Do you think about death – your own – every so often? Not to be morbid or dampen your day in any way, but, since death is a part of life, to be comfortable with it makes sense. The ancient truths are there to guide us, and now, more than ever before, there are many books on this subject in most bookshops. And that’s great since there are many benefits from getting acquainted with death, and believing and trusting that it’s simply one of the routes we naturally take as part of our journey. Being comfortable with the fact that we’re not here to stay, at least in the same form, in no way subtracts from our present life; it enriches it, and life becomes sweeter when we understand and accept. To realize that it’s a natural part of life, brings new meaning to life. If we’ve given no thought to death, if it takes us by surprise, it can set us back and take awhile for us to get our bearings.
In one of Osho’s books, he’s written that sound is the first sense to enter at birth and the last to leave us at death. When I read that I thought of the times I was at the bedside of someone I loved who was dying. It seemed even though the person was more on the other side than this side, somehow s/he was listening and understanding. My father was in a coma during the last hours before he died. In his room at that time was an older nurse, and when my sister and I arrived. she saw us wondering what we could do for him, and suddenly she said, “Go on talk to him. I’ve been a nurse for many years. I know he’ll hear you.” So we did. On looking back to that time, I sensed she was right. After my father’s death I read LIFE AFTER LIFE by Dr.Raymond Moody. At the time, it was just what I needed. And sometime after I picked up MANY LIVES MANY MASTERS by Dr. Brian Weiss.
www.osho.com
www.lifeafterlife.com
www.brianweiss.com
At my cousin Viv’s apartment in NH, I saw on a bookshelf, LIFE AFTER DEATH THE BURDEN OF PROOF by Deepak Chopra. In this book he touches upon things he learned growing up in India. Dr. Chopra writes, “The soul’s trajectory is always upward. Any suffering on the astral plane, even the most tormenting hell, is only a temporary detour. . . . and he says, “. . . that reminds me of what we can choose to bring to dying. Grace, calm, a patient acceptance of what’s to come: These are all qualities that can be cultivated, and when they are, death is a test we will not fail. Our fault is not that we fear death but that we don’t respect it as a miracle.” And also, “Right here and now we are surrounded by an infinity of planes. If you could shift your awareness into a higher frequency, you could be with the angels this very minute, . . . .” www.chopra.com
Michael Roll: The Scientific and Rationalist Case for Life after Death, has some very interesting things to say in a video on the website www.rense.com. www.cfpf.org.uk
There are numerous excellent books about death on the shelves of all those bookshops. Which one would call to you should you go looking?
“Impermanence is the universal law.” -Swami Bashkarananda to Alexandra David-Neel
www.alexandra-david-neel.org
“Make the universe your companion, always bearing in mind the true nature of all creation-mountains and rivers, trees and grasses, and humankind. . . .” Matsuo Basho, poet-pilgrim 17th century