In the following article, we will look at what different traditions and accounts have in common – death! We will look at 8 elements that many traditions and scholars have in common when it comes to their beliefs around death.
What We Take With Us
There is continuity of life after death. What continues? Our past tendencies and attitudes. If we were grumpy in this life, we will be grumpy there; if we were generous here, we will be generous there. This continues.
Possessions and status don’t mean anything. Don’t worry, be happy. It does not matter what you have. Like Alexander the Great, we will leave this world empty-handed. When his coffin was visible, he said to: “Leave my hands outside so that the world knows that their king leaves this Earth empty-handed.”
Our deeds will be balanced in the afterlife and in rebirth. No matter who you speak to, when they see their afterlife, they say that you must pay your debts. If you think that banks are serious about debts, the Universe is much more serious and much more patient.
The Last Thought
Very importantly, the last thought that you have at the moment of death is very important. Ramakrishna explained that if you lived a bad life, but the last thought that you had was good, then it is very good for you. He said it like this: “You have an elephant. You wash him, and after two minutes, he is dirty. But if you wash the elephant and then put him in an elephant house immediately, the elephant will stay clean.” If your last thought was clean, you don’t get dirty again by this world.
There is a story about an Indian merchant who was very materialistic, but still wanted to have a good afterlife. Therefore, he called his children Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He said that this way he will constantly say their names, and when he dies, he will go to Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva, all good options. As he was dying, he said: “Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, take care of the store and the gold”. His last thoughts being very materialistic, he was probably reincarnated as a goat.
Spiritual practice and good deeds have a great effect and result in the afterlife. What good you have done on this Earth, even if nobody saw it; don’t worry, it will be counted. If you think your spiritual practice is not working, it is working for many lives; don’t worry.
There is Nowhere to Hide
We become transparent at the moment of death. Evil ones try to hide in caves. Good ones allow themselves to be seen with all their defects, and then they ask to be forgiven. This is stated in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, by Sundar Singh, by Swedenborg, everywhere. You become visible.
Here we can hide our thoughts. The astral world is made of thoughts. Forget about hiding your thoughts there, it is impossible. Our real attitude will determine which astral plane we will go to. It will be an extension of you. On this Earth, there is a mixture of good and bad. In the astral worlds, it is very well sorted; everyone is put in their category. Socks with socks, underwear with underwear, shirts with shirts. It is good to clean up your negative tendencies while you are on Earth.
In the astral world, you send an intention, and it does not stop. If you do Kayakalpa, this retreat where you sit in total darkness, and you have a bad thought, it does not stop. There is nothing to stop it. The astral world is like this.
What everybody says about death is that we go through different unstable periods. We get tested, evaluated, and there are all sorts of bardos. We might go to purgatory, then back to Earth, then up to heaven, then we review our life, and it goes on like this. After a time, when we have been tested by the universe, we enter a stable astral plane. We stay in the plane that best fits our tendencies. After a longer period, souls either stay at that plane or they reincarnate on Earth. Here we see a tunnel when we die. In the astral world, they see a vortex going down, in darkness, and eventually the womb as they spiral into the Earth.
How to Support Deceased Beings
When someone has passed away, it is very important and helpful to light candles, pray, recite blessings, do meditations, read the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and read psalms. It is often described that the deceased comes back and stays close to the body, and that they can hear what people say. So, it is very important to think good thoughts and to say the right things.
This article was transcribed and edited by Zita from the following video:
