Since the murder of my kitten, Lucky in 1966, I have been morbidly curious about death. In my dark bedroom I imagined laying in a coffin, completely inert, unable to move, no thoughts, feelings, sensations; no sound, smell, taste or light….for eternity. I thought that must be Hell, and this was the source of my claustrophobia and restlessness.
My exposure to religion, philosophy and metaphysics deepened my view of after-death experience. Reincarnation, Bardo, Heaven and Hell, and Nihilism were some of the views to ponder. Of course, the concept of time is a factor; there is eternity to define and other cultures measure time differently. Morality plays into this, as the terms “sin” and “karma” suggest. What a deadly sin is to one, is a misdemeanour to another, and some do not believe in Good or Evil, just consequences.
One set of teachings about after death experience is from the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The seminal teaching, Bardo Thodol, or “Liberation Through Hearing During the Intermediate State”, by Padmasambhava, describes the states of consciousness between death and rebirth. It was popularized in 1992 with the book “the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying” by Sogyal Rinpoche.
Essentially, our state of mind at the time of death dictates our rebirth. This is why we should master our emotions through control of our mind. Fear, greed, lust, longing, anger and resentment can all land us in a sort of hell realm for awhile.
Perhaps this means living a life with no regrets. Whether or not reincarnation is a fact, our mind set determines our fate.
Catherine (Kitty) Massey was my psychic teacher. The first lesson in our two year program, she spoke of her psychic teacher, Robert, who was a prisoner of war in a Japanese P.O.W. camp during WW2. The conditions were unbelievably brutal, and many of his fellow captives succumbed to the treatment. He noticed that those men who retained hope were more likely to survive. In the face of chronic deprivation and cruelty, they were determined to see the future. Complainers and pessimists were often the first to perish.
Life is precious, death comes unexpectedly, time is fleeting. I choose to live my life in gratitude and wonder. Every day is an opportunity to create my Magnum Opus.
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