The Bottom Line.

[Terumoto]

What do you all think about death?

We can chat about the nature of the universe, levels of awareness, peace, happiness, consciousness, laws, and spirituality all we like, but we're still going to die.

Is it a big deal to you?

What do you think of people other than yourselves dying?

[torilink]

obviously I cannot know how real it is until I've experienced it myself.

I suspect it is an illusion.

[mansell]

death is enevitable and its useless to live for ever even if it wasnt....i have experianced 1 death in my life since i was born 16 years ago...and when you put the thought into action in your head it does bring back almost exactly the same cold and depressed thoughts as it did the day the person died. once some one has died realisation doesnt kick in for about a week or so after the funearal...this is when you actually see the person is no more to be seen and is no longer going to be in your life. T his is the worst stage of all...first the crying and the sadness goes and then its just the morbid reality of living without them...this is always moved on though by the simple thought of they wouldnt want to see you like this so do it for them....well thats my personal view but i am sure we all deal with it diffrently

[Terumoto]

Originally Posted by torilink

obviously I cannot know how real it is until I've experienced it myself.

I suspect it is an illusion.

Why do you suspect it is an illusion?

Are you sure you're not just having a delusion? Everything is impermanent. Well, it's impermanent and permanent, but in a crazy way. Basically though, everything is impermanent.

[torilink]

Originally Posted by Terumoto

Why do you suspect it is an illusion?

Are you sure you're not just having a delusion? Everything is impermanent. Well, it's impermanent and permanent, but in a crazy way. Basically though, everything is impermanent.

yes, I say it is illusory because I believe everything within duality or this level of consciousness is an illusion.

I believe that in truth, what we are cannot die.

Sure bodies appear to die in my reality, but if I prescribe to a belief such as Subjective Reality - then those bodies that are dying are representations of my inner thoughts and beliefs which are projected out onto the screen of existence for me to experience.

so if this is the case, death is an illusion - what was not REAL cannot DIE. And what had no beginning (consciousness/energy) cannot end.

Now even if this belief is untrue, and other people are conscious in a some type of objective reality, I still believe that the body is only a container and that which it contains cannot ever truly die.

The only things we can know is what we have experienced, and even then the perception we have of the experience is unreliable at best - we cannot experience death second hand, or through the perception of the loss of another person.

[4Mind4Life]

I think that our spirit continues on a journey. I personally don't feel like death is a big deal. I think it's sad to hear and know that other people are dying, however, it's something that needs to be accepted as part of life.

[Groundless]

There is no death since there is no birth.

Who are you really?

Look in the mirror and keep asking this question.

Who am I?

and then focus on the statement "I am" and see what arises.

[Terumoto]

Originally Posted by Groundless

There is no death since there is no birth.

Who are you really?

Look in the mirror and keep asking this question.

Who am I?

and then focus on the statement "I am" and see what arises.

There is obviously death since there is obviously birth. If there wasn't birth we wouldn't be conscious right now, and since we are conscious, aging bodies right now, we are going to die.

I'm addressing you as in "you," not you as in everything that is or isn't.

[Max Power]

Originally Posted by Groundless

There is no death since there is no birth.

Who are you really?

Look in the mirror and keep asking this question.

Who am I?

and then focus on the statement "I am" and see what arises.

When you look in the mirror you are creating an image not unlike the people you create in reality and that is why often that mirror image seems unfamiliar because it's a creation of self.

Human body death like human body life is part of the perception. When you dream at night asleep are you still alive? How can you tell? You can't.

Max

[torilink]

Originally Posted by Terumoto

There is obviously death since there is obviously birth. If there wasn't birth we wouldn't be conscious right now, and since we are conscious, aging bodies right now, we are going to die.

I'm addressing you as in "you," not you as in everything that is or isn't.

do you remember being born? what is your first memory within your body?

[openeyes]

When I was 13 my grandfather, who I'd grown up seeing most every day of my life, died in his sleep. I cried for 3 days straight. For about 2 weeks afterward a lot of electrical stuff quit working. Several lights burned out and my stereo wouldn't play until one morning when I felt like my grandfather was visiting. Everything worked again after that. It wasn't long after this that I began studying mediumship and psychic phenomena in general and had a number of interesting experiences as a result.

I have some interest in the extension of healthy lifespan, but I'm not too worried about when my body ultimately dies. I simply try to make the most of my time here, and death is an excellent reminder to take risks and go for your dreams while you can. For millenia shamans and others have worked with death for spiritual development, so it's not so unusual that I'd be similarly inspired. I've had several situations where I felt very close to my own death, and it's always served as an excellent wake up call, making me that much more alive.

[NotesMaeve]

I am completely unready to die. That much I know. I like this consciousness pretty well, thanks.

[Lola]

Originally Posted by torilink

I still believe that the body is only a container and that which it contains cannot ever truly die.

This is my viewpoint as well. I believe our souls, spirits, Higher Selves, whatever term you wish to use, are an eternal existence. We existed before this particular physical incarnation and will exist after. I find this to be a peaceful POV as I don't feel any great fear of death but view it a natural progression of being alive. That said, I'm not in any hurry - I'm really enjoying this consciousness, too, NotesMaeve!

Many people close to me have died and while I greatly miss their physical presence in my life - hearing their voices, feeling the breadth of their shoulders and their arms about me when we hug, looking into their eyes - I still feel their spirit presence around me, quite strongly at times. I'm not a medium by any means, but I get *feelings* and signs.

[Erock]

Yeah death is scary, but in getting down on a spiritual level, you really cannot make any assumptions, and I personally have no recollection of being born, so as far as I'm concerned there is no proof that it happened.

Erock

[Ree]

Originally Posted by Lola

This is my viewpoint as well. I believe our souls, spirits, Higher Selves, whatever term you wish to use, are an eternal existence. We existed before this particular physical incarnation and will exist after. I find this to be a peaceful POV as I don't feel any great fear of death but view it a natural progression of being alive. That said, I'm not in any hurry - I'm really enjoying this consciousness, too, NotesMaeve!

Many people close to me have died and while I greatly miss their physical presence in my life - hearing their voices, feeling the breadth of their shoulders and their arms about me when we hug, looking into their eyes - I still feel their spirit presence around me, quite strongly at times. I'm not a medium by any means, but I get *feelings* and signs.

I agree with this post on every point, Lola. Thanks for putting it into words

My 5 year old grandson recently made the observation that death is probably like going to the next level of a video game.

[Technicolor Tim]

Your body and your ego will certainly die one day. Make no mistake about it, there is nothing that can prevent that from happening. But then, who cares? Just see your body for what it is: a vessel, perhaps, to take you through this experience called life on earth. And you know that you're more than your body anyway, it's just the fear that you aren't that's holding you back and making you fear 'death.' When you cut off a piece of a fingernail that's grown too long, is there any less of you? Or even if you should lose your right leg, would there be any less of you? Of course not. I could fall under a steamroller and be flat as a pancake, but that's only my body. And my body is just a constant recycling of matter anyway. I live on. I don't believe there is such a thing as death - only recycling!

[Terumoto]

Originally Posted by torilink

do you remember being born? what is your first memory within your body?

My logic is that since 99.999999999999% of people that have existed (I'm not too sure about the statistic, I have never heard of a person that wasn't born, though), existed because they were born, then I too must be existing because I was born. Also, there are people who were present at my birth and remember it.

Nobody seems to remember me appearing out of nowhere and suddenly existing. I don't know of anybody who knows of anybody that lived without being born.

Like I said, I'm talking about our "selves" and our physical bodies. I'm not talking about the nature of our existences as part of something that isn't born and doesn't die.

[Groundless]

Originally Posted by Terumoto

Like I said, I'm talking about our "selves" and our physical bodies. I'm not talking about the nature of our existences as part of something that isn't born and doesn't die.

There is only one existence and this birth, death, body is a moot point. We are not a part of it, we are it.

[Terumoto]

Originally Posted by Groundless

There is only one existence and this birth, death, body is a moot point. We are not a part of it, we are it.

Sometimes it's nice to ignore reality a bit and discuss things from a different point of view.

Otherwise we wouldn't be able to talk about things that don't need to be talked about.

[torilink]

Originally Posted by Erock

Yeah death is scary, but in getting down on a spiritual level, you really cannot make any assumptions, and I personally have no recollection of being born, so as far as I'm concerned there is no proof that it happened.

Erock

exactly - just as there is no "Proof" that you will die.

If all memory is created in the now, then we can be sure of only one thing, it is all simply an illusion. We give it reality through our belief.

[Sam988]

Being a practical person, i do not believe that there's anything after death.

I also do not believe that death is necessary neither it is always going to be inevitable. In the future we will be able to overcome old age-related death. My guess is in the next 5 to 10 decades old age related death will meet its own death


For more on it, check this thread:

how to live forever...

[Sam988]

Originally Posted by Technicolor Tim

And you know that you're more than your body anyway,

I know nothing about that, nor does you. How can you possibly know that you're really more than just the body and the brain? Just because you feel you're more than just the body? Feeling is proof of nothing. People feel crazy stuff all the time.

Originally Posted by Technicolor Tim

it's just the fear that you aren't that's holding you back and making you fear 'death.

What if your fear if dying is causing you to believe that you are more than just your body and causing you to believe that you actually have a spirit, even though the most you could get of evidences of your spirit is a mere feeling?