NDE: How Death Changes Life

[Olcott Library]

"Not only do NDE's (Near Death Experience) eliminate the fear of dying, they also reduce the fear of living." There is a marked "change in attitude toward life"... so we begin our November Quest Reading Discussion based on the article How Death Changes Life: Aftereffects of Near Death Experiences by Joann S. Bakula, published in the Fall 2009 Issue.

With "Day of the Dead" celebrations proceeded by Halloween here in America, and on the heels of our discussion last month regarding "Illness as a Spiritual Experience," here is the most poignant quote pertaining to last month's article: "... as guides to the true principles upon which the whole cycle of life is based, from individuation to the Omega Point of enlightenment and perfection, resulting in the cessation of the cycles of lives on the wheel of samsara."

We read from the two interviews: "... In the end he saw that we are responsible for what we do, what we think and what we feel..." and "... Moreover, when she related her experience to others, she was careful not to challenge their beliefs while remaining certain of the meaning of her experience...."

Click here to read the article and share your own poignant quotes and any thoughts, insights, or stories with our group this month.

[Pablo Sender]

Dear Adyamar,

Well... I am not redefining anything. The reason why I wrote my article based on Blavatsky's words is not because she was the only one in talking about Theosophy as not being a body teachings, but because she was the Founder of the TS and had this view from the very beginning.
You say "I rather have a believe system without such an ‘eject button’ in which the participants take responsibility for what their organization teaches." Yes, that is the attitude of people who belong to a religion, or whose activities are based on a set of concepts. And that is fine. But Theosophy is not a religion and the TS is not a church. What you call the "eject button" may look like that for you, but for others it is a deep way of living a committed spiritual life, not an intellectual argument.
From a logical point of view, so to say, believers on a religion which excludes other beliefs are all at the same level. They all claim theirs is the only truth. All of them equally honestly believe they are right and the other is wrong.
Some people fear that if they don't claim their religion is the only truth, then there is no reason for them to follow that particular religion and not other. Well, this has not to be the case. Some religions (or spiritual paths) ARE better than others for some people. The important thing is to find what furthers one person's spirituality.
So, I really don't dare saying my way is the only true one. All I can say, if I have to be absolutely honest, is that this way works for me and allows me grow in compassion, love, wisdom, not matter how little. This, to me, is a much better "proof" about what is true (for any given person) than the willing adhesion to a set of beliefs.

[Adyarman]

Dear Pablo Sender,
You write: "From a logical point of view, so to say, believers on a religion which excludes other beliefs are all at the same level. They all claim theirs is the only truth. All of them equally honestly believe they are right and the other is wrong." I remean on this intellecual level and I refuse to discard it an improper route to truth. Indeed Christianity is the only religion that teaches the truth about God. More or less that is ;).
Now, what is truth? IMO it is the divine cause which is revealed by experiences shared in humanity. You find it by closely observing your own experiences, by noticing those of others and by divising a logical concept which explains it all. Yes, most experiences can only be explained partly and hardly, like why everything falls down or how old matter is. Logical concepts include the presence of invisible realms where things happen that effect earhly situations. Can you find truth by comparing whatever concept anyone has ever made? No you can't: it is the direct and indirect experience that need to be compared, not the various concepts about them.
Theosophy is most definitely a set of concepts of its own account, part of which is self denial in the form of this 'eject button', which brings it out of the realm of intellect thus making it immune to critisism. I think it's a trick.

[Jackie Clayton]

“To encourage the study of Comparative Religion, Philosophy and Science.”

I think, perhaps, you should agree with this concept. What right do you have to tell someone that their beliefs are wrong if you know nothing about them?

[Ann E. Bermingham]

In the late 1960's I was living at home and going to a commuter college. At one point I became very depressed over the process of detachiing myself from my parents beliefs. One night I felt an explosion of light in my head, at the ajna chakra. Then my spirit moved out of my body over the bed. Eventually I moved back into my body and after that my depression left. I knew there was better times to come.

[AngieMom57]

I found this article on Discovery News very interesting on how the Brain Waves Surge Moments Befor Death by Irene Klotz printed on October 6th:

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/10/06/near-death-brain.html

This might explain the "life review" that so many report.

[Pablo Sender]

I think there is an interesting point that our discussion raises: Many people having a NDE state they meet some kind of being, a presence, which some affirm is God (the Christian one). Now, if this is "the only God", its presence in NDEs should be universal. Alternatively, if we think this God helps only those who said they believed in him while on earth, we could maybe think God will not present himself to non-believers. In this case, the NDEs of non-Christians should be devoid of this presence. However, testimony from people belonging to different religions shows that they see their own deity. The book of death of Egyptians and Tibetans offer a very detailed pre-Christian description of the processes of death and the deities they meet.
Finally, some people (sometimes kids) even see something that has nothing to do with the religious (like a beautiful butterfly, or a relative, etc.)
So, what is the explanation? Is it that there are different Gods and they go to meet their own religious people? Is it the same God that dresses himself in different garments (which would imply he doesn't care under what name he is worshipped)? Is it the Divine spark in every human being, which is seen through the personality's mind conditioning during that incarnation? Or what is it?

[Adyarman]

This is indeed a very interesting point. I believe that God doesn't care much for His name. In Christian theology the word 'name' is understood as 'authority'. E.g. if I pray in the name of Jesus, it means that I invoke His authority to do my bidding.
With so many languages on Earth it is impossible to have a single name. I believe God listens to all who call upon Him with a trusting heart, regardless how they pray. Even if the believers think their prayers are directed to some local deity, if the prayers are sincere God will listen.
In Christianity God has different facets, as He is a triune being. One of His persons is the Son, called Jehovah in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament, who teaches humanity the will of God. It is this teacher that you encounter after death. Being a good teacher Jesus reveals Himself in a way you'll understand.

[Pablo Sender]

Well Adyarmar, then that view agrees with the Theosophical one. Modern theosophical teachings say that, ultimately speaking, the formless Reality behind all NDEs is the same, but each person's consciousness gives it a form out of his/her own elements.
Now, regarding what you said about God (which I agree), if one really sticks to this point of view, it means that any person who is striving towards the Divine (call it Jesus, Krishna, Nirvana, the Higher Self, etc.) is striving towards the same goal, and therefore there is no exclusive religious path for all human beings. As the Bhagavad Gita says: "In whatever way men approach me, in that way do I assist them. Whatever the path taken by mankind, that path is mine." This does not mean "all paths are the same", because they are not, and therefore, they are useful for some and not so for others. It doesn't mean either that any path is a spiritual one. Each person has to apply his discrimination in this.
We have to be careful not to taint the religious with our mundane competitive mind: "My football team is better than yours, and my religion too, by the way." If there is a God with wisdom, compassion, love, etc., he (or she ;) or, better IT) necessarily has to understand and love his children' differences, that he himself created in the first place. Otherwise God is either a Communist or a dictator.