is no panacea for the suffering soul who resorts to suicide to end its earth life. Suicide does not solve our emotional and mental problems, for wherever we may be, we take along with us our inner world, our thoughts and feelings. Our outer world reflects our inner mental and emotional state. Problems unfaced, will have to be confronted once again in another incarnation, this is to teach the soul certain lessons that it requires for its evolution, its spiritual growth. One's attitudes, reactions and responses to problems are the main thing and not the problems themselves.

The Spirit of man will not be cheated of its forces. Lessons to be learnt by the soul will repeat themselves until their essence has been assimilated, understood and wisdom gained. Suicide, therefore, should not be resorted to as an escape, for it causes spiritual stagnation. Suicides are treated as mental cases in the subtle worlds. According to psychic Donald Barrie, insane persons were suicides in past lives. Suicidal persons in the death process, like those who lived depraved, iniquitous and wicked lives, often encounter some of the most alarming visions in the bardo which includes the Judgment scene, where the conscience sits as prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner.

Death is a personal experience. Through it we come to know our true evolutionary status as a soul, and all of our glamours and delusions concerning personal glory would fail to aid us at the time of our transition. Our poverty or wealth of our spirit is seen and known to us and others on the Other Side.


The Nature of Life After So-Called Death

Humanity's concept of heaven is wrought with distortions of the true nature of the subtle worlds. There are many ideas concerning heaven that are disproved through the personal experiences of advanced psychics and mystics. It is, therefore, appropriate that people be informed and prepared for life in the other worlds, that they may know what to expect, that they may know how to function harmoniously therein, and the sort of activities that they may engage in. The higher worlds are worlds of activity. There is no rest there, unless we desire rest. Real rest is dependent upon the giving of another vehicle of the microcosm an opportunity for expressing itself. Overthere, we shall have the opportunity to be occupied with soul-improving activities. Laziness and idleness Overthere are treated as illnesses. Individuals expressing those states are directed to special classes to learn the purposes of life, that they be motivated to engage in some worthy endeavour.

There is not just one heaven or dimension in the higher worlds, there are many, and these are the "mansions" of Jesus' statement "in my Father's house there are many mansions." (John 14:2). St. Paul in his epistles mentions a third heaven; the Islamic tradition presents the Prophet Muhammad as visiting the seventh on a mythical creature--no doubt a symbolic description of the subtle body. Several "alams" or worlds are discussed in Islamic literature. Theosophy speaks of seven planes with seven sub-planes each, all of which constituting a cosmic plane. Hinduism also refers to the "lokas," to the many heavens as described in their scriptures. Swedenborg substantiates this truth in his spiritual works.

People will be disappointed if they think that the afterdeath state will provide them what they lack here and now. This is not to say that their dreams will not occur to some degree, or that their happiness may not be derived from some longed-for pleasures that Almighty God might manifest for them; what we are putting forth here is that the contents and quality of one's heart and mind determines strongly one's experiences in the heavenly world that one will live in. Purity in body, mind and soul begets a joyful experience in the higher heavens. Conversely, immorality and wickedness result in a life of misery in the lower astral realms. We carry our inner life to wherever we may find ourselves. There is no spiritual being to reward or punish us, we do this to ourselves by violating or living harmoniously with cosmic laws. To know where one would go, or to which heaven or plane one would reside, it is only necessary to look into one's mind and emotions, into one's character and personality, and there look for signs.

In the chapters ahead we will be discussing in more detail of the nature of life in the higher worlds. We feel that this subject is of some importance to metaphysicians, as they are often asked by individuals seeking information on the spiritual dimensions.


The Four Perspectives

Although there are various perspectives that death and the process of transition may be discussed such as the clinical, the cultural, etc. We will be dealing with the aforementioned themes from the following perspectives:

1) Religion/Mythology

2) Occult teachings in general

3) Lamaism, or Tibetan Buddhism

4) Parapsychology and modern research

Religion, generally speaking, offers us some information concerning the after death state with, regrettably, very little of the death process. However, it is important when dealing with religious concepts regarding death and the afterlife to be discerning and discriminative--to sift through fanciful ideas--of the many erroneous theological dogmas and concepts that had crept into the original teachings. Many statements in scriptures are not meant to be taken in a literal manner. Embodied within them are spiritual ideas that have to be intuited with the higher mind. Followers or devotees of religions often fail to understand this principle. They believe in the letter of the law without considering the underlying spiritual principle. The immortality of the soul has long been an essential tenet in almost all religious belief-structures. The ancient Egyptians, for instance, believed in it; they accepted that the heart-soul, the ka, the ba, and other components of the microcosm outlived the physical form for a longer duration, if not indefinitely. Thus mummification was instituted to preserve the body for the return of the incorporeal aspects of man.

Myths are allegories or parables containing spiritual wisdom. They often deal with the fall of the soul into matter, its resurrection, the manner of its redemption, and the nature of the higher planes. In the ancient Mystery Schools of Greece, such as the Eluesinian, Cosmic laws and principles were personified and enacted in dramas. The mystae, or the candidate to the mysteries who witnessed these dramas was urged by the accompanying guide to discern the Cosmic laws and truths embodied within them. Often in such initiatory schools, candidates were put into trance-like conditions where they acquired personal experiences of the externalization of their awareness-principle. Thus, those candidates to the Mysteries came to know the reality of their soul and its independence of the physical body through empirical knowledge.

Our treatment of mythology in this paper will be supportive in nature, emphasizing or stressing certain main points of our themes where needed. Regrettably, it is beyond the scope of this work to treat the subject exhaustively and completely in a satisfactory manner.

Occultism as a whole, offers us a great wealth of knowledge concerning the death process and the nature of the post-mortem states. There have been many eminent clairvoyants in the past such as Swedenborg and Andrew Jackson Davis who wrote about their experiences concerning transition and the astral planes as seen through their inner senses--not to mention their communications and interactions with the inhabitants therein. In the opening pages of his work, Heaven and Hell, Swedenborg declares:

". . . it has been granted to me to associate with angels and to talk with them as man, also to see the things in the heaven as well as in the hells . . . " (1958:3)

We are, however, indebted to Earlyne Chaney and her Mystery school, Astara, for most of our occult information concerning the mysteries of death. Information derived from her writings would greatly enhance the structure and support of our main themes.

Of all religions, Tibetan Buddhism seems to be the richest source of information concerning the death process. It possesses a unique conception regarding transition. It is for this reason that we will consider it separately, apart from the general view of religion, giving it a category of its own. From the religious viewpoint, we have, therefore, chosen to treat the subject of the process of death in a detailed manner from the Lamaistic perspective. The esoteric science of death, it should be known, is one of the secret traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Our main source of information on Tibetan thanatology and eschatology, is derived from the "Bardo Thodol," or "The Tibetan Book of the Dead"--as translated and edited by Evans-Wentz and his Tibetan colleague. We will also be appropriating the teachings and commentaries of various Lamas to supplement and give form to our main themes. Tibetans consider dying to be an art, just as the spiritual teachers of the Middle Ages did, calling it "ars moriendi." To the Tibetan Buddhists, the training of dying commences in the meditative life. This is the preparation of the awareness-principle for the bardos that it will undergo or the possible attainment of the "Clear Light" resulting in enlightenment. Aside from considering the role that the bardos play in the death process, we will, therefore, also comment in passing of this mystical art, of the preparation required for liberation in the bardo.

Although there have been many modern, scientific researchers delving into the mysteries of death such as Raymond Moody and Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, our principal sources of information will be derived from the works of Michael Newton, Ian Currie, and Filipo Liverziani as representative of the modern scientific approach. Investigations into psychic phenomena began way back in the last century when mediumistic activities began to flourish. Although many mediums and their displays of phenomena were found to be deceptions, a small percentage of occurrences were enough to convince psychic investigators of the survival of the personal-consciousness and in the reality of man's inherent psychic powers. Notwithstanding the findings of past investigators, however, we will, concentrate more fully on the research discoveries of the writers mentioned above, as they offer the appropriate support for our main themes.

Copyright © 2006 Luxamore