What Happens When You Die?

[s2a]

In a recent interview, famed medical doctor and spiritualist Deepak Chopra stated the following:

Q: What happens when you die, Deepak?

Chopra: What happens when you die, is you return to where you always are. If you realize right now that there's no such thing as a person, you'll be all set.

Q: What do you mean, I'll be all set?

Chopra: Then if you shift your identity to that consciousness that is differentiating as observer and observant, you'll know there's nothing to fear.

Q: You have no fear of death.

Chopra: No Sir! Why? Because I don't exist in the first place!

Q: Can you get reincarnated as a soul?

Chopra: [Sighs] Wisps of memory and threads of desire, which are specks of information, latch onto specks of consciousness and show up as recycled human beings. But in the bigger picture, the observer, the observed, the process of observation, is a single reality.

Q: So... Deepak Chopra, as I know him [questioner taps the sitting Chopra solidly on the knee for effect] my friend Chopra... doesn't exist?

Chopra: A transient behavior of... the total universe.

What do you think Chopra means when he says:

"What happens when you die, is you return to where you always are."

Here also is the video of the interview:

[youtube]erOD_2AxzI0[/youtube]
Deepak Chopra "Life After Death" Interview Hottype - YouTube

*rolls eyes*

Anyone care a second dose of snake oil before they are "dead"?

Not since the very invention and successful implementation of Youtube has their EVER been a greater exploitative master of utter befuddling
babble and BS than "Dr" Chopra.

geez.

Why not just say..."I can't know. And neither can you".

sheesh

Some BS just makes my head hurt for no reason at all...

 

[godnotgod]

The ultimate reality or absolute truth is neither dual, nor is it non-dual. Not one, not two. It is the interaction...where the two become one that is important. The Yin and Yang symbolizes this interaction.

---

Not exactly; in fact, it is the other way around. Yin/Yang are merely two aspects of the same singular Reality. For example, masculinity vs femininity are manifestations of the androgynous and singular nature of Reality.

I do agree with you, however, that ultimate reality is neither dual, nor non-dual. There is the absence of duality altogether. The duality of Yin/Yang is only apparent, when, in fact, they are both aspects of a singularity.

The Chinese say:

'From the One, came the Two;
from the Two, came the Three;
and from the Three came the Ten Thousand Things'

No one is saying that Brahman is either dual or non-dual, but that it is Everything, ie; The Absolute, and that it is the only Reality. The duality comes in when the mind imagines something existing apart from Brahman.

 

[godnotgod]

*rolls eyes*

Anyone care a second dose of snake oil before they are "dead"?

Not since the very invention and successful implementation of Youtube has their EVER been a greater exploitative master of utter befuddling
babble and BS than "Dr" Chopra.

geez.

Why not just say..."I can't know. And neither can you".

sheesh

Some BS just makes my head hurt for no reason at all...

I am sorry you don't have a grasp as to his meaning. He is here reflecting the Buddha's Middle Path philosophy and awakening experience. The Buddha noticed in his time that an argument raged (as it does today) between the Eternalists and the Materialists, the former believing in the eternal atman that survives death, and the latter believing in physical death as the termination of everything the human being is. The Buddha saw both positions as extreme views, and via a spiritual awakening, realized that the true nature of Reality and of his own nature lay in the present. This is perplexing to anyone who has not had even a glimpse of the experience, but when Chopra says: 'I return to where I've always been', he means he returns, not to the world of history, of time and space where birth and death seem to occur, but to a True Reality that is not of history, not of time or space. This state is Awakened Consciousness, while that of ordinary people is that of conditioned awareness.

 

[Runewolf1973]

Not exactly; in fact, it is the other way around. Yin/Yang are merely two aspects of the same singular Reality. For example, masculinity vs femininity are manifestations of the androgynous and singular nature of Reality.

I do agree with you, however, that ultimate reality is neither dual, nor non-dual. There is the absence of duality altogether. The duality of Yin/Yang is only apparent, when, in fact, they are both aspects of a singularity.

The Chinese say:

'From the One, came the Two;
from the Two, came the Three;
and from the Three came the Ten Thousand Things'

You are right, thanks for correcting.

 

[godnotgod]

You are right, thanks for correcting.

I also added the following as you were posting:

No one is saying that Brahman is either dual or non-dual, but that it is Everything, ie; The Absolute, and that it is the only Reality. The duality comes in when the mind imagines something existing apart from Brahman.

 

[Runewolf1973]

I also added the following as you were posting:

That Absolute, Everything, or only Reality is what I would consider Pure Interaction or what some call Pure Consciousness. Perhaps that unifying force that physicists speculate would unite all four of the fundamental forces into a single all-encompassing force or single interaction is Brahman. They probably would give it a different name though.

 

[godnotgod]

That Absolute, Everything, or only Reality is what I would consider Pure Interaction or what some call Pure Consciousness. Perhaps that unifying force that physicists speculate would unite all four of the fundamental forces into a single all-encompassing force or single interaction is Brahman. They probably would give it a different name though.

Ok. Now here is the compelling part:

You seem to see 'interaction' as central, but could this 'interaction' be totally illusory? IOW, all seeming activity is mereley a maya and lila* of the Changeless; The Absolute.

*maya: illusion
lila: divine play

 

[s2a]

I am sorry you don't have a grasp as to his meaning. He is here reflecting the Buddha's Middle Path philosophy and awakening experience. The Buddha noticed in his time that an argument raged (as it does today) between the Eternalists and the Materialists, the former believing in the eternal atman that survives death, and the latter believing in physical death as the termination of everything the human being is. The Buddha saw both positions as extreme views, and via a spiritual awakening, realized that the true nature of Reality and of his own nature lay in the present. This is perplexing to anyone who has not had even a glimpse of the experience, but when Chopra says: 'I return to where I've always been', he means he returns, not to the world of history, of time and space where birth and death seem to occur, but to a True Reality that is not of history, not of time or space. This state is Awakened Consciousness, while that of ordinary people is that of conditioned awareness.

Obviously, I have no "grasp of his meaning".

Geez

Whatever his, or your source material quoted..to an atheist, it's still just babbled gobbledygook.

Why must "existence" be labeled as anything other than what it is, or is not?

"True Reality" is unknowable, unaccountable, and unrecorded in space or time.

Well then. How utterly profound an insight to share.

Or not.

"Awakened Consciousness" sounds really different from "Conditioned Consciousness" of all the ordinary cannon fodder and the rest of us.

Right.

I now feel so ordinary and unimportant.

At the core of it all, is "belief".

That's ok, but I still wouldn't buy this "brand" of snake oil as a remedy of ills or as stain remover.

Everything that has ever existed, will one day cease to exist. So far, in the entirety of known history, this occurs with a 100% rate of success (?).

If you want to wish that existence retains some greater "meaning, purpose" or evinces some external/everlasting quality beyond every evidence to the contrary, that's ok. Truthfully, I've never felt that self-important in contrast with the hundreds of billions of galaxies that evidently surround us, nor with the inevitable trillions of planets, planetoids, asteroids,moons, comets, and space dust that fill those voids of space that must otherwise mean "something", right?

Why must any sentient existence be regarded as "purposeless" when ANY kind of afterlife just simply does not "exist"? We are the "hope" that future generations look to to discover their own "meaning" and "purpose" within themselves in their own time. Is that not enough? Is there any evidence whatsoever that the cosmos even cares what happens to our species in the next 10 minutes?

EVERYTHING we see, know, or strive to understand/explain...is from stardust. And will be again.

I think that is kinda cool. The rest is just BS and snake oil. And maybe the good Doctor knows it too.

 

[s2a]

Ok. Now here is the compelling part:

You seem to see 'interaction' as central, but could this 'interaction' be totally illusory? IOW, all seeming activity is mereley a maya and lila* of the Changeless; The Absolute.

*maya: illusion
lila: divine play

I'll have what he is having.

Here is another quote from a dude at the bar I once met.

"You can not fall off the floor".

Um, absolutely.

 

[Runewolf1973]

Ok. Now here is the compelling part:

You seem to see 'interaction' as central, but could this 'interaction' be totally illusory? IOW, all seeming activity is mereley a maya and lila* of the Changeless; The Absolute.

*maya: illusion
lila: divine play

Check out the antonyms for the word "interaction". The only alternative to interaction is to separate, part, or divide. We already know that separation is an illusion, it does not exist, therefore that interaction is fundamental and it is literally that which is indivisable or cannot be parted or separated because it is that which is connected and interacting as One. Interaction is what makes Oneness what it is. Without that interaction...that by which everything is connected...there would be no Oneness. That interaction IS the Oneness, it IS the Absolute, the Indivisable. It is neither changing, nor is it changeless, it is simply interaction.


---

 

[Thief]

The ultimate reality or absolute truth is neither dual, nor is it non-dual. Not one, not two. It is the interaction...where the two become one that is important. The Yin and Yang symbolizes this interaction.---

Ying and yang ARE dual.

 

[godnotgod]

Ying and yang ARE dual.

The 'dual' part is in your mind, not in reality. You see them as 'two' opposites, when they are actually complimentary aspects of One, like night and day.

 

[Thief]

The 'dual' part is in your mind, not in reality. You see them as 'two' opposites, when they are actually complimentary aspects of One, like night and day.

Black belt here!......been practicing under that symbol for a long time.

I got it.

You don't.

 

[Runewolf1973]

Black belt here!......been practicing under that symbol for a long time.

I got it.

You don't.

Godnogod is correct. Yin and Yang are complimentary sides of the same One. I would say the long interconnected, swirling "tails" of the Yin and the Yang represent for me that interaction...that interactive force which I speak of which maintains that Oneness. That fundamental interaction (interconnectivity) which without there would be no oneness. That is my personal understanding however.

 

[godnotgod]

Black belt here!......been practicing under that symbol for a long time.

I got it.

You don't.

The fact that you think you've 'got' something is indicative of the very fact that you don't, because there is nothing to 'get', though you obviously think there is.

In Chinese philosophy, yin and yang, which are often shortened to "yin-yang" or "yin yang", are concepts used to describe how apparently opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary,[Note 1] interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another. Many tangible dualities (such as light and dark, high and low, hot and cold, fire and water, life and death, male and female, sun and moon, and so on) are thought of as physical manifestations of the duality of yin and yang. This duality lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosophy, as well as being a primary guideline of traditional Chinese medicine,[1] and a central principle of different forms of Chinese martial arts and exercise, such as baguazhang, taijiquan (t'ai chi), and qigong (Chi Kung), as well as in the pages of the I Ching.
Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary (rather than opposing) forces that interact to form a dynamic system in which the whole is greater than the assembled parts. Everything has both yin and yang aspects, (for instance shadow cannot exist without light). Either of the two major aspects may manifest more strongly in a particular object, depending on the criterion of the observation.
In Taoist metaphysics, distinctions between good and bad, along with other dichotomous moral judgments, are perceptual, not real; so, the duality of yin and yang is an indivisible whole.

Yin and yang - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not sure how your 'black belt' relates to Yin Yang, but if you knew anything at all, you would understand the principle of the soft overcoming the hard in Eastern thought as it applies to martial arts such as Aikido Kung Fu, and Judo.

 

[godnotgod]

Godnogod is correct. Yin and Yang are complimentary sides of the same One. I would say the long interconnected, swirling "tails" of the Yin and the Yang represent for me that interaction...that interactive force which I speak of which maintains that Oneness. That fundamental interaction (interconnectivity) which without there would be no oneness. That is my personal understanding however.

What further signifies their unity is the fact that, within each half, termed 'Major Yin' and 'Major Yang', are small circles of the opposite color, termed 'Minor Yin' and 'Minor Yang'. IOW, a male has within him a female counterpart and vice versa. This is how closely interrelated Yin and Yang are. BTW, the curved line between them is a moving line of energy, signifying their dynamic relationship.

 

[Runewolf1973]

A very simple way to describe this interaction is by looking at a coin. There are two obvious sides to a coin, but there is also a third side which is the center ring which goes all around and connects the two sides as one.Therefore, those two sides are actually illusions created by the One. There isn't two sides, there is no duality, there is only that One. That connectivity is important. At the very center is where that connective, interactive force lies. Perhaps it could even be called The Keeper of Oneness. It was always fairly well understood to me the concept of "All is One"...but why? Why is All One? Perhaps this is why...because of that everpresent binding interaction.

 

[godnotgod]

A very simple way to describe this interaction is by looking at a coin. There are two obvious sides to a coin, but there is also a third side which is the center ring which goes all around and connects the two sides as one.Therefore, those two sides are actually illusions created by the One. There isn't two sides, there is no duality, there is only that One. That connectivity is important. At the very center is where that connective, interactive force lies. Perhaps it could even be called The Keeper of Oneness. It was always fairly well understood to me the concept of "All is One"...but why? Why is All One? Perhaps this is why...because of that everpresent binding interaction.

Reminds me of a Zen story.....

During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself."

He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemy and were victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the general, "No one can change destiny."

"Quite right," the general replied as he showed the lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.

 

[Runewolf1973]

Reminds me of a Zen story.....

During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying with the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I shall now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall lose. Destiny will now reveal itself."

He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemy and were victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the general, "No one can change destiny."

"Quite right," the general replied as he showed the lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.

Good story! I like that. Thanks.

 

[Runewolf1973]

What further signifies their unity is the fact that, within each half, termed 'Major Yin' and 'Major Yang', are small circles of the opposite color, termed 'Minor Yin' and 'Minor Yang'. IOW, a male has within him a female counterpart and vice versa. This is how closely interrelated Yin and Yang are. BTW, the curved line between them is a moving line of energy, signifying their dynamic relationship.

That Minor Yin and Minor Yang... "Specks" of consciousness perhaps?