Life, Consciousness, Afterlife

I am reading Life and Death by Depak Chopra. I became inclined to do so after the recent death of my father (my mother died a year and a half ago). Missing them so much inspired me to research the topic. After seeing Depak’s videos on YouTube, I bought the book.

I have to say it is somewhat hard to digest, although it is very insightful. It has certainly piqued my curiosity regarding connection between the physical and meta-physical. I do not understand quantum physics all that well, yet much has been written that correlates the science behind quantum physics, relativity, spirituality and the totality of our physical human existence.

For most of my life, I have focused on the physical and the material. I have had times in my life where I have focused on my spirituality, but that has been mostly through prayer and introspection to help me get through some hard times. I have meditated for relaxation, but never to the degree where I felt a connection with levels of consciousness beyond the physical world. I dream, but do not view my dreams as new forms of consciousness because I don’t ever recall having a truly inspiring or life changing dream.

However, I am very intrigued by those people (monks, rishis, shaman) who are able to experience or attain higher forms of "enlightenment" and experience other "planes" of consciousness.

According to Chopra, the physcal world is an illusion. Our being, in its current physical form, is both as the oberver and the observed. Apparently we have the ability or potential to transend physicality and connect with other levels of consciousness or forms of Akasha.  How this is actually done is still a mystery to me

If it is possible for us to experience "pure being", "bliss", "wholeness", it requires a very advanced form of meditation.

Such forms of meditation are far beyond the realm of dogma of organized Western religion. I was raised a Catholic and have never been shown a path to connecting with the eternal other than through faith, prayer and putting my life into God’s hands, all of which I have done. While I have seen evidence of what I would call "divine intervention" in the physical world, I have yet to experience any meaningful level of consciousness beyond the physical world.

If it is within each of us to make a connection with the eternal, is it possible to attain such a level of awareness without total submission to that as a life’s goal?

Beyond, advanced meditation techniques, death is when we finally escape this physical illusion and have the true potential to connect with the universal consciousness. In death we disconnect from the boundaries of space and time, and truly experience that which is eternal. This is why we should not fear death, and this is what has given me some peace of mind that Mom and Dad are in a much better place, and probably experiencing something truly amazing!

However, I would sure like to at least catch a "glimpse at the eternal" before I pass from this life. What a great thing to pass on to my kids!