feelings/ attitudes towards death/ god

[CiMoon]

i usually don't think about death in everyday life. Even so, i have red a book about near-death-experiences and talked about this topic with my b.f.
i hope that after death i'll enter another dimension/ that life will go on somehow, so that my soul or my consciousness isn't lost, because for me - it's quite a horrible thought that i would lose my self/ my soul.
So, i am afraid of death or more precisely i am a bit afraid (and a bit curious as well) of what will happen after death - if anything will happen.
Maybe 5 years ago, i was an atheist, was convinced that there is scientifically no evidence for god/ a life after life and concluded that there is no god, that everything is over after death, now, after occupying myself with near-death-experiences i became more spiritual and i take seriously into consideration that there might be something after death, which relaxes me a bit. i feel like an agnostic now.

i'm interested in YOUR feelings/ attitudes towards death/ god
(and i am not interested in a who-is-right-dispute, i just want to get an impression of the variety of personal convictions.

 

[Norton]

I think death is like going under anesthesia without waking up. My two experiences with anesthesia were not anything like sleep, during which I think most people have some awareness and sense of self. It's almost as if I ceased to exist, and only became aware of this "non-existence" when I started to regain consciousness.

But, who knows? Death can't be all bad--no one has ever returned, at least as far as I know.

 

[Kgal]

i usually don't think about death in everyday life. Even so, i have red a book about near-death-experiences and talked about this topic with my b.f.
i hope that after death i'll enter another dimension/ that life will go on somehow, so that my soul or my consciousness isn't lost, because for me - it's quite a horrible thought that i would lose my self/ my soul.
So, i am afraid of death or more precisely i am a bit afraid (and a bit curious as well) of what will happen after death - if anything will happen.
Maybe 5 years ago, i was an atheist, was convinced that there is scientifically no evidence for god/ a life after life and concluded that there is no god, that everything is over after death, now, after occupying myself with near-death-experiences i became more spiritual and i take seriously into consideration that there might be something after death, which relaxes me a bit. i feel like an agnostic now.

i'm interested in YOUR feelings/ attitudes towards death/ god
(and i am not interested in a who-is-right-dispute, i just want to get an impression of the variety of personal convictions.

I used to be an atheist also. In recent years I read a book and then lately have listened to some interviews with psychiatrists who have much information to share on past lives. Each of their documented cases describe the same essential scenarios as the near death experiences when they die and then go into their next life. You might consider looking at Dr. Brian Weiss and Dr. Michael Newton for more information.

I'm not sure I would go so far as to say that I am now an Agnostic, though I am convinced of the legitimacy of past lives. What I learned from the book and the interviews has allowed me to calm down regarding not only death - but my life right here and now as well. I am not afraid of death - only the "dying" part makes me uneasy and sad. I'm working on transforming that "sad" emotion into acceptance.

 

[Sriracha]

I like to refer to it as "life after life." (for more, read my thread about Time Loops ... I hate repeating myself. LOL)

 

[David54]

from spirit we came, to spirit we will return . . pretty much sums it up for me. . while I am a christian, I have a much more metaphysical view of many things. . the afterlife being one. . heaven. . hell. . .concepts to describe life on earth I think. ,.,

 

[Norton]

from spirit we came, to spirit we will return . . pretty much sums it up for me. . while I am a christian, I have a much more metaphysical view of many things. . the afterlife being one. . heaven. . hell. . .concepts to describe life on earth I think. ,.,

Metaphysical is good.

 

[Radiantshadow]

I am holding my curiosity about death in check until he knocks on my door. If there is an afterlife, I would prefer to enter it with a healthy acceptance of my previous life first. This way I am more "centered" on life now, doing all I can now to live a life without lasting regrets, and leaving the otherworldly aspects until their proper time. Of course, I think about them - death, possibility of an afterlife, the God Question, etc. - but do not dwell on my mere perception of them. Life is waiting, rapturous, filled with splendor earned in triumph and agony I wouldn't trade for anything else.

Do I think there is a singular creator of the universe? No, nor do I consider it so terribly important that I must find the absolute - does such a thing exist? Absolutes? - truth of it outside of its pertinence to how I build my life. Humanity has many, many temples surrounding their dedications to life; instead of bickering over the 'best' shrine, it seems better to dedicate one's self to something and go from there. We don't have to stay with the something, 'tis probably best that we change from time to time to gain clearer vision and refreshing breeze lest our internal rooms become filled (Terry Pratchett's endless cup, anyone?). Humans have been grafted with all they need to live, thrive, and dive into existence. I want nothing more ~~

Death and an afterlife? I cannot know for sure, though my (small) storehouse of knowledge and such nudges me in the "no" direction. I would like to think existence continues somehow but I wouldn't mind too much if it doesn't. Life is cyclical and piles of "stuff" accumulate over time. Pardon my wry humor, but I think the universe would get very full very quickly without a junk-removal service All in all though, I haven't a clue and, if I'm honest with myself, I don't mind not knowing.

Shrug.

 

[Lerxst]

I can take pages upon pages to answer this. Thich Nhat Han does it much better than I do in this article:

Before you can answer the question,

 

[Flavus Aquila]

I think life after death will only be as good as what we take with us when we die.

To that end, I think enriching one's internal life (contrasted with material/external gain) now is important. This is of benefit even for an atheist who does not believe in an after-life.

However, if one does believe in an afterlife, an eternal life, enriching one's present life with eternal things would seem to be vital.

 

[Lerxst]

Basically. the concept of rebirth.
That also difficult for me to accept, for what reason would this cycle be taking place. living your whole life so you can never remember nothing about it, and just be born in another physical body. My point about consciousness was made because i feel we don't belong to this material world. we are consciousnesses, and thats part of a different realm(or dimension if you want to call it). Also, what would have started this cycle, historically the population was much lower so are their still people been added to the cycle, i think I am answering the question of the present moment, because time itself is an illusion, and at the present moment i'm asking what will happen to us after we die? I do believe mediation purifies the mind, and it all sounds very plausible, but i'm not actually convinced that answers question, rather it redirects it.

Not exactly...

In regards to the OP - There are "Noble Truths" in Buddhism. You may want to look at #2 - The origin of suffering is attachment Attachment to an object. Attachment to your body. Attachment to your ideals. They all fall under that.

So in Buddhists terms, it makes no sense to worry about you, your soul, your body, your spirit and what happens when you die, since that all stems from attachment and doing so causes... suffering. Since the OP said, "it's quite a horrible thought that I would lose my self/ my soul." this directly relates!

Answering your question about starting the cycle....

If everything in the world is interconnected, then we are no different from our surroundings. The same elements that make up the world we live in, exist in each of us. 200 years ago there may have been a much lower population, but there were much higher concentrations of other elements and creates on the planet. Trees/forests, insects, whales, birds, water and the single largest one - oil. As those decreased, our population directly increased.

So where did all of us come from? The rest of the planet!

Law of conservation of matter - a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system.

 

[Kgal]

Originally Posted by jesin
Basically. the concept of rebirth.
That also difficult for me to accept, for what reason would this cycle be taking place.
living your whole life so you can never remember nothing about it, and just be born in another physical body.
My point about consciousness was made because i feel we don't belong to this material world. we are consciousnesses, and thats part of a different realm(or dimension if you want to call it). Also, what would have started this cycle, historically the population was much lower so are their still people been added to the cycle, i think I am answering the question of the present moment, because time itself is an illusion, and at the present moment i'm asking what will happen to us after we die? I do believe mediation purifies the mind, and it all sounds very plausible, but i'm not actually convinced that answers question, rather it redirects it.

You're questioning tracks right along where I was - in the past. Logical and rational as it were.

If you are of the opinion that time itself is an illusion - then it's not far to stretch into the area of the concept of "life after life" as the OP wonder's about.

Growing up with the religious teachings of heaven and hell, I took time to think about them. Early on in my life I ended up rejecting them as an "above and below" this physical existence concept. imo, Hell is right here and now. So is heaven.
I asked myself for years and years, then what was the point of the religious ideas? Long years of research and exploration landed me in the teachings from the Buddha. (not the religion of buddhism). Lately, the idea of Karma has been popping up again and again on my horizon. This led to past life exploration. And then back to religion because apparently the idea of reincarnation was cut out of the christian texts (bible) and is ignored in others such as judaism. Now I am of the opinion ALL of the religious teachings are interconnected and have validity.

What is the point of forgetting a previous life when we're born into this one? It's to save our sanity while here in this physical form. You seem to have an intuitive understanding of consciousness. Being part of the whole...the One...the collective of it all... can be described as pure bliss - right? Where time has no meaning. Existence is everywhere and "everytime" - is a way I can visualize this idea.

Let's say the idea of an after life is true. Let's say there is a reason we come back again and again.
What do you think would happen to you if you knew - felt - remembered - the bliss of being one with consciousness - while living down here on this earth? First off we experience the pain of birth. Bam. Our very first feelings imprinted upon is Pain. Do you think you would stay here after feeling that? Then pack on all of the other hurts we encounter - both physically and emotionally. Holy hell - turns out our experience on this planet is full of pain and fear.
So - the veil is dropped upon us when we enter physical form. Or else we'd either kill ourselves as soon as we could figure out how to do it - or go insane with longing to go back. We'd not learn whatever it is we are supposed to be learning.

As [MENTION=2890]Lerxst[/MENTION] pointed out - the purpose of the Buddha's teachings is to practice self awareness so we can learn this life's lesson(s).

Don't ask me the purpose. I don't pretend to know. Sometimes I think those types of questions are the same as asking a fish "what is water?"....

Oh. I too questioned the idea of IF we reincarnate - then where do the increasing numbers of "We" come from. I mean obviously the population of humans has increased dramatically - right? Well. Turns out - a "sentient being" is a "sentient being". I have learned that just because I am human does not mean I am the smartest sentient being on this planet. When you look at the fact humans are content to destroy their own source of existence - well - to me it means we are pretty damn ignorant compared to many, many sentient beings on this planet. There is more than one way to experience "Life".

Lerxst has a very valid point.

 

[GracieRuth]

Curiously, I died once from an overdose, but after working on me they brought me back. However, I have no memories of anything, not the ER, no tunnel or afterlife experience... Oh well...

I am simply at peace with G-d and with death. My job has been to live my live fully, to make a difference in the world, to touch the lives of others, and to enjoy all the goodness G-d has favored me with. Several times I've been close to death, and my brain does a quick review of my life, and I just experience this deep peace, knowing I have led a meaningful life, so if it's my time to go, there are no t's left to cross or i's left to dot. Whether there is a heaven, or transmigration, or just peace decomposing among the daisies, I'm okay.

Warning: long narrative, skip if you wish...
When I was very young, I dreamed that I died and went to hell.

It was a specialized hell for those of us who had "done nothing," no wrong, but had also no good. It was in my school cafeteria, and we could eat all we wanted, watch TV, and play cards, but we were always thirsty. I was there for 102 years. At first, I kept trying to argue that it wasn't fair. But over time my heart changed. When my case came up for review, the angel took me into a room filled with accountants behind adding machines and computer printouts. They gave me the opportunity to speak in my own defense. Wow this was my chance! Right???? No, my heart had changed and I said, "I trust G-d and I know that whatever happens is ultimately for my benefit. If G-d wants me here, than this is where I should be." The room with the accountants melted away...

And I found myself in a truly hellish place, hiding behind a bush at the top of a hill. At the bottom, a naked woman was being tormented by demons. My first thought was "I need to stay hidden, or the demons will come after me too." But then I thought, "I can't just stand here and do nothing. I have to do something!" So I hollered as loud as I could as I ran down the hill. The demons looked over at me in suprise, and in that instant, the woman was able to run away. Well, these were now pretty ticked off demons, and they were coming for me. I felt myself being shot, and how much it hurt, and everything going dark, as I thought, "Hey, how can I be dying if I'm already dead?"

The first thing I felt was the warm breeze, and then grass beneath my fingers. I heard music, and birds. I opened my eyes, and was in the most beautiful place imaginable. I was ecstatic! I just wanted to fly around. But then I thought, "Before I do anything else, I have to go thank G-d for his mercy."

So I was flying towards Jupiter, when I sensed a presence beside me. It was the same angel that had been the caretaker in the first hell. I said, "Oh you are here too?" And the angel replied, "I am wherever you are. It was hard for you to go through what you did, but it was necessary so that you would *learn.*" Then we paused and the angel put his fingers on my forehead and said... "REMEMBER."

Make of it what you will.

 

[udremeei]

i'm interested in YOUR feelings/ attitudes towards death/ god

I am simply at peace with G-d and with death. My job has been to live my live fully, to make a difference in the world, to touch the lives of others, and to enjoy all the goodness G-d has favored me with. Several times I've been close to death, and my brain does a quick review of my life, and I just experience this deep peace, knowing I have led a meaningful life, so if it's my time to go, there are no t's left to cross or i's left to dot. Whether there is a heaven, or transmigration, or just peace decomposing among the daisies, I'm okay.

There have been a few times that I've been afraid I would die, and each of those times I've had enough time to slow down and think about what I've done while I was alive (funny how your brain works really quickly when it needs to, right?), and every time it's happened, I've just.. found peace. I'm grateful for the life I've led, and I wouldn't change a thing (even though sometimes I complain about things in the past, I have on the whole accepted them).

I hope for a relatively painless death, which goes quickly.


That said, I'm not entirely sure what happens after we die. Maybe our consciousness continues, maybe it doesn't. Who knows, really?

What I was taught as a child is that we exist to learn, to perfect our souls. Each lifetime is a lesson that has to be learned, and once the lesson is learned, we die.

I was also told that our souls- and everything has one- are just parts of God. We're all God, or a piece of it, anyway. We're trying to understand ourselves.

It follows, then, that we all have 'past lives' and 'future lives' which are ...occurring right now. I am you, and you are me. Kind of. And we're god.

When we die, our consciousness is rinsed clean, and separated from the soul. The soul attaches to another blank consciousness, and starts a life again, to collect another lesson for god, about god.

That's what I was taught. I mostly believe in its veracity, but I have no evidence of it, really.


Does any of that make sense? ...It's a funny feeling to type it all out.