Do you believe in the afterlife?

[Aupmanyav]

Is Brahman alive, or is it intelligent?

IMV, Brahman alone is what exists. It is not a being that it can be classified as living or non-living. For the same reason, it can also not be classified as intelligent or unintelligent. It does react with the speed of light to whatever happens in any part of the universe.

 

[Aupmanyav]

You will have your proof after you die and discover your soul is not dead.

What exists (Brahman, me, you - 'tat twam asi', you are that) does not ever die or gets born. It is eternal. IMV, only the ignorant die and get born. They believe in God, soul or prophets / sons / messengers / manifestations / mahdis.

 

[osgart]

IMV, Brahman alone is what exists. It is not a being that it can be classified as living or non-living. For the same reason, it can also not be classified as intelligent or unintelligent. It does react with the speed of light to whatever happens in any part of the universe.

Sounds similar to what I believe. An absolute infinite unconditioned eternal reality that is intelligence and the ground of all being; not alive though. All matter and energy derives itself from this reality, and eternal beings may exist as souls in such a reality. No gods exist.

I even believe in something akin to dharma. A cause and effect of chosen morals.

I tend to think our universe emanates from such reality. Our universe being like a desktop. And our souls exist in human avatars; namely flesh and blood bodies.

I tend to think that our space , time, matter, and energy is not fundamental.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Now that I am living under other conditions I remain incurious as to that through which I express myself. By this I mean that I am still evidently in a body of some sort, but 'l' can tell you very little about it. It has no interest for me. It is convenient, does not ache or tire, seems similar in formation to my old body. There is a subtle difference, but I cannot attempt analysis.” Private Dowding, p. 17

The question at the moment is - what Private Dowding is doing? He does not tell us that, not at least in the quoted sentences.

 

[osgart]

Step 1: The Necessity of an Unconditioned Reality

The Absolute Simplicity of Unconditioned Reality

I stop short of God. No God or creator would make this world.

But the afterlife is the unconditioned reality. I find this logic very convincing.

 

[Aupmanyav]

.. and eternal beings may exist as souls in such a reality.
And our souls exist in human avatars; namely flesh and blood bodies.
I even believe in something akin to dharma. A cause and effect of chosen morals.
I tend to think that our space , time, matter, and energy is not fundamental.

Won't accept existence of Eternal beings, souls? Provide evidence.
I will go with dharma, what is necessary for a society.
There are things that we do not know. Science is pursuing that investigation.

 

[Trailblazer]

Will we have senses in the spiritual realm? Such as sight, speech.

We won't have physical senses, but we will have spiritual senses, ways to communicate and see.

 

[Trailblazer]

The question at the moment is - what Private Dowding is doing? He does not tell us that, not at least in the quoted sentences.

He was telling the story of what happened to him when he died and what happened to him after that. You really should read the book, it is available to read for free in the Baha'i Library Online. It is one of my all-time favorites.

Private Dowding

 

[osgart]

Won't accept existence of Eternal beings, souls? Provide evidence.
I will go with dharma, what is necessary for a society.
There are things that we do not know. Science is pursuing that investigation.

The evidence can only come from meditation, introspection, and examining one's own experiences and actions objectively. Then you would have to define things better than our current languages can offer.

The only alternative is that consciousness is a special configuration of biochemicals. This leaves me short and shortchanged of explanation. It leaves out the self and the Iness of I. I know I exist and am no illusion.

 

[Aupmanyav]

You really should read the book, it is available to read for free in the Baha'i Library Online.

Thanks, but I do not read trash.

The evidence can only come from meditation, introspection, and examining one's own experiences and actions objectively. Then you would have to define things better than our current languages can offer.

The only alternative is that consciousness is a special configuration of biochemicals. This leaves me short and shortchanged of explanation. It leaves out the self and the 'I'ness of 'I'. I know I exist and am no illusion.

I have done some of that and there was no such evidence. I will need better proof.
Consciousness is certainly a special configuration of biochemicals, and lasts till we live and not beyond life.
Your problem, as I see it, is 'self'. You cannot abandon it. And according to the view that I follow, you (or myself) are truly an illusion.

 

[sayak83]

Is Brahman alive, or is it intelligent?

One of it's features is having pure awareness. Thus if the essence of being alive is to be an experiencer, Brahman is that. Indeed you can be an experiencer yourself because your inner self is nondifferent from Brahman, which is the only entity that can experience at all.

 

[1213]

...
My question is do you believe in the afterlife?
A second question is their judgement going into your afterlife that you believe in?
...

I believe. And I believe the judgment goes like said in these:

This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn't come to the light, lest his works would be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his works may be revealed, that they have been done in God."
John 3:19-21

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

 

[Mock Turtle]

That's just the way God set it up because nothing physical was ever intended to last forever, and if people don't like it they can leave a note in God's drop box....
I do not much like life in this world so when I get to the next world I will be looking for the drop box.

Well as I see it, non-physical life (of any sort) might be just as senseless if it was for an eternity as it would probably be for any physical life. I suspect boredom might creep in, especially towards others if there were any interactions (purely non-physical of course).

 

[Trailblazer]

Well as I see it, non-physical life (of any sort) might be just as senseless if it was for an eternity as it would probably be for any physical life. I suspect boredom might creep in, especially towards others if there were any interactions (purely non-physical of course).

We cannot envision what the next life will be like because it is so different from this life. It would be like asking a baby in the womb what this world will be like, the baby cannot know anything about this world until after it is born into this world.
Baha'u'llah put it this way:

“The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. When the soul attaineth the Presence of God, it will assume the form that best befitteth its immortality and is worthy of its celestial habitation.” Gleanings, p. 157

I just hate being bored and I would much rather be working than sitting around, but I am not worried about that because I believe there are many worlds of God that I will be able to travel to whereas my traveling days in this life seem to be over.

“As to thy question concerning the worlds of God. Know thou of a truth that the worlds of God are countless in their number, and infinite in their range. None can reckon or comprehend them except God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.” Gleanings, pp. 151-152

I am somewhat concerned about what I will be "doing" for all of eternity, but I have certain assurances that help with those concerns, so I know I will be able to continue working, not just float around on a cloud forever.

“A friend asked: “How should one look forward to death?”"

‘Abdu’l-Bahá answered: “How does one look forward to the goal of any journey? With hope and with expectation. It is even so with the end of this earthly journey. In the next world, man will find himself freed from many of the disabilities under which he now suffers. Those who have passed on through death, have a sphere of their own. It is not removed from ours; their work, the work of the Kingdom, is ours; but it is sanctified from what we call ‘time and place.’ Time with us is measured by the sun. When there is no more sunrise, and no more sunset, that kind of time does not exist for man. Those who have ascended have different attributes from those who are still on earth, yet there is no real separation.” Abdu’l-Bahá in London, pp. 95-96

 

[syo]

My question is do you believe in the afterlife?

Yup. Reincarnation.

 

[Moonjuice]

I'm convinced death is final. It sure would be nice if there was another life to live, but based on all the evidence I've seen, it seems death is permanent. Good news is, we are alive now. You have the opportunity to live every day and enjoy it until you die. Or you can live your life as a slave to an idea that the real fun begins only after you die. This is an excellent way to waste the only life you know for sure you have. A better way to phrase this question is, if you believe in an afterlife - what evidence convinced you?

 

[Trailblazer]

I'm convinced death is final. It sure would be nice if there was another life to live, but based on all the evidence I've seen, it seems death is permanent. Good news is, we are alive now. You have the opportunity to live every day and enjoy it until you die. Or you can live your life as a slave to an idea that the real fun begins only after you die. This is an excellent way to waste the only life you know for sure you have. A better way to phrase this question is, if you believe in an afterlife - what evidence convinced you?

I am absolutely certain that there is an afterlife, not only because of the scriptures of my religion but because of other evidence that comes from NDEs and through spirit communicators.

I do not have to live my life as a slave just because I believe there is an afterlife. My religion teaches that we should be living in this life, not thinking about the afterlife, although we should be aware that it exists and prepare for it by acquiring spiritual qualities, which are the qualities of good character we will need in the afterlife, which I refer to as the spiritual world.

 

[Moonjuice]

I find near death experiences do not explain full death experiences at all. Also, the evidence suggests that "spirit communicators" are simply pretending to communicate. Not a single "spirit communicator" has have been proven to communicate with actual dead humans. How could NDE's and pretend psychic communication get you to the point where you are absolutely certain?

 

[Trailblazer]

I find near death experiences do not explain full death experiences at all. Also, the evidence suggests that "spirit communicators" are simply pretending to communicate. Not a single "spirit communicator" has have been proven to communicate with actual dead humans. How could NDE's and pretend psychic communication get you to the point where you are absolutely certain?

I agree that near death experiences do not explain full death experiences because those people were not fully dead. That is why they are called "near death" experiences.

Only those who have crossed over to the spiritual world have a full death experience.

The following books contain the experiences of spirits who have crossed over. The first book can be read online, the second book you have to purchase, but I scanned what I considered the most important chapters and I can send that pdf to you in a post if you are interested. I did not scan the preface, but in the Preface it explains how the communication from spirits was verified.

Private Dowding

The Afterlife Revealed

P.S. Unless you make a reply to me I won't get an Alert for your post so I probably won't see it. I just saw this post by accident.

 

[Moonjuice]

I agree that near death experiences do not explain full death experiences because those people were not fully dead. That is why they are called "near death" experiences.

Only those who have crossed over to the spiritual world have a full death experience.

The following books contain the experiences of spirits who have crossed over.

With all due respect, if these people wrote a book, they did not die, decompose and then come back to life a week later. They had NDE’s, not a full death. Visit a cemetery for supporting evidence of what the results of a full death look like. Also, unfortunately, no matter what they claim, it’s just a reported personal experience. I’m not the least bit interested in reading an entire book about a personal experience about a miracle that can never be proven.
If you have to take a persons “word for it” don’t trust it. This is a logical fallacy called the “argument from authority” that often leads to people believing things that are just not true.
In fact, I’ve read that the experience people claim to have during an NDE is almost always an experience based on their preferred religious expectations, rather than a universal experience that everyone has. Beyond the white light, Hindus see Hindu things, Christians see christian things, Muslims see muslim things. Not the least bit surprising or remarkable.