What is death? Some people believe that death is a final extinction, with life and consciousness ending the moment the physical body ceases to function. Others consider some form of life after death to be perfectly possible. Even though they cannot prove it, many people have a personal faith in the existence of life after death. This faith may or may not be the result of a particular religious practice. If it is true that some part of us remains afterwards, then so-called 'death' can be regarded more as a transition from one state to another than an end in itself. The process of birth, growth, maturity, old age and death is one of the great cycles found at every level in Nature, from atoms to universes. Some of the fear which commonly surrounds death begins to be removed if it is viewed as part of a recurring cycle and, in fact, as a new beginning in a different state of consciousness.

The teaching that life continues and does not cease at physical death has come down to the present from the accumulated spiritual wisdom of the past. The following ideas are presented for your consideration and come from the timeless spiritual teachings, known today as Theosophy.

WHO AM I?

Within ourselves many of us feel intuitively that we are more than this physical body, more than a person living to eat, sleep and perpetuate the human species. It is natural to ask questions such as 'Who am I?' and ' Is there more to me than this body?'

Theosophical teachings suggest that humans are more than a physical body and that we function in three main fields:

1. An indwelling Spirit which existed before our birth and will continue to exist after death,

2. A soul/mind which also existed before our birth and will continue after death, and

3. A physical body

Consider the idea that our soul/mind is a projection or 'vehicle' of the indwelling Spirit. The soul evolves over a long period by assimilating life experiences, gradually gaining qualities such as compassion, pure intelligence, understanding and wisdom. It does so by periodically taking on a new physical body and personality. However, it is proposed that our human evolutionary journey requires many lives in which to develop our full human and spiritual potential. If so, it is logical that we have all passed through the processes of birth and death many times.

More important, however, is the intuitive realisation many of us have of our own continuity. We sense that within us are other deeper layers of consciousness. Those who regularly practise meditation, for example, may experience states which are different from everyday 'waking' consciousness.

OTHER FIELDS OF CONSCIOUSNESS

All around and through physical matter, other grades of matter exist. Today with X-rays and television, it is easier for us to accept the reality of an unseen world. Science is dealing with ever widening concepts of the nature of matter and energy and we are better able to grasp ideas that include invisible as well as visible forces. It is therefore not too difficult to imagine that humans have other aspects or 'bodies' made of finer matter.

HOW DO DEATH AND SLEEP DIFFER?

Theosophical teachings suggest that death is not very different from sleep. When we go to sleep, consciousness is temporarily withdrawn from the body but we continue to have emotional and mental adventures which are often remembered on waking. In our dream state, we can reach heights that indicate realms of consciousness beyond those experienced in our waking hours.

Consider the idea that at physical death our consciousness begins a journey into realms more exalted than those entered while asleep. In the dream state, we are still connected in consciousness with our physical body and can return to it. However, at death this link is permanently broken and some clairvoyants can actually see the life force leave the body from the crown of the head in the form of a fine silver stream or silver cord.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER DEATH?

Ageless teachings suggest that after physical death we go to a world of light where we experience increasing freedom as consciousness is progressively released from the heavier vibrations of dense physical matter. That world is said to interpenetrate our physical world. A process of purification then takes place before the soul can go on into the deep and blissful state which it has earned.

During earth life we identify mainly with the desires of the physical world. It is said that these desires remain after death and may even be temporarily intensified. However, they must be left behind before the soul can complete the next stage of its journey. Perhaps an analogy can help to explain this. We know that when salt is extracted from sea water, as the water evaporates it leaves a residue which is not pure salt. The impurities have to be removed. We might say that something like this takes place when the soul leaves the physical body - it still has to go through a process of purification. Time is needed for this, especially if the emotions have been intense and not especially constructive in nature. We do not suddenly become perfect after death for the human journey is said to take many lives. Our fears, longings, joys and sorrows remain and need to be understood in the afterlife. Gradually, however, the refining process takes place and in a new state of freedom the soul/mind begins to appreciate the radiant world which it now inhabits. It is said that eventually we further awaken to a happy, heaven-like state of comfort and reward in which there is no pain or sorrow, only joy and fulfilment.

It is important to remember that we are creating that 'heaven' experience now. What motivates our life? Are we overly concerned with the trivia of daily existence or do we also think more deeply? Are we self-centred or do we readily give a helping hand to others? Do we get upset easily or are we able to remain calm and centred, helped by moments of quiet reflection and meditation? If we can cultivate such practices it is said that the process of transition to the 'heaven' world will be easier after physical death. The life we lead now is said to determine the type of after death state we will experience.

Different points of view have been expressed about the length of our stay in the heaven world. However, this is likely to vary between individuals and cannot be measured by earthly time, for it is a state unrelated to time as we know it. After we have been fully rested and renewed, theosophical teachings suggest that we feel again the urge for experience in the world. We then begin the process of being born into a fresh physical body to begin the cycle over again, drawn back into circumstances of our own making.

INCREASING EVIDENCE FOR CONTINUING EXISTENCE

Although it is difficult to prove the continuing existence of human consciousness outside the physical body, evidence for this concept is growing as a result of research within the disciplines of science into ESP (extra-sensory perception) and out-of-body experiences.

What might be called empirical evidence for the concept of reincarnation or multiple lives is provided by the purported memories of many people about past existences. While these cannot be proved in any objective sense, they often appear quite genuine and some claims regarding previous existences have actually been proven.

NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES

Most relevant here are the testimonies in recent years of hundreds of people who have experienced 'clinical death', collected and published by researchers including Dr Raymond Moody, Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Australian author Dr Cherie Sutherland.

The experiences of people who have been revived and lived to tell what happened to them when they were regarded as clinically dead are remarkably similar to those described in theosophical literature. For most, the first experience was passing through a dark enclosure or tunnel before their consciousness refocussed and they became aware of themselves in a spiritual 'body'. From this they watched in a detached way their physical body being revived - for example, on an operating table or when rescued from a wrecked car. Many then found themselves in a world of light and freedom in which they met a 'being of light' who epitomised perfect understanding and perfect love. A deep sense of peace and well-being was commonly felt. Often these people experienced a vivid review or replay of their lives and understood that they must return to complete the unfinished business of this incarnation.

Many who were reluctant to return testified that the experience completely changed their lives. They no longer had any fear of death, realising that although they thought they had died, they continued to exist in another state. These people returned to physical consciousness with a desire to cultivate love for others. They also appreciated the importance of learning and growing in wisdom through the experiences of this particular lifetime.

HELPING AT THE MOMENT OF DEATH

One important suggestion made by students of Wisdom teachings is that those present at the moment of death can assist the departing soul by allowing the transition to take place in the most calm and peaceful atmosphere possible. A great step forward has been taken in recent years with the establishment throughout the world of hospices where loving care and confidence are given to the dying by specially trained staff.

IS GRIEF NECESSARY?

Imagine how it must feel to slip quietly, perhaps from a pain racked body, to find yourself free, even slightly bewildered at first - perhaps unaware that the realm of consciousness which you have just entered is not the physical world to which you are accustomed. It is explained in The Tibetan Book of the Dead and in other texts dealing with the subject, that the adjustment for the departed one is made more difficult if those who loved the dead person prolong their grief and sorrow. It is natural to feel grief and modern psychologists would agree that it is unhealthy to suppress bereavement. However, many who view death as part of a regular birth-death cycle of the soul, and have faith in the existence of an after-life, would attest that their grief is lessened. For them death is seen as a regular cyclic process and there is less fear of an uncertain future for their departed loved ones.

PREPARING FOR OUR OWN DEATH

When an infant is to be born, we make preparations for the birth. As all of us will eventually die we can help ourselves by preparing for that transition also. This whole process is made easier if we live a life which takes into account the deeper aspects of the human being.

1. Information is Available

Many books are available on events before, during and after the death experience. Some are based on commonsense observations of the dying process; others are accounts of those who thought that they were dying but then returned to life. Still others, such as theosophical literature, are records of timeless teachings about death and the afterworld.

2. Learning to Adapt

Death is a major change, therefore we need to expect differences. We can prepare ourselves better if we learn to become consciously more adaptable to new situations.

3. Discovering Who We Are

An important consequence of death is that we have to adjust our sense of who and what we are. Normally, during daily life, we identify with our bodies, senses, instincts, emotions and brain-thoughts. However, at or soon after death, it is suggested that we will have to adjust our sense of self-identity. This could be a shock unless we are prepared for it. Regular meditation can assist us to contact our true Self within and ease this transition.

4. Taking Stock of Ourselves Daily

It is said that at the moment of death the life just past is reviewed. We can prepare for that experience by going over the day's activities each night as impartially as possible. This may lead to positive changes in our responses to life's many challenges. It is a good idea to keep a diary for recording impressions and evaluating our day's experiences.

5. Establishing a Frame of Mind Which Transcends Everyday Experiences

Certain affirmations or mantras may assist in this process. Some people find the following words helpful:

O hidden life, vibrant in every atom,

O hidden light, shining in every creature,

O hidden love, embracing all in oneness,

May all who feel themselves as one with thee

Know they are therefore one with every other.

People from various traditions respond differently to such passages. Christians, for example, may choose to focus on a prayer or the rosary.

6. Considering Life in a Larger Context

If the ideas presented in this leaflet are meaningful to you, it may help to consider that our present life is only one phase in the great cycle of our existence, one incarnation of many, all governed by the Law of Karma or Harmony. What we are now is the result of our past actions and thoughts. How we think and act each day determines the quality of our life after death and in future lives.

7. Visualising Yourself as One with the Universe

Imagine yourself bathed in a pure white light which circulates through the whole universe, flowing through you and joining you to all life. The great spiritual traditions all point to a fundamental state of oneness, unity or wholeness, a common spiritual essence which pervades all life.

THE GREATEST JOURNEY

In order to appreciate the full significance of such teachings about life after death, it is necessary to consider the concept that we are all embarked on a journey. According to timeless teachings we are individual sparks of the One Flame, the Source from which we came and to which we are returning. We have lived many lives; we have died many deaths. Eventually our souls will return to that great Source or indwelling Spirit.

If the ideas which have been presented here seem logical, then it stands to reason that the physical aspects of our journey provide opportunities for experiences which we refine and synthesise after death in the emotional and mental worlds, into greater capacities and powers with which to pursue our journey. Our heaven is therefore of our own making; it is not an eternity but rather a period of time for assimilation and rest. Each earth life brings us closer to the journey's end, when the individual soul will have freed itself from the round of births and deaths. Sir Edwin Arnold described this beautifully in his book, The Light of Asia, when he wrote that the soul will follow the example of the Enlightened Ones and like the dewdrop, 'slip into the shining sea', at last one with its Divine Source.

RELATED TS LEAFLETS SUGGESTED FOR FURTHER READING:

REINCARNATION

Have we been here before?

KARMA

The Universal Law of Harmony

RELEASE INTO LIGHT

Meditations for Those Who Mourn

BOOKS SUGGESTED FOR FURTHER READING:

THE MIRROR OF LIFE AND DEATH - Laurence J. Bendit

WHEN WE DIE - Geoffrey Farthing

ON DEATH AND DYING - Dr Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

LIFE AFTER LIFE - Dr Raymond Moody

THROUGH DEATH TO REBIRTH - James S. Perkins

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO DEATH AND DYING - John White

OUR LAST ADVENTURE - E. Lester Smith

DEATH AND AFTER - Annie Besant

THROUGH THE GATEWAY OF DEATH - Geoffrey Hodson

A MATTER OF PERSONAL SURVIVAL - Michael Marsh

WITHIN THE LIGHT and TRANSFORMED BY THE LIGHT - Dr Cherie Sutherland