Beyond the Grave – Part One
Our life in the world is an adventure of the mind. Within the limitless realms of our creative capabilities, we project a universe of space and form, which then becomes the playground of our desires. Based on these desires we initiate actions. These actions bear results.
These results, which are the harvest of our actions, are the due rewards of those seeds of desire that we have sown. This principle of cause and effect is the traditional wheel of karma, which brings to each individual the exact return in experience that matches the initiating action.
All experience is revealed within the light of consciousness. Within this realm of consciousness we are free to roam in worlds of our imagination. These worlds may be entirely unstructured and without any form of limitation, as we experience in our worlds of dream, vision and hallucination, or they may appear to be tightly structured and constrained, as we experience in our world of waking consciousness.
Within these different realms of consciousness which we inhabit, we express ourselves in forms which are appropriate to each level of expression. Within the subtle worlds of dream and vision we manifest in forms which are free from oppressive limitations.
In the heavily structured context of our waking world, the body we possess is dense, defined and limited. During our waking mode of consciousness we are bound by the fixed responses of our senses, which operate in rigorously defined ways.
Within the subtle worlds of free expression, our senses are liberated from these worldly bounds. So in open worlds, such as those of psychedelic states, it is possible to “see” sounds and “hear” colours. Our senses operate within an open spectrum of experience.
Here, the bondage of our dense, physical world no longer applies. The forces of gravity, matter, energy and time have no power over us in these ethereal worlds. We are free to fly, to pass through walls, to float in space and to travel at unlimited speeds.
Our experiences in consciousness vacillate between these dense and subtle states of mind. Due to our conditioning, we come to consider ourselves as rooted permanently within this dense world we call “reality”, and to regard all other states of mind as ephemeral and less real.
But as we have already seen, this sense of reality which pervades the waking world is not limited to the world of dense expression. The moment we transcend the physical world and manifest in other states of mind, our sense of reality travels with us.
So our dreams seem real while we are immersed in them, our visions seem real for as long as they are in progress, and hallucinations, derived from whatever stimuli, seem all too real to those who experience them.
The addicted alcoholic, afflicted by the condition known as delirium tremens, or “D.T.’s”, encounters weird and horrifying creatures that are painfully and terrifyingly real. No matter how much we may dismiss the content of these alternate states as illusory, they remain vividly real to all those who experience them.
Although our world of waking consciousness, as well as the worlds of other states of mind, appear to be illuminated by a similar sense of “realness”, this reality is not the attribute of any particular state. The sense of reality with which every state of consciousness seems imbued, is not an intrinsic feature of that level of experience.
The significant essence that we call “reality” is, instead, a characteristic of ourselves. It is dependent upon the Reality that is resplendent within each one of us. It is the presence of this inherent “I” sense, which endows each moment with its intrinsic feeling of reality.
This direct experience of the “I am”, which penetrates every level of consciousness, is rooted in the Reality of Supreme Awareness, which is itself beyond description. This living source of perfection resides at the heart of whatever form we inhabit, as the sensation of “I am”.
Whatever level of consciousness we experience, this “I am” resonates within us as the experiencing being, and endows each experience with that special character of vividness and meaning that we call “reality”. The “I am” exists independently of any state, but it lends its nature to every state that is experienced.
The “I am” is single, unique, indivisible. Within our world of experience however, it appears to be divided into a myriad different personalities, just as the unitary moon comes to be reflected separately by every ripple of the restless sea.
Every state of mind consists of a flow of images in consciousness. It is the presence of the experiencer of these images, in the shape of the “I am”, which gives the sense of reality to these images. The images themselves are projections of the mind. Each mind projects a display of images that is characteristic of that mind.
The contents of dreams, visions and hallucinations are unique to the mind that creates them. In the case of the waking world, this flow of images is not only projected in the form of an outer world, but is linked with that of others by the process of consensus. The flow of images created by each separate mind thus comes to parallel that of others.
By this process of agreement through consensus, each individual comes to share a common world of experience. It is a world structured and shaped by the consensual ideas of the group. In the course of experience, each individual mind learns to compose a common description of the world in accordance with the views of others.
Once this description has become fixed by long association, the individual appears to be part of a synchronous world which appears to unfold equally to all participating minds. This specific mental configuration of conformity is what we call “our waking world of reality”.
The world becomes real in the manner that those who have formed it have come to share. The character of that world is moulded by the shape of the underlying beliefs which gave it birth.
Within the realm of consciousness, each experiencing “I am” moves between different levels of projection. It moves freely and easily from the waking state into that state that is called dream, and reverts equally easily again to that category of imagery called the waking world.
In certain situations, prompted by such stimuli as stress, trauma or psychedelic agents, the “I am” moves into other realms of expression, called alternate states. For as long as the “I am” reverts to that condition which characterises its waking world, it is said to be “alive”.
When it ceases its affiliation with this level, it is considered to be “dead”. From the standpoint of the waking world, “death” represents an awesome gulf. It is a departure from one field of expression into another.
The stage of separation, which the waking world calls death, appears to draw a curtain of finality upon the” I am” that manifested within that physical context. But the” I am” never dies. It merely illuminates another level of expression in consciousness.
When death supervenes upon the level of expression that we call our waking world, the “I am” separates itself from its physical form, and moves on to another state of consciousness. The physical body, with which the “I am” had previously been identified, then dies. As far as this physical body is concerned, it then ceases to exhibit its coordinated character, and returns to its fundamental source of energy.
As Maharaj explains: “It is the change in the living process of a particular body. Integration ends and disintegration sets in.” 1
Just as in life, when the “I am” moves from that dense level of consciousness that reflects the waking world to the more subtle level that is called a dream, so in death the “I am” moves to a new level of consciousness.
As Maharaj confirms, “Consciousness can only become subtle and refined, and that is what happens after death.” 2
This process of change from one realm of consciousness to another, which takes place so easily and harmoniously between the waking world and the dream, or hallucination, normally takes place equally easily and harmoniously between the “living” state and the next, at the moment of death.
But because the “I am” has in certain cases become so firmly entrenched in its identification with a physical body, this separation can sometimes be difficult and prolonged. The link with the physical body may be so strong, and the fear of the unknown so great, that the “I am” may not easily relinquish its grip on the physical body, which had for so long seemed synonymous with its identity.
This can lead to a protracted struggle at the time of death. Ramana Maharshi describes what may then ensue.
“When a person gasps for breath it indicates that this person is unconscious of this body; another body has been held and the person swings to and fro. While gasping there is a more violent gasp at intervals and that indicates the oscillation between the two bodies due to present attachment not having been completely snapped.” 3
The person who entertains no fear at the thought of dying moves easily from the physical to the more subtle form. Along with this new form, there emerges a new set of images, and the soul then undergoes a new set of experiences.
But just as the nature of experience on the plane of consciousness called the waking world is determined by the actions of the individual concerned, so in the after-death state, the individual continues to be influenced by these actions. As we find recorded in the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad:
“A man acts according to his desires to which he clings. After death he goes to the next world bearing in his mind the subtle impressions of his deeds; and after reaping there the harvest of his deeds, he returns again to the world of action. Thus he who has desire continues subject to rebirth.”
It is this continuing thread of desire that chains the individual to the wheel of life and which draws the individual unerringly back to another form in which to pursue the fruits of desire.
It is only when these bonds of desire are finally broken, that the “I am” merges with its source of Supreme Reality and the cycle of rebirth is at an end. The individual soul then rediscovers its untarnished nature, and revels in eternal bliss.
For as long as the “I am” continues to identify itself with a particular form, and continues to act in accordance with its desires, it remains bound by the strict equation of karma, and is bound by the cycle of rebirth.
The individual soul then becomes associated with a new physical form, which allows it new opportunities for the fulfillment of its desires. It reincarnates in a specific form, and under specific circumstances, which match its former actions and desires.
The cycle of life continues. But this idea of reincarnation of the soul, from one physical body to another, is the product of a commitment to a particular vehicle of expression. As long as the” I am” seeks to express itself through the fulfilment of desire, it continues to be linked with one body after another in an endless cycle of rebirths.
In truth, however, the “I am” remains ever desireless and free, for it is the reflection of the eternal sun of Awareness. The individuality with which it appears to be associated is, in fact, illusory. For this reason the highest teaching of the Sages is that the very idea of reincarnation is itself illusory.
Since there are in reality no individual selves, and never were, there can be no such thing as one self being continually reborn. In responding to questions, the Sages invariably tailor their answers to the level of understanding of the questioner concerned, as we see from the following example.
QUESTION: “Maharaj says that there is no rebirth of the individual – the consciousness is just expressing itself. Then he tells another that his attitude will bring many rebirths.
MAHARAJ: To the ignorant who are obsessed by the ideas of rebirth, etc., I say, ‘You are going to have rebirths’, but to one who is capable of understanding I will give knowledge only.” 4
Those who remain convinced that they exist now as individual souls, will continue to find themselves manifesting in one form after another, in accordance with the dictates of their desires. This round of manifestation will continue as long as the desires themselves continue.
But for those mature souls who can grasp the subtle truth that what passes for individuality is nothing more than a string of images held together in memory, the Sages do not talk of dying and rebirth. For, as Ramana Maharshi reveals:
“Reincarnation can only be as long as there is ignorance. There is no reincarnation either now, nor was there before, nor will be hereafter. This is the truth.” 5
The Bhagavad Gita echoes this same duality of explanation according to the level of understanding of the seeker. In verse five of the Fourth Chapter, Krishna tells Arjuna: “Many births of me are passed, and of thee, 0 Arjuna. I know them all; thou knowest them not, Paramptapa.” 6
But in verse twenty-eight of the Second Chapter, Krishna reveals:
“In the beginning, Bharata, are beings unmanifest; their middle state is manifest; their final state, unmanifest; what place therein for lamentation?” 7
For the individual soul who is convinced of the idea of independent existence, the experiences which occur to it are derived from its underlying desires and actions. Its experience is determined by belief. The events which occur to each individual are set in train by those thoughts which motivate its actions.
Just as the experiences of the waking world are dependent upon the individual thoughts and beliefs that are held within the waking state, so experiences in the state of the afterlife are similarly affected. Our experiences after death continue to be influenced by our thoughts, and our beliefs continue to dominate our experiences upon the subtle planes of consciousness as well.
As Maharaj explained to the following questioner:
QUESTION: “When an ordinary man dies, what happens to him?
MAHARAJ: According to his belief it happens. As life before that is but imagination, so is life after. The dream continues.” 8
Continued in Part Two
References:
1 “I Am That”, Conversations with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, translated by Maurice Frydman, Book I, Chetana, Bombay, 1973, p. 13.
2 Ibid, Book II, p. 3.
3 “Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi”, recorded by Swami Saraswathi, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1968, p. 201.
4 “Seeds of Consciousness”, The Wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, edited by Jean Dunn, Grove Press, New York, 1982, p. 205.
5 “Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi”, op. cit., p. 330.
6 “The Bhagavad Gita”, translated by W.D.P. Hill, Oxford University Press, London, 1928, p. 103.
7 Ibid, p. 87.
8 “I Am That”, Book II, op.cit., p. 1.
