Life Beyond Death
An ongoing inquiry into purpose of death,
the nature of life after death,
how we can prepare for death,
and how we can assist the dying.
How to Prepare for Death
Every moment keep your luggage packed. Nobody knows when death will call. The warrant of death is like the arrest warrant. One cannot think of appealing against it. No matter what is happening, we have to quickly leave off and go. So, if you are ready before hand, there will not be much difficulty in leaving.
Our last thoughts before death are important because they set the tone for everything which follows. Learning correct meditation early in life will enable us to cultivate a calm, relaxed and uplifted state of mind. This is the single most important thing we can do both to live well and prepare for death.
Preparing for death is not something we can do in a week or a month, or any fixed time frame. In a broad sense, our whole life is preparation because whatever mental habits we've established will certainly continue after we drop the body. No matter how old we are, we can start today by cultivating simplicity, generosity, and compassion for others and ourselves. Here are some general suggestions in that regard.
Never underestimate the importance of behavior. What we say and do make a deep impression on the psyche. To the degree we can be simple, innocent and kind, and avoid doing what we know to be wrong, we can prevent a great deal of suffering, both during life and after death. And when we make a mistake, it's best to own up to it, make amends and move on. The point of life is not to be perfect. Mistakes are a natural part of life. But when mistakes happen, we want to correct them and move on, without accumulating negative psychic impressions that will weigh us down after death.
It's important to resolve anger and resentments as soon as possible. Otherwise, they will become impediments after death. It's in our interest to do this because resentment blocks the flow of love and positive feelings on the inner planes, just as it blocks the flow of life energy in the physical body. Forgiveness is the key and represents one of the most powerful tools in the art of living and dying. Through forgiveness of others and ourselves, we can release our negativity. This, in turn will allow us to be more in tune with Infinite Consciousness, our true nature.
There are certain known pitfalls that can easily be avoided with just a little forethought. These are attitudes or habits that have proven over time to be destructive, such as addiction, greed, laziness, anger, revenge and violence. Likewise, there are attitudes and habits that we know make us feel good, such as love, friendliness, service, accomplishment, excellence, integrity and non-violence. We cultivate these qualities not because we think we should, but because they enhance the quality of our lives. In other words, it's in our own self-interest to do so.
Don't seek to be extraordinary. Ordinary is plenty good enough. To be an ordinary man or woman is to have in our possession extraordinary abilities: to love, to observe, to apply ordinary common sense and to choose. Appreciate how beautiful and miraculous these powers are! Seeking fame or special status is a dead end street.
Over the last five thousand years, many sophisticated philosophies have come and gone. But these simple truths have consistently produced good results. We can try to reinvent the wheel if we want, but an honest assessment of our lives will make clear the futility of the exercise. These truths are perennial and self-evident because they're structured in Consciousness, as our inherent Divine wisdom. In other words, they're a "built in" set of operating instructions, placed there by the manufacturer.
By what authority do we know these things to be true? Does authority come from universities or churches? Or does it come from own inherent Divine wisdom, as ordinary men and women?
