Death - is it the end?
Regardless of what belief you hold close to your heart there are many who believe that death is not the end. Many, many millions believe through their spiritual practice that death is just a phase in that person's current life, a time for rest before returning to continue their journey in their next incarnation. In this light death is viewed as being perfectly normal and natural, nothing to be feared or afraid of, part of an individuals eternal life.
If we were to go back many thousands of years, the great rishis and yogis of India's hoary past during times of deep meditation and contemplation realised truths about our existence. These truths revealed that our soul, that spark of pure consciousness that is a portion of God lying deep within us needs the human body to help it gain higher aspirations through an individuals life's experiences and incarnations, to fully manifest its Divinity here on earth, to embody, fulfil and manifest God.
These continued experiences see the eternal soul being carried through hundreds if not thousands of incarnations. Where finally the individual after sustained aspiration, countless experiences and climbing spiritual progress becomes the full embodiment of the soul's highest divine reality, attaining God-realisation; the complete union with their highest level of consciousness.
Coupled with this philosophy we should also look at our understanding of life. Life can be viewed in two ways, the life that we have that ultimately dies plus eternal life. Eternal life is life that existed before the creation, it exists now in this creation. It existed, it exists and it will forever exist, it is God.
Death is currently necessary because we have not yet realised or become one with who we eternally are. Our limited physical reality and consciousness sees us becoming tired after scores of years living life. Death then comes as a blessing for it enables us to rest, and to then come back again and again with renewed enthusiasm, climbing aspiration, hope and light. Progressively each incarnation helps us reach higher levels of realisation, divine consciousness and manifestation. A time will eventually come when there will be no need for death, but for now because of our limitations and weaknesses we should welcome life's experiences and challenges, for they present us with an unprecedented opportunity through each incarnation to make the fastest progress before reaching the full embodiment of our Divine reality.
Sri Chinmoy the meditation teacher says, (1) " We have to realise that death is an important part of God's Cosmic Game and a natural step in our evolution...one cannot continue playing a game or sport without rest. We need rest to so that we can start playing again with renewed energy and enthusiasm in the next life". (2) " We have to say that a spiritual man enters into the Cosmic Game; he becomes a conscious instrument of that Game. That is why he knows that death is not an extinction, it is only a short or long rest". Extracts from Sri Chinmoy's Books -
Biography - Sahayak Plowman by nature is a positive and happy person. He attributes this to the growing experiences gained through his own meditation practice with the guidance given by his meditation teacher, Sri Chinmoy. He is a writer on spiritual topics, also the compiler of a published book of poetry Sri Chinmoy's Heart-Garden and web master for Sri Chinmoy Books.com