The Mysteries of Birth and Death

There has been, and is going to be, lot’s of discussions about life after death. Many areas of spiritual discussions concentrate on this central theme. In fact, we humans are scared of death, though some may say that they are prepared for it. Such people are very few. Is it because of their spiritual learning or their own mental make up? It is difficult to say.

However, when one analyses about the root of this anxiety about death, we have to necessarily link it with our existence. We know the fact that we do exist in this world. We are growing in age, every day with time passing away right before us. But, normally we do not think back and ponder how we came into existence and is there, at all, any link between the past, present and future of our own self.

I am not talking of soul, its transcendence, and theory of karmas, desires, attachments, etc., we have enough matters available on these subjects. I am just wondering, if we are living today, I mean, if we are existing now, we have existed before also. I am not basing myself with any research on this subject, nor claiming any specific knowledge in this area. These are stray thoughts just coming up in my mind, which I am sharing.

One thing is certain that nothing in this world (or Universe) can be created without anything. That means everything has a relevant base to something or the other. Similarly, no substance just vanishes away to anywhere. Everything put together is a part and self existent in the totality. It is like water turning into vapour, forming clouds, turning into rain, forming of ice in higher regions, etc. We see things differently in the cycle of nature, but the basic things are intact and self-existent.

Our existence is a reality, though what we perceive through our senses and mind may have variations. This does not take away the reality of our existence. We got constituted ourselves into this body by combination of so many factors, about which we are not fully aware. But can anything come about without something existing before? So, we logically and intuitively become aware of our own self, not specifically through our own senses and mind, though not in exact format in which it existed before. Was it pure intellect, knowledge or something which is the base factor? Is it what we call the soul, or is it consciousness? Here, interpretations and presentations may vary. Using various jargon’s will rather confuse than clarify.

Our constitution enables us to understand and perceive things at a particular level. Some other life form may have its own level of perception about the world. Can a human intellect enter into the thinking of some other life form and think the way they are thinking? When one day we achieve in attempting this and succeed in our effort, probably we may find many new factors about this Universe. This is not a fantasy, but a possibility of science in time’s to come.

There are versions about how Adi Shankara went out of his body, and re-entered it after a few days, and became the same person as he was. Where did he go and how his body, during the period of consciousness away from it, was kept afresh is a mystery. May be such mystics might have known the technique and the knowledge was not passed on to the next generation, possibly to avoid misuse of such powers.

Therefore, I feel that since we are limiting our thinking only to our existence level, we are incapable of understanding and comprehending the reality of what we are constituted of and cannot go beyond certain boundaries. Those visionaries who had transcended beyond these limits, could understand the truth. They could not express it in abstract terms, because it is beyond words and nothing can limit it to a particular description. Therefore, between birth and death, it is only a stage. Before birth and after death, there is a particular existence of truth about which no clear explanation can be said because the present machinery available with us cannot put it into specifics. So, there is nothing as birth and death, but continuity of a Universal process, in which we are all equal parts and also the process itself.

 GREG RAKOZY