The ephemerality of consciousness.
One of the most mysterious sciences beyond oceanography, astronomy and quantum mechanics is psychology. Indeed science has yet to truly identify what consciousness is and how it comes into existence. We are left to ask ourselves … what is existence? Indeed we can observe our own thoughts thus we are not our thoughts but something deeper. So thoughts are not a sign of consciousness. We still exist even if all of our senses are muted. So our eyes, ears and mouth are not signs of consciousness. Is our existence merely electrical synapses analogous to computer binary code mixed with neurochemicals of a laboratory? Or does existence transcend these mechanistic theories? That’s for you to decide…
People who have been pronounced dead but miraculously regain consciousness recall strikingly similar accounts of leaving and observing their bodies, of feeling overwhelming peace and contentment and entering a light at the end of a tunnel. These are things to ponder in our quest to understand existence.
Metaphors for life and death.
The concept of life and death are such esoteric concepts which are best explained with our inept language through metaphor.
In this lifetime we are simply little drops of water who think they are separate and whom realize that they all came from the same source once they reach the end of the waterfall.
We are waves in the ocean, building, cresting and falling back into the ocean where we came from. The waves witness tumultuous storms yet the ocean of which they emanate remains calm and stable in it’s unified state.
We are like little mushrooms upon the forest floor thinking we are separate and admiring our own unique coloring and gills and size. But alas we all come from the same underground mycelium of which we will soon once again join after our short life above ground. Mycelium just so happens to look like the neuronal connections of our own brain and do in fact act as a conduit for trees to communicate with each other [reference: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20141111-plants-have-a-hidden-internet].
New words for life and death.
The word death has many negative attachments and connotations. It is time to replace the word with a more apt name / phrase. “Dying” is simply entering the realm of the unmanifested. And being “dead” is being unmanifested. Being “alive” is simply being manifested. Regardless of either state, existence continues as a constant (a third catalytic element between two dichotomies) which is inconceivable except through experiential existence just as logically thinking of how infinitely small the present moment is, yet how expansive it is when you are truly within it.
What if?
What if the beings in the unmanifested world fear birth into this world as we fear death into their world? What if birth is death and death is birth?
We can look at our above-ground manifested world as a place ruled by duality. Ruled by the fact that everything exists as a result of it’s opposite. This is the source of great happiness and great pain. We see ourselves as separate from one another. In a sense, our consciousness can seem so isolated and alone. Why would the consciousnesses of the unmanifested realm want to enter a world of strife, of loosing omniscence / omnipresence and of forgetting interconnectedness?
Of course there is value to our existence in our manifested realm. First of all, the perfection of the unmanifested realm can kind of get boring and this realm is absolutely thrilling. You can see this reflected in people’s attraction to stories about drama in movies and books. But more importantly there are valuable lessons / purposes which can only be learned by living in the manifested realm. I believe every person’s experience is valuable in adding to the collective library of wisdom.
When we transition into the realm of the unmanifested we enter the unified river of life again. We loose our ego and all concepts of separation. We become the observers within everything and nothing.
We should honor and Love both realms.