Home→Forums→Spirituality→Do you believe in life after death?
- This topic has 15 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 4 months ago by Bob.
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April 3, 2013 at 1:06 pm #30313Jamie AlexanderParticipant
I think I do believe we are more than just our physical bodies.
Do you have any particular beliefs?
April 3, 2013 at 1:46 pm #30324Lori DescheneKeymasterI don’t know what I believe there. I want to believe we are more than our bodies, but I’m someone who needs proof to believe anything, and the only thing I know for certain is that I do not know. Is there anything particular that makes you believe we are more than our physical bodies?
April 3, 2013 at 7:27 pm #30413AnonymousInactiveHello, Jamie,
I believe in a lot of things of this world and of this life, love and kindness among them. There is enough wonderment here and now to keep me from wondering about the unknowable. I’m quite occupied, and happily so, with this life. Beliefs? I lean toward non-beliefs, I suppose. And this non-believing is tricky business in a world of believers. I wrote about it here.
I appreciate this question – it brings up interesting responses and intriguing ideas.
Smiles!
MidgeApril 4, 2013 at 12:03 pm #30574Sheila McCannParticipantI’m not sure I can answer that question but I know that some of the most powerful things I’ve experienced are of an abstract nature. ie love Our scope is so limited it would seem difficult to believe that this is the end all.
April 5, 2013 at 10:42 am #31202RolandParticipantI guess it depends on how you define life. I don’t a believe in a heavenly life after death. I do believe that our so called spirits are alive with energy after our physical passing. So there fore that could be absorb into anything or anyone to take on a another life. Your energy may end up somewhere in the cosmos in a carbon or non carbon form or it could very end up here somewhere on earth in anywhere from a droplet of water to a blade of grass or absorb by a living animal or human animal.
April 5, 2013 at 1:13 pm #31241Chris 11:11ParticipantHi everyone!
This has got to be the #1 question that most people on the planet ask: Is there an afterlife? Will my personality–my identity survive death and awaken in some other realm or reality? The topic question asks, “do you believe…” and I could go on and on here about what I believe, and it may or may not land with you. To answer the question directly–YES, I believe in an afterlife. Then I thought about why I believe this and what was the defining moment that assured this belief in my mind. This is certainly not something anybody can prove by the scientific method, so if you are looking for that, you will be disappointed in my explanation.
Religion and popular culture suggest there is a heaven or a hell where we go in the afterlife. Since religion has done a poor job in explaining this, and pop culture only parrots what the majority of people think about it, it has no “real” value to us other than this lofty idea that sounds nice if it were true, but without details, it is a difficult concept to grasp.
What we know about something is our own experience with it. Since we will not know until we experience it, what experience can I have that will give me a comfortable assurance that this is so?
We must become sincerely curious about it if we want the answer. We must have some degree of faith that we will receive an answer that we will be satisfied with. In faith we must venture down the path. Where do we begin to look for this answer? Start with those who have come the closest to it and do some research. Ask those who have been clinically dead for some period of time what it was like for them. There are thousands of stories and testimonies from those who have had Near Death Experiences all over the internet and Youtube. See if there is a common thread in these stories and more importantly, see how it has changed their life since they have returned.
This is what I did because I was sincerely curious about it. If you are more attached to believing there is nothing, you will find nothing that will convince you otherwise. Be open and allow the universe to answer you.
I then began to explore deep meditation as a way for me to find an answer that would satisfy my sincere curiosity. I wanted to have a real connection with the creative force of the universe. This was not something I did occasionally, but was something I was driven to do every chance I could–I truly wanted to experience something that was beyond my understanding.
That driven, sincere, desire to know and to ask questions was the catalyst that put the universe in motion. I had many mystical experiences during those deep meditations that convinced me that I was unconditionally loved and that everything was going to be OK. I won’t go into all those mystical experiences for the sake of keeping this thread reasonably brief, but the one thing that convinced me that life was eternal was after having my first of many Out of Body Experiences.
The first time when I was up on the ceiling looking down at my sleeping body and being quite conscious, alive–more than alive, exhilarated, free, having sight, senses, memory, and motion, I was completely astounded! The excitement finally brought me back into my body where I felt so confined, like being stuffed into a meat sack. I wanted to return to that free exhilarating state apart from my body. I was so incredibly happy and joyful after having that experience you couldn’t wipe a smile off my face for a week. I truly believed in life eternal after that because it was my experience. My sincere curiosity in faith, led me to the answer–the universe answered because I asked.
From this beginning step of sincere curiosity to know, my life has been changed and I continue to be astounded everyday by the reality of Spirit in my life. If you “really” want to know, seek and you will find, ask and it shall be given, knock and the door will opened to you.
Peace,
Chris
April 7, 2013 at 3:44 pm #31926Alexander KazooParticipantSometimes I think there is something or someone waiting for us “on the other side”. But a lot of times I also remember what Carl Sagan used to say about that kind of “wishful thinking”, and then I remember that It really doesn’t matter. For the truly beauty and happiness is happening right here, right now, in this amazing planet we called Earth.
April 7, 2013 at 6:04 pm #31933Becky WilkinsonParticipantAbsolutely! Is there a reason not to? Anything is possible…
April 7, 2013 at 7:21 pm #31937AnonymousInactivepeople believe that death exists, people believe a lot of things that are not so every day of the week, believing stops where knowing beguins, for heavens sake ?is it not easier to know that life exists? life is comparable to light, death is comparable to darkness, where there is light there is no darkness, they are mutualy exclusive. Of course there is physical death, every thing physical is recyclable and impermanent, it is not your eye that sees, but your awareness, that gift of life energy in You that sees, if that Self leaves, the eye becomes inert and recycling takes over. This reminds me of the time i went to visit a church, a lady intending to push me out, said “you speak with an accent” (which i do) and i said, so did Jesus and Buddha, that did not stop her, then she insisted ?Where were you born? I explained I was never born, then she said, Oh ?what am I looking at? and I explained, A shadow that is attached to me temporarily, then added your mind is not you, not only it is not you, it is not even on your side. to be fair, there were other in the room, that had ears to hear, and told me so later, lucky them.
April 8, 2013 at 5:34 am #31960PatrickParticipantWhich came first heaven or man? I suspect the latter : )
They recently found out that the earth was 8OO million years older then originally thought and we already knew that the dinosuars were on the planet for million of years longer then man. So have they a heaven?
I believe in an energy heaven that we’re all part of. but I do think that everything has an energy living or not : )
- This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by Patrick.
April 8, 2013 at 8:47 am #31967AnonymousInactivethe Buddha said. “don’t have an opinion” which means don’t think, don’t believe, no not even me, he said. “heaven” said, (pardon the metaphor). “be still and know, that I am God” believing, thinking, opinion, stops where knowing beguins. Axioms are a better choice than opinions, they imply experiencing. Let’s relate in compassion.
April 8, 2013 at 10:29 am #31979AnonymousInactiveExcellent points, Patrick!
April 8, 2013 at 5:28 pm #31999AnonymousInactivesay thank You, Patrick
April 8, 2013 at 10:27 pm #32074AnonymousInactiveYou also say thank You, Chris. (no, not to Randy) and welcome to the club. now you know we are a two sided coin. perhaps it will happen we can compare notes, likewise i was astounded to the point that, i could not tell even to my wife, for a couple of months, i would open my mouth to tell about it and no sounds would come out, i guess my brain cells were trying to network, i had never seen/experienced something perfect, it took me years to come to terms to the revelation i was family to THAT, enough said for the moment.
Peace to You also,
June 8, 2013 at 2:26 pm #36586LorraineParticipantI believe that we incarnate over and over again. I say this because sometimes in meditation I have experienced flashbacks where I am living different lives. It is like they are running concurrent to this life. It happens near the surface of meditation, of course, not when I’m deep into it.
If I wanted to, I could go into one of the other lives at any time, but I don’t bother any more because I have learned what I needed to from the experiences and so I concentrate on this life now.
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