Do Souls Exist?

Smriti Nagar, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh - 490020

Website: www.orangebooks.in
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First Edition, 2021

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Printed in India
 Index

Esoteric Experience
An encounter with the soul of my dead father ............ 1

Subliminal Surreal Scribbling ................................... 8

The Recital ............................................................. 10
Opinion Poll ......................................................... 122

The Spirit World..................................................... 137

Death .................................................................... 138
Soul ...................................................................... 184
Afterlife ................................................................ 214

Paranormal Phenomena
Mystical Experience.............................................. 245

About The Author .................................................. 296

 Do Souls Exist?

Esoteric Experience
(An encounter with the soul of
my dead father)

n August 10, 2003, after celebrating the festival

of Raksha Bandhan*, as night approached
nearer, I went to my bedroom, sitting there
alone; I opened the window and started watching the full
moon, shinning in its majestic glory.
Unaware, I was suddenly engulfed by an invisible sheath
of space, which wafted languidly, around me. I felt the
presence of my father but could not see him. Even as, I
struggled to sense, what was actually happening around
me, a strange rapture seized me. I was no more myself. I
had become a captive of some unseen presence,
helplessly groping, in a state of trance.
My father, Mehr Lal Soni, Zia Fatehabadi was a
renowned Urdu poet, who quite often, when driven by
the mood to write, use to hum, toss, and hold the stub of
a half-chiseled pencil, between the thumb and forefinger
of his right hand, and with fits and starts, use to flip, and
toss the pencil stub in air, and then grip it, to halt for a
while, to scribble his poetic thoughts, on the blank

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

spaces of newspapers, magazines, paper bags or any

other paper, he could lay his hand on.
This was a typical trait of his personality, which his
family members only knew. This peculiar mannerism
was suddenly overlaid upon me, so powerfully that I
could do nothing to resist or prevent it, except watch
helplessly, what was happening to me, I felt, as if, I was
incapacitated to move, and something was holding me
back. This was a very extraordinary incident, I had never
experienced before, which held me, bewildered and
enthralled.
The whole episode wasn‘t frightening at all. On the
contrary, it was soothing and comforting, as if, I was
possessed by something joyous and delightful… Totally
an out-of-this-world experience, which was beyond my
perceptual understanding and my ability to express it in
words.
Under the influence of this superimposed awareness, I
felt that I was being dictated, by the spirit of my father,
to write in Urdu, the language in which my father wrote,
I quickly penned it, effortlessly, on a piece of paper, in
Hindi, the language, I know.
This ethereal experience lasted for a while, when I was
freed from its spell, I hurriedly, went downstairs, to
narrate the incident to my mother, and showed her the
jottings.
My mother heard me attentively, and glanced over the
scribbling, I had made, on a crumbled piece of paper.
She at once, co-related the whole incident, with the
events surrounding my father‘s death. She recalled that
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 Do Souls Exist?

my father died, on a full moon day, during the festival of

Raksha Bandhan, on August 19, 1986.
―How difficult it was to tell apart this incident from the
events that occurred, identically, at the time of your
father‘s death‖, she quipped.
Further, she went on to say, that on that eventful day,
few rain-bearing clouds, drifting from unknown
directions, had gathered unexpectedly, and a visibly
clear sky, was at once overcast, with a small cluster of
clouds, rushing to shower, a freak spell, of light rain.
The passing clouds, suddenly started pouring rain, right
at the time, when my father‘s dead body was taken out
from the ambulance, parked on the road, to bring the
corpse inside the house, by the attendants of the hospital,
it was a brief sprinkling of raindrops that fell on the
remains of a numb, stiff and lifeless body.
The downpour lasted for some time, and ended abruptly.
My mother cited the ‗Full Moon‘ and the ‗Drizzle‘, to
emphasis, her personal intuitive point of view,
suggesting to me that, these were the few auspicious
signs, indicating the departure of my father, from the
world of living, to a better region in the spirit world.
My mother inferred that the occurrence of this incident,
on the very same festival and in the very same position
of the full moon, is not, at all, a coincidence. The
visitation of my father‘s spirit, was actually an omen,
that the time for her, to depart from the world, has
finally come.

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

My mother, Mrs. Raj Kumari Soni, was a religious lady,

she fasted on each ‗Navaratri‘ **, which falls twice in a
year.
On that fateful day, September 30, 2003, while on fast,
in the midst of her last ‗Sharad Navaratri‘, she offered
her traditional prayers to Goddess Durga, at the crack of
dawn, and shortly thereafter, felt sleepy and went to bed
to rest. Soon without a whisper, the flame of her life
blew out, and she passed away peacefully, never to wake
up again, never to live again, and never to be seen again.
As a devotee, of Goddesses Durga, it seems, my mother
had chosen, her own time, to depart, from the world so
readily that no one could sense her timing, even her
attendant couldn‘t, she died with least resistance and
great serenity, in a blissful state everyone, would wish to
depart from the world, the way she went.
According to Indian yogic traditions, when a person
sheds his body willfully it is known as MahaSamadi,
which is considered a blessing. Can anyone ascertain, is
this a fact or is simply a figment of human imagination?
My mother, though a Prabhakar (Honors in Hindi) from
Lahore (now in Pakistan) also knew Urdu quite well, but
did not reveal the underlying meaning of the dictated
poem, Now, I often ask myself, was it an outcome, of
my subconscious mind, faking a freak incident?
The feeling of this soul stripping incident is so real, that
it keeps me nagging, time and again, to find an answer
and its impact so profound that I still remember it
vividly, even now.

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 Do Souls Exist?

I cannot read or write Urdu language, yet I was able to

compose an Urdu poem straightaway. Was it channeled
through me or did I write it myself, instinctively through
some unidentifiable and unexplainable factors, difficult
for me to decipher?
I was not under the influence of alcohol, drug or
medicine, at that time, nor do I suffer, from any history
of psychiatric disorder. Despite all this, I have failed to
convince myself, till date, whether this incident was real
or was faked by my sub-conscious mind.
This experience was not the imagination of my mind. It
was a conscious and a real mystical experience, which
leads me to believe that it was not a mental fabrication,
or a day-dream, or a deliberate systematic thinking. It
was a direct, thoughtless and wakeful experience of
reality.
For sure, I very well know, that the way, I am
interpreting the incident, I am making the whole event
appear highly questionable, prone to be mocked,
ridiculed and draw flak from the readers.
Since the sensation and the feeling of the incident was so
deep and real, I cannot dismiss it, as false, outrightly,
without being sure, about the disposition and the
dispensation of this unexplainable phenomena?
So, allow me to ask, from the readers, the following
questions, for the sake of clarification, without any
intention to offend anybody‘s sensibility, cultural or
religious beliefs, in any manner, whatsoever.

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

(1) Are such incidents hallucinations or a testimony that

the spirit of the dead exists?
(2) Do memories or imagination trigger such weird
incidents?
(3) Does the mind play tricks to strengthen the belief that
life exists after death?
(4) Or: Is it a psychological shield of immortality created
by the mind to confront the reality of death, which is a
constant threat to mortal life?
I certainly do not know.
Let the readers tell me ‗How‘ and ‗Why‘ such things
happen.
Mystery is a big puzzle, the more I try to uncover the
mystery, the more elusive it becomes, making the whole
exercise complex. Due to lack of clarity, I find it
difficult, to sort out facts from fiction, to arrive, at a
reasonably fair explanation.
I suppose, anyone in the given situation, in which I am,
can easily be pushed into a state of confusion, while
examining the authenticity of this weird but wonderful
mystical incident.
Besides, anyone can be proved wrong, by taking a
logical stand or anyone can assume himself to be right,
by self-assertion. In this logjam situation, both are
equally incoherent, any which way, they decide to
deliberate, on this mystical experience.
After all, death and afterlife, is not an intellectual
process and mystery has little to do with intelligence.

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 Do Souls Exist?

Intellect can ignite curiosity and create various

disciplines of logic, philosophy, religion and science, as
search engines, to explore the vast sea of information.
Can it really reveal, wholly or partially, the reality, it
seeks to know?
Or can a three-dimensional human pathfinder, penetrate
the realities of a multi-dimensional world? Indian sages
called it ―Turiya‖, which literally means the fourth
dimension, a state; we know ‗Nothing‘ of ‗Something‘
that exists, beyond human understanding.
After considering the whole episode in a neutral way, it
is hard, indeed, to conclude, that the spirits of the dead
exist or do not exist, in this world.

*Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival, which symbolizes the bond of

protection between brothers and sisters. It falls on the full moon day.
According to a legend, this ritual was followed by Yama, the Lord of
Death and his sister Yamuna, the river in north India. Yamuna tied
„Rakhi‟ to Yama and bestowed immortality.
**Navaratri represents the worship of Goddess Durga, known as the
„Nine Nights festival‟. The Sharad Navaratri culminates in Maha-
Durga-Puja. It is celebrated by fasting on all nine days and by
worshiping Mother Goddess in her different forms.

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

Subliminal Surreal Scribbling

(The Inexplicable Interpretation)

onversation with a spirit is far too deep and

complex to explain. It is like finding answer to a
question that most people refuse to respond.
Such incidents occur rarely, but when they occur, then it
is worth considering and exploring it, otherwise the
information remains meaningless, exaggeration, and a
figment of imagination.
Though scientists are convinced that there is no evidence
that spirits exist, but explanation of certain things is not
possible unless it is experienced by oneself.
Our sense perceptions, has come from our ancestors,
who performed these functions. Those who use, the
same sense organs, have thought the same ideas.
Which means that the inherent characteristics of our
ancestors, lying dormant within us, can spontaneously
activate, under unexplained circumstances.
This argument may sound relevant in this particular
case. But what about the encounters of the living with
the dead, who are not their ancestors?

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 Do Souls Exist?

I would like the readers to comment on it.

The under mentioned Urdu poem, was recited by the
author, in the name of his father‘s spirit. Was it directly
channeled through him or was imagined by his sub-
conscious mind? It is difficult for him to explain in
words.

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

The Recital

Mohabat ka parcham tha hathon mey jiske

Woh nafrat ki agni mey kyon jal rahey hain
Those who hold the flag of love in their hands
Why do they burn themselves in the fire of hatred?
Mujey mai miley, maire jeene ki chaahat
Kyon usey aag dekar hawa dey rahey hain
Our aim in life is to discover the ‗inner self‘
Then why lit fire, and blow air, to burn it?
Dayare main hai simtee huee kayanaat
Kulasaye se usko kyon uljha rahey hain
Creation is creased in the layers of cosmic circumference
By revealing its center-less center, why create
confusion?
Khyalon ka hona hadon sey parey tha
Jho kal tha na kal hai usey ji rahey hain
Stream of thoughts, flow from time, into timelessness
Why fret, what yesterday was, will not tomorrow be.

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 Do Souls Exist?

Na honee se, na honay se, majboor hoon

Mera hath thamey woh lay jah rahey hain
I am no more bound, by the events that occur or will
occur
‗HE‘ is holding my hand, and is taking me, along with
‗HIM‘
Siya odhini se „ZIA‟ ko jho rokhay
Anderon ki basti mien woh bus rahey hain
Those who cover Light* with a pitch-black blanket
Are people who dwell in the locality of darkness
Be-kabar shyairee se kah raha huon ghazal
Yeh aksay „ZIA‟ se toh likwa rahey hain
Oblivious of poetry, I am writing, this ‗Ghazal‘**
It‘s ZIA‘s apparition, that prompts me to write
„KALI‟ theree akal per jo hai parda
Outhaya toh dheka diyae jal rahey hain
O ‗Kali‘***, a thick veil is covering your mind
Lift the veil, and see that light is everywhere

*Zia, in Urdu literally means „Light‟

**Ghazal is a format that consists of rhyming couplets with each line
sharing the same meter, it gives the poetic expression of pain and
separation.
***Kali is the nickname of the author, the name Kali comes from
Kala, the „Black‟.

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

Photo Gallery

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 Do Souls Exist?

Mehr Lal Soni Zia Fatehabadi

(1913-1986)

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

Mrs. Raj Kumari Soni

(1918-2003)

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 Do Souls Exist?

Comments

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nusual sensory experience is far more common

than people think. They demonstrate different
patterns of pathological and spiritual experience.
This column is a catalogue of different views, people
take on mystical phenomena. There is a common but
consistent pattern, discernible in the way people reach
out to grasp such unexplainable events.
Read the following comments, with an impartial, open-
mind. Feel the subtle feeling behind the words, hear
what isn‘t being said and listen to the echo of the
unknowable, unheard, unspoken…silence, reverberating
from these messages.
When we try to answer mystical experiences, we often
go wrong, till its acceptability. This should not prevent
the readers to respond, freely and frankly, enabling the
author to conceptualize a consensus opinion.

(1) 10/13/12
Dear Suresh ~ Thank you for writing. It‘s good to hear
from you. This is a marvelous experience which you
had. I appreciate your sharing it with us.
The incident was so real that I cannot dismiss it as false.
Knowing that this incident is questionable, allow me to
ask, the following questions for clarification.
(1) Are such incidents hallucinations or a testimony that
the spirit of the dead exists?
There are many stories similar to yours, and people often
think they are imagining these things. But your story has

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all the earmarks of a true experience. The sensations you

describe are typical, but the convincing element is your
ability to write in a language which you do not speak.
From all the indications, this is a real experience. I
would have no trouble in believing that your father was
present with you and was working through you.
(2) Do memories trigger such weird and wonderful
incidents?
I don‘t think they trigger them, but they put you in a
mode which makes you receptive, so that if the spirit
chooses to come to you, they are better able to do so.
(3) Does the mind play tricks to strengthen the belief that
life exists after death?
No. There is no doubt that life exists after death. There is
overwhelming evidence that this is the case. It is not a
trick of your mind. Life after death is a fact, not wishful
thinking. OR
(4) Is it a psychological boost to confront death the
biggest threat to life?
People whose brains are dead still can have a vision of
the spirit world. It is not a trick of the mind. The spirit
world does exist. We have clinical evidence of the fact.
We are eternal spiritual beings.
I certainly do not know. Let readers tell me ‗How‘ and
‗Why‘ such things happen, even if mystery is a puzzle or
even if we know that each time, we try to uncover
mystery, the more elusive it becomes. It is hard for me to
explain, ghostly things happening in a living world.

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

It is hard for all of us to understand. But many people

have been to the other world and have returned to tell us
about it. We are no longer in doubt about its existence.
You have to come to the conclusion that we are all
eternal spiritual beings, and that we can come back, like
your father, to contact us after our death. Believe it. It‘s
true! Thanks again for writing. Blessings
John Sloat

(2) Jan 21, 2013

Hi there Mr. Suresh Soni! Thanks for reaching out and
sharing your story!
Normally I don‘t have time to reply but I was compelled
to read it. To be honest, it wasn‘t until you mentioned
your mother being a devotee of Durga that I really knew
I had to reply. I‘ve worked with Durga recently and was
happy to read about her history in your family.
First off, I have to say that nobody will be able to
convince you either way on this one. It‘s because you are
seeking answers with your mind.
What is happening is that when you listen to your mind,
you think it was all made up, false, or faked. When you
listen to your heart, you wish it to be true. You want to
be able to connect with your loved ones on the other
side. You think ―Wow!
This is magical! I wish I could write like this when I
wanted! I could be a poet and be closer to my father!‖

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But! When you listen to your gut…. that‘s where the

gold is…you find that this example is unexplainable,
undeniable and feels right.
Collectively the planet is learning that the mind produces
logical fear-based thinking. When we only live our lives
from the mind, we get into trouble. We narrow our eyes
at others thinking that they will take away what is
rightfully ours and we focus on ―I need to get mine‖ in
an unhealthy selfish way (selfish in terms of self-care is
very healthy, but that‘s not what I was just referring to).
This is why our financial systems are crashing, why we
are all at war, why have food and water shortages.
This example, and your contemplation of it up until this
day, is clear evidence that you are starting to wake up.
Waking up to the idea that there is more to life than
meets the eye. Waking up to the fact that your spirit is
manifested in your physical body and works in the subtle
realms.
In my opinion, even logically, there is no way you could
have made that up even if you wanted to. It seems those
facts cannot be changed. My suggestion is to listen and
see what your gut is telling you. Your gut will never
steer you wrong. Many blessings to you and your family.
Betsy Cohen
Psychic Medium & Inspirational Speaker, New York

(3) Jan 21, 2013

Hello Suresh ~ You are wondering if this incident was a
figment of your imagination and I simply have to say

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that there is no figment of anything, least of all

imagination, for imagination is very real and always
present.
Whatever you have experienced is certainly a delightful
treasure to behold and a wonderful story to tell for it is
of an open-minded individual, yourself, who has allowed
truths beyond what is seen here in social consciousness
to occur in very rare occasion. Enjoy these truths and
continue to reveal to yourself your true identity joyfully.
Sincerely and with great respect,
Vivienne Lafrance
Soul to Soul communicator, Grindrod B.C., Canada

(4) Jan 22, 2013

Dear Sri Soni ~ The answer to 1 is NO. The others are
more reasonable explanations and No 4 is the best one. I
am replying to you on behalf of Premanand, who passed
away on 5th October, 2009. When I saw your mail, his
spirit possessed me and I was able to reply straight
away! Jokes apart. I keep traveling all over the place and
hope to meet you some time. I will be at Delhi on the
24th instant and 27th too. You could call me. Regards
Narendra Nayak
President, Federation of Rationalists Association of
India

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(5) Jan 22, 2013

Hi, Of course, Suresh you are talking to a spirit right
now and it‘s a testimony and it was a testimony of many
things for you, this incident, testifies your father‘s
presence, besides you, not inside you and the power of
spirit on you.
The underlying message of this incident was to prove
one thing that your father lives on and you will live on
too, when you pass over to this world Urdu, cited by
your father‘s spirit, and he can again come, only if you
are open, that night you were peaceful and open and he
took the opportunity to contact with you.
You were blessed by his soul, you both shared many
lifetimes, and he just came to assure you, he is taking
care of you, even from there, where you cannot see him.
There is one more thing, peculiar here, he wants you to
write, Urdu or any tongue, he wants you to write, that‘s
what I get, if I connect with him now.
(1) No
(2&3) No the mind is powerful but your mind will not
fabricate, just for the fun of it, there has to be a basis for
everything that exists.
(4) This piece of info sounds a psychological shield??
Ask yourself, ask your subconscious and see what you
get, we here in the spirit world, try and reach out to help
you those on the earth and we guide and protect our
loved ones, from here, do we need any psychological
reason to do this? No love is enough. Like your father‘s

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love spirit came after he has passed and he came back to

ensure you he looks over you and revealed his wish to
you.
All the best, Thanks for trust in this and giving us a
chance to do this. Hope this helps. Regards,
Erik
(Message was conveyed by Renuka on behalf of Erik)

(6) Jan 22, 2013

Sairam, Dear Suresh uncle ~ Well, it‘s simply your
fathers blessing on you through his Guru- you can say
any of his true Guru….
Trust me, I myself have never seen Quran but in 2005, I
suddenly started typing few words in English which I
knew is from Quran…it‘s in simply some ways, Gods
and saints, pull us, into path of truth and humanity.
Not all can be blessed with such a feeling… Apart from
this, make sure you remember your dad every full moon
day and do any simple pooja like lighting lamps,
offering food to poor or simply chanting gods / saints
name.
Scientifically speaking, all the truth, all the good words
and sounds are spread in every atom of this universe….
sometimes we are able to get these words by air
…simply a transformation from nature into us. Simply
show Guru bhakti on Shirdi Sai Baba or any ancient
saint…. you will be blessed Sai Ki Jai
Venkat Raman
India

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(7) Jan 23, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ I consider you very fortunate to have had
such a remarkable, wonderful experience; I would be
very grateful for it. I fully accept that our knowledge has
profound limitations and there is much beyond our
capabilities to access.
Much of my own work is indeed interested in ancestor
worship/communication – especially among the Jain
community in India, a community which does not
―technically‖ (according to texts) endorse ancestor
worship, and yet where many such examples exist.
Rest assured that many examples of ―spirit‖ or soul
communication are attested for in a great many religious
traditions; as an anthropologist I have no interest in
denying them! I am fascinated by such experiences.
There are some contemporary psychologists and even
neurologists who are pursuing research in this field (e.g.,
Dr Mario Beauregard who wrote The Spiritual Brain +
Stanislav Grof who has many books out, including
Spiritual Emergency. And of course, there is Raymond
Moody (MD) who has many, many books out on the
near-death experience as confirmation, for him, of the
continued existence of consciousness/soul after bodily
death — something certainly that Hinduism and Jainism
assert!
On a personal note, a year and a half ago I lost my father
to a very vicious cancer that took in the matter of a few
weeks. I have many, many times longed for a ―dream‖ or
―encounter‖ such as your own. This is why I consider

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yours a blessed occurrence, and one you are extremely

fortunate to have had. Wishing you well
Professor Anne Valley
University of Ottawa‟s Dept of Classics and Religious
Studies, Canada

(8) Jan 23, 2013

Thank you for sharing your amazing story! Isn‘t it
interesting how the logical mind wants to deny or at least
seek concrete proof regarding experiences that fall
outside of what we generally regard to be ‗real‘?
I‘ve come to see that in some sense ALL experience has
a certain reality to it. The type of experience you
describe may be hard to make sense of, but the one thing
you can hang onto that IS very, very real, is the sense of
peace that it brought to you.
I‘ve learned that rather than question the how‘s and
why‘s of my experience, or even, if my communications
with my brother are more a creation of my subconscious
or not, to focus upon the love, peace and joy they bring.
That is, in my opinion, as real as it gets.
I‘m beginning to see that we are creating ALL of
this…..every bit of what we come to experience, through
our expectations, beliefs and thoughts. These
‗OTHERWORLDLY‘ experiences then, are really not so
different than anything else we experience. If it is true
that life and love are eternal, it makes perfect sense that
our loved ones would attempt to convey that to us, to
help ease our pain.

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If you simply focus upon the way all of this made you
feel, (the joy, the peace) and trust the voice of your inner
being, it will help to quell the logical mind that keeps
questioning and wanting answers. In my estimation,
you‘ve had a profound and very real experience! Hope
this helps, With Love,
Faye Scindelka
Writer, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

(9) Jan 23, 2013

Hello Suresh ~ Thank you for sharing this very
interesting occurrence. Recall that high energy physicists
say that if all the light and energy in this world (all that
ultimately exists) were the size of Mt. Everest, the part
most humans can sense would be the size of a golf ball.
So, I don‘t discount any events that seem otherworldly
since we humans are not good judges of that.
Life/God/Source Energy is all. We are looking at life
through a pinhole and divide events into what is real,
imaginary or spiritual. In fact, I believe, it‘s all life and
you experienced a slice of it that most don‘t.
Jesus taught us to look at the fruits of a tree while
judging its value. The fruits of your experience were:
you felt a rapture, you experienced being outside your
usual consciousness, you wrote in a language that you do
not know, it was soothing and comforting, it was a
blessing to your mother and helped her move on into the
next life, it still is vivid after over 9 years. In my
experience, something we imagine cannot convey that
many benefits and strong emotions /spirit. Give thanks
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for a sacred experience. Love and Light (is all that

exists),
Dr.Mark Pitstick
MA, DC – OHIO, USA
Post Script: Wow, a great poem. Reminds me of Rumi a
bit. A great way to awaken the mind to remember that
light is everywhere. It seems that you were channeling
his writing and, in the process, enjoying a sacred contact
with him. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience
with me and others. Om Mani Padme Hum,

(10) Jan 24, 2013

Namaste Suresh, if energy is eternal and soul is eternal,
what dies? We don‘t believe in death. We believe that
souls come into manifestation in a form, and then that
form evolves into something else, some other form.
Therefore, it is not the spirits of the dead that visit you. It
is the spirit with whom you had a wonderfully positive
relationship. Take it as a blessing. We send you all our
love and blessings,
Shree Maa and Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Devi Mandir, Northern California, USA

(11) Jan 25, 2013

Hi Suresh, you know we are a Christian ministry?
Anyway:
1. Spirits of dead people exist – they are in, what the
Bible calls, the cloud of witnesses. And, they are as if in
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the grandstand of a stadium clapping their hands,

spurring us on to take hold of immortality, so that they
can return with Jesus
2. No, it is your spirit that ‗sees‘ into the ubiquitous,
all-knowing, timeless realm of the spirit. So, you could
write poetry in a language you do not know in the
natural.
3. No, it is real – empirically tested
4. Just as there is still death there is also immortality …
and if you really want to know about this you must be
ready to go all the way. Peace to you. Rules over all.
Tinus Hattingh
Spirit word Ministries, South Africa

(12) Jan 25, 2013

Suresh ~ I do not believe this was your subconscious
trying to fake an experience. Your father is one of your
personal guides. There is also Michael, Gabriel and
Stephan. They have all worked together to open you to
this spiritual experience. Your father himself came
through you to write the poem. Call it automatic writing
or channeling, whatever you will, but you received it
directly from them as a fore-warning for your mothers
impending transition. So yes, she was inferring correctly.
To answer your questions –
1.) Not a hallucination! The spirit is immortal beyond
these brief mortal shells we all wear.

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

~ The veil between this and the next dimension is very

thin at this time, and you are just beginning to come into
your own as a spirit channel
~ This will happen again, so prepare yourself for it.
2.) Memories and imagination can indeed assist to
trigger these types of incidents. Weird is just a word.
3.) The mind does not play tricks to strengthen the belief
of life after death.
~ Again, the spirit is immortal beyond these brief mortal
shells we all wear.
4.) Call it a psychological shield if you like, but only you
can decide what is true for you, personally.
I have had a great number of readings, channelings, and
personal experiences from and with those who have
passed to know for myself that the spirit is immortal, and
these are merely shells we choose to wear for the brief
time we are here. I have known people who were scared
to death and dying, but it did not prevent them from
living. Live your life, embrace the spirit, and know your
father is with you always. Love and Light
Maria
Los Angeles California, USA

(13) Jan 25, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Sanskaras of all persons, whether living
in the body or departed, are imprinted in the cosmic
mind, samaSHTi-chitta. In certain moments of sattvic
predominance our individual minds connect to these
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 Do Souls Exist?

personality sanskaras. It is not the departed person who

is visiting us. Thus we, as individuated minds, may be
inspired to write the poetry or speak a language that we
are not familiar with because we are tapping into the
resources of the cosmic mind. With blessings
Swami Veda Bharati
A Scholar-saint, India

(14) Jan 26, 2013

Hello Suresh Soni ~ That sounds like a very powerful
experience. It does sound to me as if your father visited
you and used automatic writing and trance possession to
pen the poem. This is one of the more intense
experiences I‘ve had described to me. In regard to your
questions, all I can say is that each of us struggle with
these very questions every day when we work with
spirits. Hallucinations exist, and the mind does play
tricks, but your event sounds credible to me. The feeling
of your father that washed over you is an example of one
of the perceptions that I hold as a good validity test in
my own work.
Sheta Kaey
Editor in Chief, Rending the Veil, magazine

(15) Jan 27, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ From your description, it does look like a
real visitation. While not commonplace, such visitations

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

do occur. So, no need to worry that it might be a

hallucination. With best wishes.
Swami Tyagananda
A Hindu Saint

(16) Jan 27, 2013

Hello, thank you for such an interesting story. I have
personally over the years, heard of this type of thing
happening but mostly to spiritual people like
mediums/sensitive`s or psychics who use this to their
advantage during ―spirit communication‖ This is what
we call ―Automatic Writing‖ or ―Trance Writing‖
(1) Are such incidents hallucinations or a testimony that
the spirit of the dead exists?
I would not say it is testimony that spirits exist. I feel it
is more to do with the individual themselves
experiencing it and their own belief system.
Hallucinations? It may be the case or maybe not, perhaps
the ―want to believe‖ in something strongly enough we
will indeed experience it at some point. Sceptics or
cynics will tell you no, spirits don`t exist, but the truth is
we just don`t know for certain, there is no recorded
concrete proof to show that it does Ok! we can be shown
some photographs, audio or video footage of strange
events, we could have all three of these things together
but, all these things can in this day and age be altered or
enhanced so we don`t know for sure if it is real… if it is
real, will we all truly believe it is? Some will but a lot
won`t so we are left with same old question. ―Do

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 Do Souls Exist?

spirits/ghosts exist‖? Or is it just a figment of the

overactive imagination.
(2) Do memories or imagination trigger such weird
incidents?
I think they do to a certain extent, especially around
certain occasions such as birthdays or Christmas time
where families come together to spent time with each
other and show love for one another and to remember
others that are no longer with us. Most (not all) people
that have lost loved ones will cling to the hope that their
loved ones are happy wherever they are after death, it is
said whether we believe it or not that sometimes they,
(spirit), will break through the thin veil between this
world and the next to let us know they are ok. So called
―experts‖ in the paranormal field will say that strong
emotions like sadness, worry, anxiety and depression
can also trigger things too. To me, there are no experts in
this field.
(3) Does the mind play tricks to strengthen the belief that
life exists after death?
I think it does. As I said previously, people cling onto
hope that their loved ones go onto another place after
death, supposedly a better place than here with no pain
or suffering. It definitely brings comfort to most who
believe that this ―better place‖ exists and their loved
ones are being looked after by others who have died
before them.
(4) Or, is it a psychological shield of immortality created
by the mind to confront the reality of death, which is a
constant threat to mortal life?
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 Suresh Kumar Soni

It could be a ―psychological shield‖ as you say, and

without it… what are we left with?
Mary Cunningham
Co-Founder Scottish- paranormal, Scotland

(17) Jan 27, 2013

Hi Suresh ~ I have no idea if you are making this up or
not and I have no way of finding out. If the incident
happened, I think it‘s far more likely that you were
dreaming, under the influence of drugs or ill than you
father‘s spirit was visiting you. If you want to provide
credible evidence of spirits, I suggest you try to re-create
the experience under controlled scientific conditions and
have it analyzed. Regards
Tanya Smith
General Manager, Atheist Alliance International,
Australia

(18) Jan 27, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ I don‘t have anything very useful or
illuminating to say about this. It does sound as if you
experienced something quite remarkable and life-
changing. But the very nature of what happened to you
places it entirely within the realm of personal
experience, and really it is not for me – or anyone except
yourself – to say whether it was hallucinatory, real, or
some combination of the two.
Christopher Norris
Research Professor in Philosophy at Cardiff University,
British philosopher and literary critic, United Kingdom

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 Do Souls Exist?

(19) Jan 27, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni ji, Namaskaram …… Hari Om — You
Have Great Question To Ask From (1) To (4)
The sole eternal goal of Spirituality in Hinduism is to
realize the God principle in man, rather to bring about
the manifestation of God in man. Whether it is the
struggle to restructure the Indian economy, Indian
Spirituality strives to achieve its eternal goal in these
struggles.
One can be a Hindu by his actions (Karma) or birth
(Janma). Karma Hindu is a Hindu by his deeds and
qualities or spiritual components. Janma Hindu is a
Hindu by birth. To be a Hindu means leading a sattvic
lifestyle. A Karma Hindu is a true Hindu. He is Hindu
by action and thought, a follower of Dharma and spreads
Dharma as a part of his kartavya. I thank you for
conversing with me, I am honored, Om Shanti. Hope
you have a wonderful day and that your life will be
Successful with Happiness & Prosperity! With Love,
peace and bliss.
Swami Chaitanya
Akhanda Yoga Dham, Rishikesh, India

(20) Jan 28, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Thank you so much for sharing of your
experience. Your experience is different from Near
Death Experience. Actually, you have been a spiritual
medium for your father‘s soul. People who have the
power of the medium are able to receive messages of

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

spirits. In your experience, it seems your father‘s soul

intended to communicate with the world. Many books
have been written on this subject like: Seth Speaks: Jane
Roberts. Very best regards
Alinaghi Ghasemiannejad Jahromi
The University of Isfahan, Iran

(21) Jan 28, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Nobody but you can respond to your
questions – Mario
(When Mr. Mario Beauregard was requested to
elaborate further, this is what he said through an email
on the same day)
What I can say, however, is the following:
(1) The impact of this experience on you from a
subjective point of you;
(2) The fact that you were not under the influence of
alcohol, drug or medicine, and that you do not have a
history of neurological or psychiatric disorder;
(3) The impression by your mother that the ―visitation‖
of your father was an omen that the time for her to
depart had come;
(4) Her passing seven weeks later:
All this suggests that your father – and your mother – are
still living in another realm of reality. I am aware of
many similar experiences that have been reported by
numerous people across the world.

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 Do Souls Exist?

Mario Beauregard
Ph.D., Professor Neuroscience, University of Montreal
Author of the famous book, The Spiritual Brain: A
Neuroscientist‟s case for the existence of Soul

(22) Jan 29, 2013

Hi Suresh ~ Wow what an incredible experience. I
apologize for not getting back to you sooner.
People do hallucinate and these can take many forms and
to keep that in mind is a good thing to do. However,
your experience has so much supporting information and
the evidence from the writing has to be considered.
Without seeing this first hand, it would be difficult for
me to say 100% that it proves the existence of spirit. On
a personal view point and taking you at your word
(which I trust) I would say it is a very good indicator.
Memories can trigger all sorts of things but equally
anything can trigger a memory. For example, a smell or
a fleeting part of a tune. It‘s a little like the chicken and
the egg scenario, we may never know in certain
situations what is the cause and what is the effect.
The human brain and mind play all sorts of tricks on us
all the time (our eyes actually see upside down our brain
flips it to make things easier!). Another good example is
matrixing where our brain tries to make sense of shapes
and patterns (you see animals in the clouds etc...) Does it
play tricks on us to help us fear death less and does this
give us more of a belief of continuing after this life. I

35
 Suresh Kumar Soni

think it‘s possible it does however this doesn‘t mean

there isn‘t. Regards
Si Booth
Founder Member, Pennine Paranormal Society, U.K.

(23) Jan 29, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni ~ Thank you for writing. As I am sure
you realize, I am not really in a position to speak with
any kind of authority about what happened to you nine
years ago. I do not think you are at all silly to wonder
whether this is evidence of some sort of afterlife, or
whether, instead, it is merely a kind of hallucination,
brought on by your unconscious mind. Since I am not in
a position to examine you, I can only report that I have
read various reports of experiences like yours, as well as
various attempts to offer a more scientific account of
what was going on, and my own belief is that what
happened to you is indeed best explained in terms of the
unconscious part of your brain producing the unusual
experience. That needn‘t deprive the experience of
meaning for you–it is simply that I don‘t think we can
infer from this that the spirit of your dead father was
trying to communicate to and through you.
I am not a scientist and cannot begin to hypothesize
about the particular ways in which your brain might
have caused these experiences, but if this is indeed
something you would like to know more about, you
might consider reading Hallucinations, by Oliver Sacks.
He is indeed a scientist and discusses a wide range of
strange and unusual experiences of various sorts.
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 Do Souls Exist?

As to the fact that your mother died shortly thereafter,

perhaps this was brought on in part by her belief that
your father had communicated with her through you, or
perhaps it was just a coincidence, nothing more. There
are, of course billions and billions of people in the
world, and by the odds of mathematics, we should
expect quite astounding coincidences to happen here and
there quite routinely. Obviously enough, no one notices
the billions of ways in which potential coincidences fail
to materialize, we only notice the coincidences: so those
are the ones that stick in our mind, begging for
explanation, when the explanation might indeed simply
be that things like this are bound to happen by
coincidence now and again.
Shelly Kagan
Professor of Philosophy, Yale University, USA

(24) Jan 30, 2013

Dear Sureshji ~ I would opine in favor of the first
question, even though I am quite aware that the second
one is also possible. But I do not think the last two
options are tenable. Namaskars,
Swami Baneshananda
Indian Vedanta teacher, Germany

(25) Jan 30, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Thank you for telling me about your
experience. I think that in all cases where we have an

37
 Suresh Kumar Soni

experience of something supernatural, we must be

strongly guided by our background knowledge about
whether there is a supernatural reality of the kind which
the experience seems to reveal. I think there are good
arguments to the existence of God and that God does
have reason to bring about the existence of other
supernatural beings and occasionally to allow them to
communicate with us.
So, it is possible that your experience was a genuine
experience of your father. But I don‘t find what you
describe as overwhelmingly strong evidence in favor of
it. You don‘t produce any evidence that your Hindi
writing was a correct translation of what you heard in
Urdu; nor is it obvious that the date of the occurrence of
this incident cannot be a coincidence – it is fairly
probable that coincidences of this kind will sometimes
occur. So, while the incident just might be genuine
awareness of your dead father, I don‘t find the evidence
very strong.
And it is well known that we sometimes can be subject
to strange hallucinations as a result of purely
neurological processes. My reason for believing in life
after death is that I think that a good God would have
some reason to provide it, and that there is good
evidence that Jesus who taught that there is life after
death did himself rise from the dead, and so we should
trust his testimony about this. With best wishes,
Richard Swinburne
Professor of Philosophy, University of Oxford, UK

38
 Do Souls Exist?

(26) Jan 30, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni ~ I have received and read with
interest your letter of 27th January.
It seems that you had a Kundalini awakening experience
that brought you into a different sphere of
consciousness. I think you should consult your Guru, if
you have one. Also try and read a book entitled
KUNDALINI by Pt. Gopi Kishan. With good wishes,
Dr. Karan Singh
President ICCR (Indian Council of Cultural Relations),
Member of Rajya Sabha and titular Maharaja of Jammu
and Kashmir, India

(27) Jan 30, 2013

To, Suresh Soni ~ It is hard to know whether anything
our mind seems to encounter in cyclic existence is real
or not. The one sure thing is that compounded existence,
which is existence that is brought together by causes and
conditions, is impermanent. Phenomena come together
and phenomena dissolve. We see a glass, call it ―glass,‖
have many associations with ―glass‖ depending upon our
own accumulated causes and conditions. But then this
―glass‖ can break into a million pieces, we can forget the
―glass,‖ we can give away the ―glass‖ but remain
attached to it, cease to care about ―glass,‖ despise
―glass,‖ etc.
And that‘s just objects. When it comes to those people
we encounter in this lifetime, the feelings, associations,

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

subtle ideas, so many factors—all these come into play.

In the case of those close to us, the best thing to do if we
seem to experience ghosts or spirits is to pray for them.
For if they are in fact ―real,‖ then we should take the
attitude to help them release their attachment to this
cyclic existence for a ―real ghost‖ would have such
strong attachment that they were not able to leave. Let
them know it is okay for you, for instance, perhaps that
you love them. Think of their well-being, not your own
naturally complex feelings about them.
This also works for us if in fact it is just our own minds
coming up with a hallucination. Either way, rely on
compassion as your compass as much as you can,
knowing that your idea of compassion could also be
based on conditioned mind. Your idea of what is ―good‖
for someone else is based on your own causes and
conditions and could also not be ―real.‖
Overall, at the root of such questions has to do with
whether or not there is a soul or self. This topic would
have been written about extensively and suggest you
find ways to study it more. All religions have different
approaches to this topic. Hope this helps all the best.
Pema Norbu Rinpoche
Office of His Holiness, Namdroling Nyingmapa
Monastery, India

(28) Jan 31, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni ~ You may find it helpful to consider
the discussion of this issue, from a philosophical

40
 Do Souls Exist?

perspective, in William Rowe‘s Philosophy of Religion:

An Introduction. Best wishes,
John Bengson
Professor (Philosophy of Mind), University of Texas,
USA

(29) Jan 31, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni ~ Thank you for your letter describing
a truly extraordinary and wonderful experience. I have
no way of knowing whether the experience falls into the
domain some would call ‗spiritual‘, and others would
locate as in some way the result of the (still mysterious)
workings of mind and brain.
At the turn of the last century many people reported
experiences that were not dissimilar to yours and
psychological researchers attempted to investigate them.
(Mourning is often cited as a spur to such experience.)
C.G.Jung was one such researcher and for interest you
might want to dip into his work. Another was Theodore
Flournoy who amongst much else tried to understand the
medium Helene Smith: a new edition of her From India
to the Planet Mars, edited by Sonu Shamdasani, is
available. There are many others, including the great
American, William James. I hope this may be of some
interest. All best wishes,
Lisa Appignanesi
OBE is a British writer, novelist and visiting Professor
at King‟s College London.

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

(30) Jan 31, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Your story is very interesting. You have
obviously had a very unusual and powerful experience,
and I think that the sorts of questions you are asking are
good ones. I am not in a position to give definite
answers to those questions — and in case I think you
will only be satisfied by working things out for yourself
— but perhaps I can point you to some books that might
help you think about the issues that your experience
raises.
Probably the most famous discussion of how to think
about cases like this is in David Hume‘s Enquiry
Concerning Human Understanding, chapter X. Hume
would most likely argue that it is more likely that your
experience was a sort of hallucination or a production of
your unconscious mind than that it was a supernatural
occurrence. But Hume‘s view has been very
controversial. One recent discussion that you might find
interesting is: Fogelin, Robert, 2003, A Defense of Hume
on Miracles, Princeton: Princeton University Press. I
hope you find that useful. I wish you good luck in
finding some answers.
Dr. Derek Ball
Departments of Philosophy, University of St Andrews,
Scotland

(31) Feb 01, 2013

These kinds of spiritual experiences are common, and do
seem to have very long lasting, even life changing,
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 Do Souls Exist?

effects on those who experience them, so that would

infer that they are real.
It is hard to know what triggers powerful spiritual
experiences. One must be open to them, and not be
afraid.
We do not believe the mind plays tricks in this area. If
the person having the profound spiritual experience
believes it, then it is self-evident, it is true.
Normally these kinds of experiences will lead to having
no fear of death at all, regardless of how the person felt
prior to the experience. All the best,
Dr. Raymond Moody
Psychologist and medical doctor, famous author of
books about life after death and near-death experiences,
his best-selling title is „Life After Life‟

(32) Feb 01, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni, Thank you very much for the mail. I
think your experience is a good devotional feeling and
experience. I think whenever anybody is close to the
Divine, they have lots of feeling and divine experience.
You still continue your prayer and Sadhana. I will pray
for you and I wish you good luck. When we will see you
then we can talk more about the spiritual. With love and
blessings
Swamy Athma Chaithanya
India

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

(33) Feb 01, 2013

Dear Suresh, I think the spirit of your father is around
you – he means well and is not intentionally trying to
harm you. Also, when the moon is full, psychic
influence and energy is much stronger. In answer to your
questions:
1. It was not a hallucination, it was the spirit of your
father who has passed over and is finding it difficult to
move on, which was a trait of his personality
2. Imagination is the psychic side of you, when your
mind drifts beyond normal thinking
3. I do not think so. You might find it helpful to read my
book, Channeling for Everyone. It has a lovely 4-page
introduction by a well-known psychiatrist, Dr Andrew
Powell.
4. The spirit enters the body at the moment of
conception to help to carry itself forward in its spiritual
journey – and when it is ready to leave, it usually
chooses the moment of leaving the physical body. I hope
that helps. Best wishes
Tony Neate
Spiritual Channeller, Healer and Counsellor, London –
UK

(34) Feb 01, 2013

Hello Mr. Soni ~ Answers to your questions are
highlighted below.

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 Do Souls Exist?

Are such incidents hallucinations or a testimony that the

spirit of the dead exists?
I call it souls, and soul connections can happen in any
form to anyone.
Do memories or imagination trigger such weird
incidents?
Yes, it can
Does the mind play tricks to strengthen the belief that
life exists after death?
No, this knowledge can be achieved only when a person
meditates, just a thought is not enough to believe in such
thoughts.
Or, is it a psychological shield of immortality created by
the mind to confront the reality of death, which is a
constant threat to mortal life?
Take it just as an experience, which very few have, don‘t
go for Reasons…. you are letting that experience haunt
you, which will surely lead you to visit a psychologist in
future.
I certainly do not know. Please tell me ‗How‘ and ‗Why‘
such things happen.
As I said there need not be reasons found always for
things and as it is that experience just came and went,
it‘s not in your life every day. It‘s now in your memories
only.
It is hard indeed, for me to explain, that souls exist or do
not exist, in a living world.

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

In a living world I have not come across soul relating to

humans. I just know what happens after death to souls as
a Past life regression therapist. Regards
Dr. Renuka Gupta
Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Past Live Regression
Therapist, Baroda Gujarat, India

(35) Feb 01, 2013

Dear Mr. Soni, it is kind of you to share this very
personal incident with me but I‘m afraid I have no more
insight into it than you do. Such experiences are I
suppose, to a certain extent, simply inexplicable. Maybe
there is some comfort even in that. I‘m sorry I can‘t offer
more. All good wishes
Peter Lamarque
Professor of Philosophy at the University of York, UK

(36) Feb 02, 2013

Dear Mr. Suresh, it was great to learn about your
amazing incident. What you experienced is a process
known as ―Automatic Writing‖ through which our loved
ones in the spirit world can make their presence felt and
communicate with us. I suggest you should read these
books – THE LAWS OF THE SPIRIT WORLD by
Khorshed Bhavangri which has a Foreword by Shiamak
Davar& LIFE AFTER DEATH by Mary T.Browne. You
will find most of your answers. As I am a past life

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 Do Souls Exist?

regression therapist I firmly believe in reincarnation and

connection with higher energies.
Dr. Ritu Nanda
Clinical Psychologist, Counsellor & Hypnotherapist,
Bhopal, India

(37) Feb 04, 2013

Thank you, Suresh, for getting in touch with me. I am
not qualified to comment on your powerful experience
but I wish you all the best.
Kecia Ali
Associate Professor of Religion, Boston University, USA
(She was requested to convey the Islamic point of view
on this incident, she did not respond)

(38) Feb 04, 2013

Namaste, Suresh, Dorothy has passed your message on
to me and asked if I would be first to comment on it. We
appreciate your trust in us by sharing this very personal
experience. It has taken some time to formulate. I hope
this response will help you to clarify and understand it.
If you would like to discuss some of these ideas further,
please do not hesitate to continue our dialogue.
First, let us distinguish between the experience itself and
its interpretation. You have done well to present a
descriptive account of your experience separate from the
interpretations you are considering. Others (such as
myself) may have the advantage of familiarity (firsthand

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or secondhand) concerning a greater range of

experiences and/or philosophical research and
understanding. However, the person who has the
experience has the advantage of direct knowledge of it,
as well as the immediacy of its personal meaning and
value. Furthermore, experience itself cannot be true or
false, real or fake. Such questions arise only for
interpretations. Your concerns seem to be whether your
experience should be interpreted solely as a
manifestation of your mind or as revealing something in
reality that is not reducible to the physical universe (as
commonly understood) or to your personal
consciousness (including contents and processes that are
ordinarily unconscious, in the psychological sense).
Here are a few significant considerations to ponder:
(1) Consciousness, as such, is not part of the natural
order (but the term supernatural is misleading);
psychical is not reducible to physical. However, the
further we penetrate into the ultimate nature of reality,
the more we encounter mystery. Mystical (Gnostic)
Realization (such as reported by Franklin Merrell-Wolff)
is its direct (nondualist) apprehension, but this is
ineffable–essentially beyond all words and concepts.
You characterize your experience as rapture and trance,
rather than mystical, but psychical experiences also
share a considerable degree of indeterminacy.
(2) Writing a poem in a language you do not know is
evidence that ‗your mind‘ did not produce the
experience in isolation (and your mother‘s response
showed that it carried a profound meaning for her).

48
 Do Souls Exist?

According to the Buddhist notion of ‗dependent

origination‘ everything is interconnected and all events
arise in the seamless interplay of the myriad elements
that compose reality. Science (E.g., Quantum Theory,
Bell‘s Theorem and Grinberg-Zylerbaum experiments)
has verified non-locality (effects and awareness at a
distance without intervening causal processes). Of
course, each individual being must organize a coherent
view of the world by filtering out the vast preponderance
of this awareness (in an autonomous process). Psychical
experiences (whether spontaneous or cultivated) are
episodes where one has opened to, and become aware of,
some of these influences
(3) Concerning more personal influences, intentionally
opening to or blocking psychical experiences has
varying effects. Subconscious tendencies (you mention
memories and imagination) in this regard are also more
or less effective, but because they are not under our
conscious direction, they may be more impactful within
our lives. No doubt, our minds play tricks, such as
construing evidence in a biased manner according to an
emotionally held belief system. For example, a believer
in spirits may take the activity with their Ouija Board as
confirming their existence; a materialist might dismiss
evidence from a near-death experience as merely the
result of chemical activity in the brain. Death of the
body is real. What, if anything, survives afterwards is
not adequately determined; there is evidence that
something does, but not necessarily a self-conscious
individual personality. However, belief in immortality is
not without ground, insofar as we sense something in our

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being that is not subject to birth, death, or cause and

effect; the problem is that we also have a strong
tendency to identify with our bodies and our
personalities–which are subject to such conditions.
Franklin would say that we introject the object of
consciousness and identify with it, while projecting the
conscious subject externally. The first task then is to
discriminate self from not-self, the immortal from the
mortal.
You have the attitude of a genuine seeker-open-minded
and fair-minded-wanting to know. Your experience was
a rare gift that revealed something beyond the mundane
and set you on a course of inquiry. We are grateful that it
has led you to us and hope that you find value here.Shine
on, In Love and Light,
Ron Leonard
PhD, Philosophy, Writer / Editor, Phoenix, Arizona,
USA

(39) Feb 04, 2013

Please attend Sammohan Pragya + Mahajeewan Pragya
to discover the answer yourself. That will be authentic,
convincing, and helpful in your spiritual growth.
Oshodara
A live mystery school, India

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 Do Souls Exist?

(40) Feb 04, 2013

Dear Shri Suresh Soni, Hari Om! Thank you for your
interesting mail sent to Central Chinmaya Mission Trust.
Chinmaya Mission is probably not the correct
organization to help you answer your questions as this is
not our area of competency. You may need to find
someone else to assist you understand this incident. We
wish you all the best. Regards,
Manisha Khemlani
Chief Executive Officer, Central Chinmaya Mission
Trust, India

(41) Feb 04, 2013

I regret that I am unable to respond, thoughtfully, to all
the email messages I receive in the course of a week. I
do try to read at least portions of them, but answering
them would take all my work time. I am grateful for the
thoughtful letters I am sent, and apologize for not
responding with the thoughtfulness that went into
composing them. With best wishes,
Daniel Dennett
Philosopher, writer, cognitive scientist, philosophy of
mind, USA

(42) Feb 06, 2013

As SalaamwalekumwaRehmatullahiwaBarakaatu
It is nice to receive this email from you and nice to know
that you are from India. Dear brother, Maulana Shaykh

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

Nazim has 3 Indian Deputies, all three of us live in

Dubai. We have a few zikr centers in India too
Alhamdulilah and we visit time to time. I have been
honored to be one of the 3 and if you would like to be in
touch with me, you are most welcome. I am from
Mumbai. We can speak further. May Allah bless you
with the barakat of Maulana Shaykh Nazim. Aameen
Jazakallarkhairashraf Ali Ghansar
Naqshabandi Sufi Order, Dubai

(43) Feb 06, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni, I cannot comment on individual cases.
I know of no-good evidence for there being an afterlife. I
do believe that reports of instances of the kind that you
mention are purely psychological. I am sorry, but I
cannot comment further. Yours sincerely,
Fiona Macpherson
Professor of Philosophy, Director: Centre for the Study
of Perceptual Experience, Department of Philosophy,
University of Glasgow

(44) Feb 07, 2013

Dear Suresh, Sorry for the delay in reply. Swami
Abhedananda was a great realized soul and a disciple of
Sri Ramakrishna. He had a book: ‗Life after death‘
where he has elaborately talked about the existence of
the soul after the physical death. You may read that. It
was written for the Western audience.

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 Do Souls Exist?

As regards your questions:

(1) Your experience of writing the ghazal in Urdu,
maybe the expression of your potential inherent
samskaras (impressions of past lives). The scriptures
suggest that the spirit of the dead exists. Both Hinduism
and Buddhism are founded on this basic concept of
rebirth. It makes sense to a reasonable mind to explain
many things of life. Great souls like Ramakrishna and
others have seen the departed. So, we believe that your
experience maybe a testimony of that.
(2) I think your answer to the 2nd and 3rd question has
been answered in the first one.
(4) Everything is an expression of our mind. There are 2
minds. One is the Cosmic mind, the mind of God, which
has created all these visible and imaginary objects. The
other mind, which is the individual mind, is part of the
Cosmic mind. Therefore, what is in the Cosmic mind as
the sun, the moon, the earth and everything in this
visible Universe is being recognized by each individual
mind as such. But individual mind also, has its own
contribution to those Cosmic expressions of the mind in
the form of the created beings around us. That is why
God has created one object but individuals have their
attraction or repulsion for it due to the effect of their
individual samskaras.
According to Vedanta, this whole Universe is the
function of the mind like a dream. God is the Only
Reality which is full of Consciousness, Blissfulness. We
project the concept of duality on that One Absolute
Truth. This is Vedanta view. Our visible Universe is also

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like a long dream which will break one day giving us the
illumination.
But so long we are in this long dream, there everything
functions in a particular order, goes from transformation
to transformation until the dream breaks and one is
established in God Consciousness. So here comes the
necessity of birth and rebirth, to finish all the
experiences of our cherished desires. So, when there will
be no desire the mind will be free from all attachments,
this rebirth will stop for that individual forever.
So long we are human beings and have desires, we will
be reborn. Thinking of holiness, the person will go to a
holy land (like the Goddess Durga‘s plane) and live
there happily enjoying the Bliss. These people will
create some impact on the minds of those who love them
and respect them. The impact of their pure mind brings
out the holy traits in the mind of the beloved people.
Probably that is why the impact of your mother has
created such inspiration in your mind.
It is very difficult to write these subtle philosophical
things over email. Please try to talk to some holy men or
sadhus. Much of your doubts will be cleared.
It is not necessary to question so much. You have felt the
Grace of Mother and your heart was charged with the
spiritual fervor — why not live in that experience and
enjoy that bliss? May Mother Bless you. Yours in
Mother,
Swami Sarvadevananda
Scholar-Saint, Minister and spiritual leader of Vedanta
Society California, a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of
India.
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 Do Souls Exist?

(45) Feb 07, 2013

Thank you. I did read your mail with interest, I found
your description of the incident very interesting and
intriguing, I honestly don‘t feel able to throw any more,
light on it. It is extremely puzzling. But unfortunately,
this is not a subject on which I possess any expertise, so
I‘m afraid that I have no useful comments to make on
your account of the incident. I‘m sorry that I can‘t be of
assistance in this matter.
Professor E. J. Lowe
Department of Philosophy, Durham University, United
Kingdom

(46) Feb 07, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni, despite your kind words, I fear that
your question is far outside my area of expertise.
Although I realise that human experience is enormously
varied and perplexing, personally I find it far more
plausible to look for explanations within the natural
world. I also realise that this is very much a minority
view around the world. But my view anyhow is to look
for an explanation in psychology–a subject about which
we still know a very limited amount; and even that, as I
said, is not my expertise. Sorry not to be more helpful,
and I wish you well with your reflections on these
difficult questions. Best wishes,
Professor John Dupré
Director of Egenis, Professor of Philosophy of Science,
University of Exeter, United Kingdom
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 Suresh Kumar Soni

(47) Feb 07, 2013

Ushta: A quite fascinating tale, obviously, you appear to
be a materialist, agnostic or at the very least a non-
believer, in religious terms otherwise you would have
accepted your experience as what it probably is, a
genuine religious experience. But to your specific
questions
1) Are such incidents hallucinations or a testimony that
the spirit of the dead exists?
(2) Do memories or imagination trigger such weird
incidents?
(3) Does the mind play tricks to strengthen the belief that
life exists after death?
(4) Or, Is it a psychological shield of immortality
created by the mind to confront the reality of death,
which is a constant threat to mortal life?
1) Religious speaking spirits or if you will individual
conscious energies are, at the very least immortal, and in
most religions‘ eternal. In fact, we are spirits or
conscious energy living in bodies on a material plane
which is heart of reality together with a non-material
plane what I will call Gathic, Zarathushtrians call it
Mainyava which is the way Zarathustra referred to it. So,
it‘s not so much, from a spiritual perspective, that the
spirit of the dead is living, but the spirits never die the
body dissolves back in its elements but not so the spirit.
Now it can also be a hallucination those obviously exist.
However, your case seems clear cut. People hallucinate
about things that they know; you did not know Urdu.
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 Do Souls Exist?

2) Memories can trigger hallucinations or, most often,

vivid dreams and nightmares. However, in this case, the
same applies. How can a memory teach you to write in a
language you do not know?
3) Undoubtedly, the mind can and does play tricks all
the time on us. In fact, not only our minds but our senses
perceive things in ways that are to say the least not
exactly correct. Can your mind make you believe, on at
least the logic of an afterlife; perhaps I would not doubt
it. But the thing is that, empirically, all these things
cannot be proven or disproven we can believe or not,
hopefully on the basis of what we consider to be
convincing evidence. In this case I think the ability to
compose a poem in a language that you do not speak is,
to me, more than convincing, but then I am theist I
believe on a deity that has created all that is, you might
think differently, but still how can you explain the Urdu
poem?
4) See above.
What do Zarathushtrians say or would say about your
experience. That is a very thorny question since there are
many varieties and sects of ―Zoroastrians‖ and in any
case Zarathushtra himself taught a non-dogmatic
doctrine, based on broad principles rather than strict
injunctions. I can tell you what I think that is normative
among Gathic Zarathushtrians.
First while we do not believe in many gods or
goddesses, we do believe that the ONE God manifests
Him / Herself, (He has a a feminine and a masculine
name) through the many aspects of Her / His ethical

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nature thus, your dear mother‘s goddess could be one of

these. It might be interesting to hear what this goddess‘
attributes are.
Outside of the Goddess thing, Most Gathic
Zarathushtrians would consider yours a true spiritual
experience. The poem and its meaning, especially its
allegorical meaning, might be important in giving you
further evidence and it may even carry an important
message, perhaps in general, perhaps for you, or perhaps
both. Do feel free to write us again if you wish. Hamazor
Ronald Delavega
Scholar of Zoroastrianism, Florida, USA

(48) Feb 07, 2013

Well, I‘m kind of a naturalist these days, so I think
religious and mystical experiences are something that we
are able to do with our brains, which are products of
nature. I think spiritual states of mind and experience are
very important, however, and not to be dismissed even if
they have completely natural explanations. But
personally, I don‘t take them to be evidence of a
transcendent reality. So, I practice meditation and yoga
for example, because they help me cultivate a kind of
peace and tranquility that I find healthy and valuable, but
I don‘t take the wonderful things that happen in
meditation as evidence of a transcendent reality. I hope
that‘s helpful. Best wishes. I wish I had more exposure
to Hindu religion and experience. Sadly, it is not well
represented in my home culture in the US.
Dr Mark Alfino
Professor of Philosophy, Gonzaga University, US
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 Do Souls Exist?

(49) Feb 08, 2013

Suresh: As A Religious Studies professor, I am not
―qualified‖ to answer with certainty your questions
regarding what for you was a profound experience. I can
say personally, however, that the experience you had
was a real one, and it has meaning for you. What it
means for the future, or the prospect of an afterlife, I
cannot say. Many, many people have had visions and
dreams, and they are to influence your life and the life of
those around you. But interpreting what that vision
means for you is outside of what I am able to do.
Blessings to you, and all the best in your search for
eternal answers
Anthea Butler
Ph.D., Religion, Author, Professor of Religious Studies,
University of Pennsylvania, USA

(50) Feb 08, 2013

Hi Suresh, you have described an extraordinary personal
experience. Your words are very moving, and I don‘t
doubt that the experience was real. But as to what it all
means; I am afraid I don‘t have any more idea than you
have. I don‘t imagine any scientist can ever hope to
explain such things. Very best wishes,
Chris Knight
Anthropologist, political activist, funding member
Radical Anthropology group, UK

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

(51) Feb 08, 2013

Dear Mr. Suresh, the important question to ask is what
was your state of mind at the time when you experienced
your dad? I mean, what was on your mind? I found that
should a person, knowingly or unknowingly assume a
state of mind similar to another person, that person
sometimes, assume the thought pattern of the other
person. Let me give you an example.
Say you saw an old beggar. He is staring blankly in the
air. He is sitting down, begging bowl on the floor. You
may start to ask yourself: ―What will this person be
thinking?‖ You may start to look closer at that person;
you may start to wonder how dirty soiled clothes may
feel on a person body. You may think how long
uncombed hair could add to a heavy weight on a head
and obstruct vision. You may start to wonder, how he
may have lived in his youth, how his family was like.
You may look at his body and wonder at his state of
health. You then start to wonder, what he could be
thinking of at that point in time, staring into the air.
Unknowingly, you may also start to breath as he did.
You may start to imagine, what would you be thinking,
if you were him now. At that point in time, you may
suddenly feel fear, and the similar thought-patterns of
that beggar. Thus, using the above example, I hope to
have shed some light to the answers you seek.
Charles Goh
Founder, Asia Paranormal Investigators, Singapore

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 Do Souls Exist?

(52) Feb 08, 2013

Why would this topic even need to be addressed?
Why is this topic relevant to a section concerning
Reincarnation?
It turns out that despite the fact that almost all Christian
sects teach that reincarnation is heresy; they don‘t all
teach it for the same reasons. Some Christian sects teach
that the after death there is no awareness. Because
reincarnation requires souls be aware after death and to
choose to reincarnate, believing there is no awareness
after death by default also precludes against believing in
reincarnation. Also, to reincarnate means to be aware in
another body. These Christian sects believe that at death
that awareness ceases until the resurrection. This belief
fundamentally changes the theology around heaven, hell
as well as reincarnation.
Biblical Proof of awareness after death
The biblical authority quoted to support the belief is
rather slim. In fact, there is really only one scripture
quoted. It is in Ecclesiastes 9:5
For the living know that they shall die: but the dead
know not anything, neither have they any more a
reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. (KJV)
You can‘t get plainer than that. The Dead know nothing.
End of story. However, there are plenty of scriptures in
both the old and New Testament that show that the dead
are aware after death. Is this an example of Biblical
contradiction? Not really. This statement wasn‘t made

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by a prophet of God nor was it a quote from God

through an angel or prophet. It is the musings of King
Solomon while being depressed. It is a rhetorical remark
made by a man who cried ―vanities of vanities all is
vanities.‖ He admits to drinking in excess, having a
thousand wives and concubines and having every luxury
imaginable yet ultimately found his life unfulfilling. He
even concludes at the end of his writings…
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the
whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments:
for this is the whole duty of man. NIV
Yet is recorded elsewhere that before he died, he took up
idolatry to please some of his wives. Yes, his writings
are in the Bible, but his simple statement that the dead
know nothing is not strong enough to counter other
scriptures that make it plain that after death, the soul is
aware. Certainly, King Solomon‘s writings cannot
overturn the teachings of Christ which proved awareness
after death. It is also interesting to note that his own
family history should have given him insight into
awareness after death. The man who was King before his
Father David was crowned King talked to a dead man
one day before he died! King Saul talked to a dead
prophet. (In order to speak, dead or not, requires
awareness!)
In 1 Samuel 28 we have the story of Saul secretly going
to the witch of Endor so that he could contact the spirit
of the dead prophet Samuel. This of course is a
forbidden art, not because it can‘t be done but that it is
evil to contact the spirits of the dead using witchcraft.

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 Do Souls Exist?

Despite the wickedness involved, Saul has the witch do

the divination necessary to contact Samuel. Samuel is
summoned and has the following words for Saul.
15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by
bringing me up?” “I am in great distress,” Saul said.
“The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has
turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either
by prophets or by dreams. So, I have called on you to tell
me what to do.” 16 Samuel said, “Why do you consult
me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and
become your enemy? 17 The LORD has done what he
predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom
out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors-
to David. 18 Because you did not obey the LORD or
carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the
LORD has done this to you today. 19 The LORD will
hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and
tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD
will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”
If you read further in the story, the prophecy of the dead
prophet turned out exactly as predicted. This shows us
that the prophet Samuel was aware after death and was
in contact with God even during death.
Over a thousand years after the death of King Solomon,
the Apostle John journeyed to heaven in a vision and
saw souls being aware they were dead. Specifically,
Revelations 6:9
9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar
the souls of those who had been slain for the word of
God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they

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cried with a loud voice, saying, ―How long, O Lord, holy

and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those
who dwell on the earth?‖ 11 Then a white robe was
given to each of them; and it was said to them that they
should rest a little while longer, until both the number of
their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be
killed as they were, was completed.
In John‘s version he sees souls in heaven aware enough
to know they were awaiting a new life with Christ.
Another scripture in the New Testament that speaks of
being aware after death is found in the book Of Luke
where Christ teaches of possible consequences after
death. The plain teaching of Christ shows that there is
awareness after death. Christ taught this when speaking
about Lazarus and the Rich Man.
Luke 16:19-31 (NIV) The Rich Man and Lazarus,19
“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and
fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate
was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21
and longing to eat what fell from the rich man‟s table.
Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 “The time
came when the beggar died and the angels carried him
to Abraham‟s side. The rich man also died and was
buried. 23 In [HADES] where he was in torment, he
looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by
his side. 24 So he called to him, „Father Abraham, have
pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger
in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in
this fire.‟ 25 “But Abraham replied, „Son, remember that
in your lifetime you received your good things, while
Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted

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 Do Souls Exist?

here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this,

between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so
that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor
can anyone cross over from there to us.‟ 27 “He
answered, „Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my
father‟s house, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn
them, so that they will not also come to this place of
torment.‟ 29 “Abraham replied, „They have Moses and
the Prophets; let them listen to them.‟ 30” „No, father
Abraham,‟ he said, „but if someone from the dead goes
to them, they will repent.‟ 31 “He said to him, „If they do
not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be
convinced even if someone rises from the dead.‟ “
Both Lazarus and the rich man were aware after death.
Both were in Hades (Called Sheol in the Old Testament).
One was with Abraham in the good part of Hades and
the Rich man was in the bad part of Hades. The
important point is that after death they did not cease to
be aware. Death is simply the separation of the spirit
from the body. Death is not non-awareness.
King Solomon was wrong. The dead do know. So,
despite the scripture quoted from his writings to prove
that death is the same thing as non-awareness, this
doctrine does not hold up.
Stephen Boston

(53) Feb 08, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni, Namaste! This world has many
aspects to it that you and I are yet unaware of. The mind

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can create hallucinations, but not beyond its scope. The

mind cannot give you supernatural powers to write in a
language that you do not know. Considering the
coincidences involved, my educated guess would be that
the incident was real, and your father‘s soul did visit you
on that night. This is within the purview of Vedic
philosophy. Since you are an Indian, I do not need to
explain these basic philosophic concepts to you. The
concept of the eternal soul and transmigration is
explained in the second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
With best wishes,
Swami Mukundananda
Vedanta scholar, India

(54) Feb 08, 2013

Dear Mr. Soni, we would like to tell you that please do
not get overly worried or hassled by this incident. Such
things do happen in extremely rare cases. We cannot
exactly point out why it has happened. It could be a
combination of many things. There is no need to panic
or be overly excited. We suggest that you keep such
experiences private. By Lord‘s grace your parents must
be fine, you can pray for their uplift and progress on
their journey to their eternal Home in the spiritual world.
If you really need to do scientific research and go deep
into it you can contact National Institute of Mental
Health and Neurological Sciences, Bangalore which
studies such cases. We still advise you that it is not
required. Ultimately, we have to depend on the Lord
who is the complete controller of everything. He is our
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 Do Souls Exist?

Father and Friend and our ever well-wisher. We should

pray to him to guide us and engage us in his loving
service. Hope this helps you in your inquiry.
Shubha Vilas das
Vaishnava Sanyassin – Krishna-Bhakti Marg

(55) Jan 31 / Feb 08, 2013

Hello Suresh, thank you for sharing your experiences
with me. I unfortunately am unable to interpret your
experience, since it wasn‘t my own. That‘s the trouble
with paranormal / supernatural events: they are
‗experiencer-specific‘. I have personally never had such
experiences, but I entirely believe that they are real.
That‘s really all I can say. Yours,
David Gordon White
Prof.Department of Religious Studies, Tufts University,
Medford

(56) Feb 09, 2013

Dear Mr. Soni, I am not really qualified to explain what
happened to you. I am a scholar, not a guru or
psychologist or expert in unusual states of
consciousness. I can say that there is no definitive
answer to the questions you ask. Some people would
look for a way to explain away what happened to you,
not taking it seriously. I personally respect such
experiences and know that there are many possible states

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of consciousness other than those of ordinary everyday

life.
A classic collection of such experiences is in a book
called ―Cosmic Consciousness‖ by William Buck. You
might enjoy reading it. Another classic in American
psychological literature is ―The Varieties of Religious
Experience‖ by William James. Of course, there are
many works in Indian tradition, going back thousands of
years, attesting to the possibility of deep and
extraordinary states of consciousness that one can reach
through meditation and other means. Sometimes they
happen spontaneously. Sometimes there are stories about
communication with people who have died. I do not
believe you can prove anything about the existence of
souls or life after death through such an experience, and
I don‘t think such proof is the important thing.
I believe you should ask what its personal meaning is to
you. It was obviously a very profound and wonderful
experience for you. It opened up an amazing door to
something larger than you had ever experienced before,
and came in the form of communion with your father,
who at least lives on in you, whether or not there was
literally some ghost dictating to you in Urdu. You do not
have to understand what the literal truth was. I would
say just cherish it, allow yourself to be grateful for it,
and keep the question open — what does this experience
mean to me? Regards,
Linda Hess
Senior Lecturer, Department of Religious Studies,
Stanford University, USA

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 Do Souls Exist?

(57) Feb 09, 2013

Dear Soni, considering that your beliefs involve prayers
to pagan deities. I understand that you grew up with
these beliefs, and that they‘re all you know. But what
you‘re dealing with is demonic spirits. Demonic spirits
are fallen angels whose job is to harass humans. The
Christian Bible tells us that the dead know nothing. The
day we die, our thoughts and emotions perish, and we
know nothing under the sun — until the end of the
world. The dead cannot communicate with humans.
Attempting to communicate with spirits of the dead
invites demonic spirits into our lives, as do prayers said
to pagan deities. The force that surrounded you was
demonic energy. The poem you wrote was channeled
from a demonic spirit. The existence of life after death is
not a trick of the mind. Life in another realm does exist
for humans who have believed in God the Father, in
Jesus as His Son, and in the Holy Spirit during life on
earth, and who have accepted Jesus into their heart as
their personal savior.
Stacie Spielman
Paranormal Counselor, Author, United States

(58) Feb 11, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni, thank you for sending me your
interesting descriptions of your extraordinary
experience. I enjoyed reading your reflections and
questions, and they are certainly thought provoking. It
would be presumptuous for me to provide any definitive

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answers, not only because of my limited information and

the fact that I do not know you, but primarily because
some of your questions, in my view, do not lend
themselves to definite answers. I‘ll just share a little
about my approach that may be relevant, and then I‘ll
offer a few comments about your experience.
First, I‘ve always placed a high value on our human
capacity of critical thinking and the need for rational
understanding. Even after my first, youthful, formative
year in Banaras (Varanasi, Kashi), people would ask me
about my experiences of miraculous events or other
supernatural revelations, but that is not what I was
looking for. I had intensive wonderful experiences with
remarkable yogis, philosophers, etc., but I never
renounced my capacity for critical thinking that, in my
view, helps to make us human. At the same time, I do
not believe that all valuable experience of reality is
rational. I have no doubt that reason is necessary but not
sufficient, that reason is invaluable but limited, and that
human beings are capable of all kinds of non-rational
(which I distinguish from irrational) experiential
realization.
Second, I distinguish giving scientific, psychological,
social, cultural, historical, and other explanations from
interpreting the meaning and significance of our
experiences. The two are often related, but they are not
identical. Many of your questions require causal
explanatory answers (as to why you had that experience,
what caused it, etc.), but this is not always the same as
asking about the meaning and significance of that
experience.

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 Do Souls Exist?

Here are a few specific reactions to your descriptions.

I‘m particularly interested in the fact that you cannot
read or write in the Urdu language, and yet you wrote an
Urdu poem. You say that your mother knew Urdu, but
did not reveal the underlying meaning of the poem. This
is more than an explanation in which your subconscious
memory of your father and his Urdu might have led to
writing a few Urdu words. To write an Urdu poem is
much more thought provoking. Do you know the Urdu
translation of your poem, even if not the deeper
meaning? Is it syntactically and semantically coherent in
terms of the Urdu language?
There are so many suggestive things you communicate.
Of course, the occasions of Raksha Bandhan, the full
moon, Sharad Navaratri, etc., are all significant and
suggestive. I notice how many of your formulations of
this ego (―Suresh Soni‖) transcending experience
indicate an experiential passivity on your part, a letting
go of your normal self (a rapture seized you, you were a
captive of an unseen force, I could do nothing to prevent
it, I was being dictated, etc.). This can be related to the
phenomenological structure of letting go and being open
to a greater spiritual or metaphysical reality that reveals
itself, etc.
In this regard, your description of your father‘s poetic
writing and also how you wrote the Urdu poem can be
related to a view of deeper creativity, a creativity that
flows rather spontaneously when we‘ve let go of our ego
conditionings and other limiting variables.

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Your reference to this superimposed awareness was

interesting for me. As you may know, a major model or
paradigm in much of Hindu and other Indian philosophy
and religion, as seen most clearly in Shankar‘s Advaita
Vedanta, is the image of superimposition. However, the
usual model is the reverse. In ignorance, world illusion,
maya, we superimpose what is false (our ego, our spatial
and temporal causal world, etc.) onto what is true or real
(the Atman, Brahman, etc.) The spiritual goal is to
deconstruct and remove what has falsely been
superimposed in order to experience the reality that has
always been ―there.‖
I think that your final 4 questions all get at the basic
dichotomy you express: Was the incident real or was it
―faked‖ (by your subconscious, tricks of the mind,
protection against reality of death, etc.)? As you can tell
from my first two comments on my approach, I‘m not
completely comfortable with such a sharp either-or
dichotomy.
In terms of critical reflection and especially causal
explanations, I have no doubt that memories and
imagination trigger and shape unusual experiences, that
the mind does play tricks and that we have all kinds of
psychological defense mechanisms and escapes from our
existential crises, that some experiences can be classified
as hallucinations based on overall evidence and
experiential falsifications, and so forth.
Nevertheless, I‘m not such a causal reductionist, and I
do think that such causal explanations exhaust the
meaning and significance of your extraordinary

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experience. To use your Urdu poem experience, this

reminded me of numerous examples in India in which,
say, people claim that some illiterate young boy from
some village can recite the Sanskrit Vedic hymns or can-
do advanced mathematics beyond what my Ph.D.
mathematician friend can do. They then claim that this is
proof of rebirth and the existence of the soul beyond
death. My usual responses are that some of these claims
are clearly false, unsubstantiated, part of charlatans and
unethical exploiters of the poor and desperate, etc.
However, in other cases, I conclude that we simply
cannot understand all such experiences rationally or
empirically, that we have a largely undeveloped human
potential, and that we should maintain an open mind
about some ―weird‖ experiences (without concluding
that they scientifically or conclusively prove rebirth,
etc.).
Many of your fascinating questions are like that for me.
I‘m always fascinating by how incredible our universe of
experience is, and how there are so many signs, images,
symbols, and other contents of human experience that
are there for us to become conscious of, to decipher, to
interpret, and to formulate in an open-ended, creative
process of self-constituting and world-constituting
reality. I‘d better stop now. I realize that I haven‘t given
you definitive or final answers, but I hope that some of
my observations may be helpful. With best regards,
Douglas Allen
Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy,
The Maples, University of Maine, Orono, Maine 04469
USA

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

(59) Feb 11, 2013

Suresh, here is my response to your questions:
“The incident was so real that I cannot dismiss it as
false. Knowing that this incident is questionable, please
allow me, to ask from you, the following questions for
my clarification.”
(1) Are such incidents hallucinations or a testimony that
the spirit of the dead exists?
In my twenty-two years of investigating the afterlife –
including the receiving of hundreds of similar instances
such as yours, I can tell you that the way you described
your experience would have been a visitation from a
friendly spirit who wanted to transmit a message to you.
There is absolutely nothing foreign to the experience of
an afterlife visit. I‘ve even had some of them stating of
the hearing a friendly voice telepathically transmitting a
personal message. So, your experience is consistent with
those many who had similar experiences by way of
feeling surrounded by a friendly force … subsequently
some of them even had that spirit visitation conformed
when they visited a reliable medium.
(2) Do memories or imagination trigger such weird
incidents?
No, it is not my understanding that memories or
imagination can trigger that kind of an experience. This
is especially where there is evidence of an external
intervening variable.

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 Do Souls Exist?

(3) Does the mind play tricks to strengthen the belief that
life exists after death?
I have never come across that kind of brain-trick
scenario. I do not accept that the mind on its own can
create that particular scenario you experienced. The
mind can play tricks, but not to that extent. We also have
to keep in mind that there could be an external force – a
spirit entity – who could be trying to influence the mind
upon certain matters – e.g., the afterlife. But that would
mean there is an external influence on the mind.
(4) Or, Is it a psychological shield of immortality created
by the mind to confront the reality of death, which is a
constant threat to mortal life?
Again, whilst the mind has limited capacity to elicit
certain psychological matters, your particular experience
would have been the influence of an external entity – the
mind cannot do it on its own. Otherwise, millions of
other people around the world would have had similar
experience.
Victor James Zammit
Ex-Solicitor – Supreme Court of New South Wales and
the High Court of Australia, author of „A lawyer
presents the case for the afterlife‟

(60) Feb 12, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Thank you for contacting us. We‘re sure
you understand that with all the demands on Mr.
Walsch‘s time, in addition to his writing and public
speaking schedules, it is not possible for him to respond

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to the hundreds of people who write weekly, wanting to

speak with him personally. There was a time when it
was possible for him to stretch himself to do some of
this. However, the requests keep coming in and he is no
longer able to keep up with them.
If you are willing to work with others trained by Neale,
there is help and support for your questions. Have you
heard of The Changing Change Network? It grew out of
Neale‘s book ―When Everything Changes, Change
Everything,‖ and they focus on helping others through
difficult times. Membership is FREE, so please consider
joining! The people there are very patient, and work
very hard to understand what is being said.
We would ask you, if you decide to join, to copy/paste
your questions and re-post them in one of the forums.
We would recommend the ―Reaching Out‖ forum.
Simply choose ―Add a Topic‖ and begin! They promise
to respond within 24 hours. This is a very challenging
time for you, and we honestly believe that the WECCE
tools can help you with a Spiritual perspective and
understanding. We hope you will see if they can help
you in any way, and hope you will join the wonderful
people. Blessings,
The Walsch Support Team
A Healing community

(61) Feb 12, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni, there was a time when I would feel
qualified to answer your detailed question, because back

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then I believed in the worldview of Theosophy.

Nowadays, I am not so sure anymore and try to live and
find meaning in a this-worldly life. So sorry I can‘t be of
any more help to you but I wish you well. Met
vriendelijkegroet | Kind regards,
Frank Visser
A Dutch author of several books, Theosophist and
Psychologist of religion

(62) Feb 13, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni ~ Thank you for your message. My
apologies for not replying sooner, but I have been
travelling, and have a heavy academic load at present.
The world is a very strange place, and we understand
little of it, and I really have no firm answers to your
questions, other than to say that I have no reason to
doubt that such things, as you narrate them, can indeed
happen, and that what other people make of them is
unimportant. Such questions have been debated for the
last century in parapsychology, with no resolution. The
recommendation I would make, if I may, is for you to
seek out a guru who could guide you in such matters.
Best wishes,
Sonu Shamdasani
A London-based author, Editor, and Professor at the
UCL Centre for the History of Medicine, University
College London

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(63) Feb 13, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Please accept my best wishes. All glories
to SrilaPrabhupada. Yes, it is hundred per cent possible
that a person who is close to us, reappears again and
inspires us. There are many accounts of this. One which
I remember is that a deceased father who had huge
unpaid debt, appeared before his son and gave him
directions to pay the debt on his behalf so that he would
be free from karmic responsibilities. Your case is a little
different, but such things are well possible. Wishing you
all the best and lots of spiritual strength I‘m sending you
herewith a little something I wrote.
Sacinandana Swami
Hindu Monk- Bhagti Marg, teaches at the Vrindavana
Institute for Higher Education in India and the
Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium.

(64) Feb 13, 2013

Hello Suresh ~ I have passed your email onto our
Council members and they feel that none of them are
qualified to answer your questions. Personally, I think
that someone in the science field such as a psychologist
could possibly answer your questions as they deal with
issues of the mind and why such incidents occur.
Regards
Judy de Leeuwen
Office Manager, New Zealand Association of Rationalist
& Humanists

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 Do Souls Exist?

***
As an open-minded, genuine seeker wanting to know
reality, I requested them to have a re-look. Their
response dated Feb. 15, 2013 is as under:
One of our members has recommended you read the
following book: ‗The Believing Brain‟ by Michael
Shermer. He says it deals very well with incidents like
the one you have experienced ~ Judy

(65) Feb 15, 2013

When I see myself in such dilemmas, and find myself
without a plausible explanation (not that you must stop
exploring the explanation), I try to develop an attitude
where I consider this as a gift of God that gives me the
feeling that I am being blessed. This often I find is
soothing and gives peace to mind.
Dr (Col) V K Wadia, VSM, MBBS, MCSEPI,
MACCA (USA)
A medical doctor, sexologist, Delhi, India

(66) Feb 15, 2013

To: Suresh Soni ~ Greetings, I‘m sorry, but I cannot be
of help in interpreting your experience. I am taking the
liberty of forwarding it to a colleague, and if she has any
comments, she can send them directly to you. With best
wishes,
Howard Gardner
Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard
Graduate School of Education, Cambridge
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 Suresh Kumar Soni

(67) Feb 16, 2013

Dear Sir ~ Thank you for writing to us. Our sincere
apologies for the colossal delay in reverting to your
queries. From what we could understand from your mail,
you surely had an unusual experience and no one could
deny that fact. However, to explain the mystery
surrounding your experience is a totally different thing.
What is this experience? This is a difficult question to
answer. Our discussion and inquest conclude that one or
more of the following could be your experience:
(1) Divine Experience- God could give you this
experience
(2) Demonic Experience- Devil could give you the
experience
(3) Psychosomatic experience- caused by stress or any
other internal conflict
(4) Fantasizing Subconscious Mind- An experience
driven by the subconscious mind which fantasize your
father as a hero or as a role model
(5) Hallucination caused by drugs, alcohol etc. or
(6) Due to any other reason.
We feel that it would be imprudent to conclude the
source and reason for this unusual experience based on
the matter shared in the email. Therefore, before coming
to any conclusion there should be in depth examination
and investigation, which is difficult at this stage. Below

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 Do Souls Exist?

are our comments to the specific questions that you have

put forward in the mail regarding your experience.
Are such incidents hallucinations or a testimony that the
spirit of the dead exists?
Those who believe in God also believe in life after death
and the existence of the spirit of the dead. Every religion
whether Hindu, Christian, Muslim or any other believe
in life after death in one form or the other. However, this
incident does not give sufficient evidence to prove the
fact that ‗the spirit of the dead exists‘. To determine
whether this was a hallucination require further
examination into one‘s personality, temperament, habits,
influence of drugs or alcohol, circumstances etc.
Do memory or imagination trigger such weird incidents?
It has been observed that dreams and visions occur to
people who have a fantasizing mind. People who
fantasize their own death, life after death or frequently
imagine about heaven and hell have a higher chance of
having dreams and visions of such things they fantasize.
Human memory or imagination could trigger such
unusual experiences. However, your case requires
deeper examination to determine the reason behind such
an experience.
Does the mind play tricks to strengthen the belief that
life exists after death?
Mind does not play ‗tricks‘ to make you a strong
believer in life after death. However, there are other
forces that could influence your mind to believe or
disbelieve in such things. Both God and Satan can use

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mind as a source of beliefs. The Bible teaches that God

has revealed all that is required for mankind in the Word
of God, the Bible. Therefore, there is no need for
specific revelations and vision from God to make one
believe in life after death. However, Devil who is the
deceiver could deceive one‘s mind to strengthen or
weaken your faith in life after death. But it is not
necessary that all our dreams and visions are from Devil,
as it could be due to many other reasons which need
further investigation.
Or is it a psychological shield of immorality created by
mind to confront the realty of death, which is a constant
threat to life? Human mind is a factory of imaginations.
It has the amazing faculty to be creative or destructive.
Every scientific invention started as a thought from some
one‘s mind. When our mind is continuously bound on a
certain topic, chances are high that we may have dreams
or visions related to that topic. People with melancholic
temperament like poets and artists are prone to have such
experiences as they continuously imagine fictional
things. The subconscious mind at a later stage may
trigger these thoughts, resulting in dreams and visions.
Those who fear death may experience frightening
dreams about their last moments on this earth. However,
it has been observed that those who continuously
imagine and positively look forward about their life in
heaven may end up having comforting and peaceful
dreams about their life after death. Yes, as you pointed
out, death is a constant threat to this earthly life. But at
the same time, it is the gateway to a completely different
world. The thought about life after death is a great matter

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of hope for those who have assurance of heaven. No one

can deny the reality of death. It comes as an uninvited
guest in our life and in our dear one‘s life. But one thing
is sure- death is not the end, it‘s only a beginning. We
would like to sign off with this important question- Are
you prepared to face this reality of death with peace,
hope and confidence of heaven? God bless you.
Support Team, Answer to life,
A group, which provides meaningful answers to life‟s
various questions, Bangalore, India

(68) Feb 16, 2013

Hi Suresh ~ Instead of replying to you personally David
Lane wrote an essay touching upon the topic you raised
~ Hope that helps. Met vriendelijkegroet | Kind regards
~ Frank Visser
David Lane‘s Essay On The Questioned Raised By You
Geometric Philosophy
(Written by David Christopher Lane, Ph.D. Professor of
Philosophy, Mt. San Antonio College Lecturer in
Religious Studies, California State University, Long
Beach Author of Exposing Cults: When the Skeptical
Mind Confronts the Mystical (New York and London:
Garland Publishers, 1994) and The Radhasoami
Tradition: A Critical History of Guru Succession (New
York and London: Garland Publishers, 1992).
It is easy to have visions when one is meditating,
provided one hasn‘t slept for a couple of days.
Hypnagogic is usually defined as the ―transitional state

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to and from sleep‖ can induce all sorts of fantastic

apparitions and strange admixtures of light and sound.
However, how one ultimately interprets these passing
phantasms seems to be directly correlated with theoretic
prefiguring.
John Lilly, who was famous for his pioneering studies
on how consciousness behaves when deprived of
incoming stimuli, came to realize that preset modeling
played a transformative role in how one ultimately
viewed inner experiences, whether induced by spiritual
practices or hallucinogenic. His findings indicated that
there was an almost intractable problem confronting the
scientific study of the mind because,
―Your theories or explanations will determine which
experiences you will or will not have, no matter what
experiments you perform. It is difficult to test a theory in
this realm if other beliefs limit the range of available
experiences.‖
For instance, on occasion when I meditate at night and I
haven‘t had sufficient sleep I have very lucid visions of
all sorts of phenomena. They appear just as real as
anything I witness in the waking state, but these
experiences are transpiring with my eyes completely
closed. Once I saw a wonderful cascading shower of
rain, filled with different colors, and it literally felt as if
water drops were bathing my face. Phenomenologically
speaking, I would be hard pressed to differentiate this
hypnagogic state from what my normal waking
awareness.

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Yet, I am quite familiar with visual hallucinations and

thus I don‘t take such liquid displays too seriously and I
certainly don‘t give them any special meaning. However,
and here is where Lilly‘s understanding of theoretic
prefiguring looms large, if I followed or believed in a
different paradigm which took such lucidities as
signposts of a higher spirituality (such as with Eckankar
or MSIA which places a high value on lucid dreaming) I
would most likely interpret such phantasms in a more
positive and significant light.
John Lilly provides us with a telling example, as
recounted in his autobiography,
―In profound isolation, one may have the experience that
other people are present, or that one is receiving
communications from sources outside the tank. What
one makes of these experiences depends on one‘s
beliefs. A person who believes in telepathy is likely to
conclude that the messages are actually coming from
someone or something at a distance from the tank.
Within such a belief system, the experience will be
perceived as real. On the other hand, someone who does
not believe in telepathy, having the same basic
experience, will perceive the experience as unreal,
perhaps calling it an ‗hallucination.‘‖
Interestingly, when John Lilly had mystical experiences
of what he perceived as other worldly beings in his
sensory deprivation tank (after taking mind-altering
drugs, such as Ketamine), he argued strongly for their
ontological objectivity. Whereas, Richard Feynman, the
Nobel prize winner in physics for his work on quantum

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electrodynamics, who had similar experiences as Lilly

(they were friends) labeled his out of body excursions as
―hallucinations.‖ Feynman‘s categorical dismissal
miffed Lilly who then criticized him in a personal letter
with the terse rebuttal, ―you stopped being a scientist the
instant you said that word, hallucination.‖
Feynman countered Lilly‘s assertion by pointing out that
whatever out-of-body experiences he was having (and
Feynman recalls becoming very good at) didn‘t correlate
to the outside world, even when undergoing the
dissociation, he thought they did. It was for this reason
that he tried to convince Lilly that ―the imagination that
things are real does not represent true reality. If you see
golden globes, or something, several times, and they talk
to you during your hallucination and tell you they are
another intelligence, it doesn‘t mean they‘re another
intelligence; it just means that you have had this
particular hallucination…. I believe there‘s nothing in
hallucinations that has anything to do with anything
external to the internal psychological state of the person
who‘s got the hallucination.‖
Feynman‘s viewpoint, of course, is also underlined in
the Bardo Thodol (or more famously known in the West
as the Tibetan Book of the Dead), which also describes
the illusory nature of such inner encounters. Evans-
Wentz summarizes the Buddhist viewpoint thusly, that
all phenomena are transitory, are illusionary, are unreal,
and non-existent save in the sangsaric mind perceiving
them. . . That in reality there are no such beings
anywhere as gods, or demons, or spirits, or sentient
creatures — all alike being phenomena dependent upon

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a cause. That this cause is a yearning or a thirsting after

sensation, after the unstable sangsaric existence.‖
John Lilly countered Feynman by arguing ―that the word
hallucination is a trash-bin concept for a whole range of
experiences that people wish to discount because they
are unconventional or difficult to describe. The term is
an unscientific generalization that confuses a multitude
of significant processes and specific experiences
involving internal reality.‖
This apparently indissoluble impasse (mysticism vs.
neurology? or superluminal vs. mundane?) has
implications that are more far reaching and paradoxical
than one might at first suspect. A pregnant illustration of
this is how a limited purview can actually tripwire an
erstwhile rationalist into believing something contrary to
their usual commonsense. As Lilly explains, ―A
behaviorist, usually the most skeptical and hard-boiled
sort of psychologist, might enter the [deprivation] tank
with the belief that nothing can happen in the brain
without some external stimulus as the cause. Should an
experience occur which appears to come from a source
outside his own head, but with no such possible source
nearby, such a person might then be forced to adopt a
belief in telepathy in order to explain it. Within the
belief system of the behaviorist, this becomes the only
acceptable explanation for such phenomena in a
framework that does not allow for any inner experience
or even hallucinations. Paradoxically, then, a person who
does not even believe in the psyche may end up
believing in ‗psychic communication.‘‖

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What is so unusual about this theoretic prefiguring is

that, if it not closely guarded and checked, it can have
devastating personal and political consequences, such
that a relatively normal and sane person could be
diagnosed as psychotic not because of their experiences
per se, but by not proffering the politically correct map
by which to adjudicate it.
As Lilly insightfully foretells, ―Any normal, healthy
person could have unusual experiences that would seem
real if they believed in them [but] if he did not believe in
them, the experiences would seem unreal.‖ In either case
the experience is the same, but the interpretative model
is different in each. If, however, ―such a person believes
in the reality of the experience and communicates this
belief to a psychiatrist, the psychiatrist would conclude
that the individual was hallucinating and might be
psychotic.‖
However, on the other end of the spectrum (as Lilly
point outs) if the patient describes an unusual experience
and professes not to believe in its reality, then this same
―psychiatrist might be less inclined to assume mental
pathology.‖
This then leads us to a most unusual ―neural paradox‖
wherein one is judged not by the experience itself but
rather by one‘s ―beliefs or opinions about his
experience.‖ Yet in most cases these set of beliefs (or
more properly worldviews) were already in place before
one had any inner experiences whatsoever. Lilly soon
realized after his fantastical encounters of other beings
and other universes (frighteningly retold his classic

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book, The Center of the Cyclone) that how one

recounted the experience (as a believer in their reality or
as merely an unreal hallucination) made all the
difference in how the outside listener judged his relative
sanity.
More importantly, however, was how one personally
regarded such experiences, since some inner journeys
were so utterly horrific that those who saw them as
merely hallucinatory night terrors could liquidate their
gnawing fears by recognizing their dream-like and
unreal nature. But others who firmly believed that such
excursions could be caught in a hellish nightmare from
which it appeared impossible to escape.
As Lilly astutely summarized, ―[such] explanations and
theories are really beliefs about the universe and the
mind. A particular belief may or may not be true, may or
may not cause one to act in a certain way, but that belief
will unquestionably set limits on what one can
experience.‖
How then can a science of consciousness proceed if at
the very outset our neural prefiguring already contours
our eventual adventures of the mind? John Lilly‘s
answer to that query has now become his most cited
philosophical witticism:
―In the province of the mind, what is believed to be true
is true or becomes true, within certain limits to be found
experientially and experimentally. These limits are
further beliefs to be transcended. In the province of the
mind, there are no limits.‖

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In other words, if consciousness is a virtual simulator,

then it can potentially simulate anything given the
necessary information. The glitch here, however, is that
a simulating brain is invariably bounded by what it
believes to be possible, particularly in a society which by
its very structure tends to limit what can be plausibly
accepted at any one particular point in time and space.
Breaking through such psychological and cultural
boundary lines is, of course, a daunting task since such
taboo breaking makes one a potential outcast. It is also
dangerous since there is a fine line between acting as if
something ―may be real‖ versus acting as if something
―is indeed‖ real.
Richard Feynman cautioned his would-be scientists at
Cal Tech on their graduation day that ―The first principle
is that you must not fool yourself–and you are the easiest
person to fool.‖ While this is certainly helpful advice,
the problem is that our brains were designed to trick us
from the very start since every experience we have of the
world both within and without isn‘t as Kant pointed out
centuries prior ―the thing in itself‖ but rather the end-
result of filtering process which invariably colors
whatever we see and hear and touch around us.
The recognition that the mind is a simulator par
excellence doesn‘t liberate us from its unceasing
simulations, since even that recognition is part and
parcel a simulation as well. We are living in a neural
paradox which may be likened to an endless hall of
mirrors where what think we recognize as real and
substantive may on closer inspection be merely an image
of an image of an image, ad infinitum.

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(69) Feb 17, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni ~ Thank you for your wonderful
account. We in the academy cannot say whether you
have indeed made contact with your father, or what these
experiences mean for those who have them. We do know
that they are not entirely uncommon, and that they are
powerful. You might explore a great book by William
James, the Varieties of Religious Experience, and a less
great but still quite useful collection by Etzel Cardena
and others, The Varieties of Unusual Experiences. My
own website carries some research on these phenomena.
I would be honored if you would post this experience
there. Thank you again, best
Tanya Marie Luhrmann
The Watkins University Professor in the Stanford
Anthropology Department, acclaimed author of „Of Two
Mind‟

(70) Feb 17, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni ~ I am sorry for not responding
sooner. I read your experience, but I do not consider
myself an expert in the area and don‘t believe my
opinion on such matters should carry special weight.
Generally, my view is that survival after bodily death
requires personal identity and that a necessary condition
(and perhaps also a sufficient condition) of personal
identity is bodily identity (however that is to be
understood). Therefore, since the body does not exist
after bodily death then survival is not possible. How then

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can I explain your experience? I can‘t other than to

conjecture and as I said my opinion should carry no
special weight. I have not done any research to speak of
on psychical research, but from what I have read I do not
rule out the possibility of the experience that you had,
but when it comes to an interpretation of it, I am at a
loss. I am sorry to be unable to answer your questions,
but if I had the experience, I would happily interpret it as
your father communicating with you after his bodily
death. It is a comforting interpretation and if you were
wrong then you will never know it. Sincerely, yours
Nathan Oaklander
David M. French Distinguished Professor of Philosophy,
at the University of Michigan-Flint

(71) Feb 18, 2013

Hi Suresh ~ Yes, experiences like this are powerful and
feel very real. I do not dismiss them as illusion. Yet I
also cannot explain what is happening. They remain a
mystery to me. Sometimes we just need to accept that
we do not know. Sorry not to be able to help you further.
Peter Russell
M.A., D.C.S. F.S.P. British author of ten books on
spiritual significance, producer of three films on
consciousness; He is one of the leading thinkers on
consciousness and contemporary spirituality.

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(72) Feb 18, 2013

Dear friend ~ Muslims do believe in such events. There
are many books with this topic but most of them are
Persian or Arabic. But I think the most valuable resource
is Koran. As an example, I narrate some verses of
Koran:
They question you about the spirit, say: „The spirit is
from the command of my lord; except for a little
knowledge you have been given nothing.‟
Chapter 17: AL-ISRA (ISRA‘) – Juz‘ 15
Say: „the angel of death, who has been given charge of
you will gather you then to your lord you shall be
returned‟
Chapter 32: AS-SAJDA (THE PROSTRATION)
Allah takes away souls at the time of their death (the
temporary death of sleep), and those who do not die
during their sleep he withholds that upon which he has
decreed death, but turns lose the other till a stated term.
Surely, there are signs in this for a nation who
contemplate
Chapter 39: AZ-ZUMAR (THE TROOPS)
Every soul shall taste death. We will try you with a trial
of evil and good. Then, to us you shall be returned
Chapter 21: AL-ANBIYA (THE PROPHETS)
AlinaghiJahromi,
Iran

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(73) Feb 18, 2013

Dear Suresh Soni ji ~ What you experienced some ten
years ago looks very interesting, a bit mysterious and
does need some inquiry. I am not the best person to
answer your 4 questions. Normally I too would be
interested to know clarifications. But these questions and
such inquiry are not my priority. I would suggest that
you too should not be exercised about such things. Just
enjoy, more important issues are: glaring injustices of
exploitation and socio- economic disparity. Let us talk.
Yours Sincerely
Swami Agnivesh
Social activist, 7, Jantar Mantar Road, New Delhi-
110001 (India)

(74) Feb 19, 2013

Hi Suresh ~ I read your mail till the end. And I‘m
speechless. Maybe you have a certain proof of the
existence of life beyond death. Your case is not the first
in this kind, cuz the phenomena who we had here is
called ―Automatic Writing‖. Definitely there are no
hallucinations, but the testimony by itself also aren´t
certain proof of the existence of live after death. Maybe
your subconscious mind had the poem previously
recorded, and it manifested after your dad´s death
because your mind reactivates all the memories in
relation with him after the incident. There‘s no
imagination involved here for sure. Actually, the mind
generates certain images and memories after the death of

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a relative to ―be in peace with her soul‖ (or maybe ours).

But the cases of automatic writing won´t fix with this
case, because you are conscious all the experience. I
can´t have the ultimate word so I put your experience on
the blog as you suggested to let the readers see the
anecdote. Thanks
Alejandro
Rincon Paranormal

(75) Feb 21, 2013

Hi Suresh ~ Thanks for forwarding this inspiring email. I
will present it to my readers for their opinions. As for
my opinion….
(1) Are such incidents hallucinations or a testimony that
the spirit of the dead exists?
I tend to believe that the spirits of the dead, if only for a
brief period of time remain on our plane of existence.
(2) Do memories or imagination trigger such weird
incidents?
Memories and imagination may enhance an incident….
unless it is a self-induced manifestation or thought-form.
(3) Does the mind play tricks to strengthen the belief that
life exists after death?
I think that depends on the person actual belief in the
after-life. The brain has a tendency to reinforce current
resolve.

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(4) Or, Is it a psychological shield of immortality created

by the mind to confront the reality of death, which is a
constant threat to mortal life?
I can‘t really answer that…this is, in my opinion, based
solely on the individual.
Lon Strickler
A paranormal / spiritual researcher who writes and
mentors on a variety of supernatural & esoteric subjects,
Baltimore

(76) Feb 21, 2013

Thank you for writing to Dr. Sacks. We do print out
emails for him to read, but we regret that, due to the
volume of mail he receives, he is unable to reply
personally. Best wishes
Kate Edgar
On behalf of Dr OLIVER SACKS, M.D, Professor of
Neurology, NYU School of Medicine, author of New
York Times best seller „Hallucinations‟ New York

(77) Feb 21, 2013

I am sorry, but I do not have anything useful to say
about your experience. With best wishes,
T. M. Scanlon, Jr.
Professor, Department of philosophy, Harvard
University, USA

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(78) Feb 22, 2013

Thank you for writing to the Richard Dawkins
Foundation for Reason and Science. Your email will be
read by a real person but due to the volume of mail we
receive we can‘t reply to each one individually. Please
note that attachments and web links will not be opened.
Regards,
Suzy
Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
(US)

(79) Feb 22, 2013

I am dealing with much personal business right now and
will not have time to respond for at least a month. Sorry.
Bob Carroll
The Skeptics Dictionary, exploring beliefs, deceptions
and delusions

(80) Feb 22, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Thank you very much for sharing your
story with us and for your interest in the Immortality
Project. Unfortunately, we are not qualified to answer
the questions you pose. Some of the research by this
project is very much focused on the issues your story
raises. Please continue to pay attention to our website
and to further developments in the project. We are still
in the early stages of the grant and hope that some of the

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research that comes out of the project will shed some

light on these interesting and complex issues. Best
Ben Mitchell-Yellin, PhD
Postdoc, Immortality Project US

(81) Feb 22, 2013

Hello ~ Thank you for submitting an e-mail to Penn‘s
Sunday School. I may not have the time to reply to every
letter we receive, but I do read through every e-mail and
pick the best ones of the week to read to Penn on the air.
If you are selected or not, feel free to continue to send in
your questions to Penn ~
Dustin Knouse, PSS Editor
Penn Jillette, is an American illusionist, comedian,
musician, best-selling author

(82) Feb 22, 2013

It sounds to me that you had a very intense experience.
I‘m afraid that I do not have anything much to add,
however.
David Danks
Associate Professor of Philosophy and Psychology
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh

(83) Feb 22, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Thank you for your mail and I am sorry
that you have lost both your mother and your father and

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your tale is indeed a strange one. The reason why we

have not responded to your previous email is that we feel
somewhat uncomfortable doing so. We are not an
organization that provide answers to problems such as
these. We are an organization that train philosophers to
work in schools with children and teachers to engage
them with philosophical problems and issues. But at the
heart of what we do is not to tell them answers and solve
problems but to encourage them to engage with the
issues for themselves by the application of rational
thought through discussions with one another.
One reason why we resist answering such questions is
because they are notoriously difficult to answer
definitively. Whatever I say, you will have to make
sense of it anyway. All I can do is point you in certain
directions to explore further, for yourself, the questions
and issues that haunt you Also, many of your questions
are probably better answered by psychological research
rather than philosophy. The philosopher David Hume
wrote a famous paper called ‗Of Miracles‘ which I think
will address some of your concerns and much has been
written in response to this paper since. Have a look at it
and some of the responses and then decide what you
think of ‗testimony‘ as a reliable method of knowledge
about supernatural events. Also, the issue of the
‗authority of personal experience‘ as a reliable access to
knowledge about such events is also worth looking into.
The psychologist Richard Wiseman has written a good
deal on all the issues you are interested in, but I must
warn you: he is a sceptic and thinks that there are
rational explanations for pretty much all supernatural

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occurrences. However, he does draw upon research to

back up his claims. I‘ve read his book ‗Paranormality‘.
It is very possible that you will find my response
unsatisfactory, but you will not find answers from what
other people say. In the end the answers must come from
you because you have to decide, or make sense of, what
happened and what anyone may tell you. In order to do
this, you could undergo some form of therapy such as
psycho-analysis or some kind of counselling. Of course,
this may not be necessary but it could be helpful. I hope
this affords you some help. All the best
Peter Worley
The Philosophy Foundation, 10 Hennel Close, Forest
Hill SE23 2NT

(84) Feb 23, 2013

Dear Soni Suresh ~ I am not sure why you think I would
be well equipped to answer your questions. I am sorry to
say that I know nothing of the phenomena of which you
speak. I hope somebody else might be better equipped to
help. Very best,
Fanny Söderbäck, PhD
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Siena College, School
of Liberal Arts, Loudonville NY, 12211

(85) Feb 24, 2013

It sounds likely that what you had was a Oneness
Experience, where you and all of creation are one. These

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are usually spontaneous. You can find quite a bit of

information on the web written by people who have
experienced them. Namaste,
Mickey
Light Source P‟taah

(86) Feb 26, 2013

Hi, Suresh ~ Thank you for writing to the Spirit Masters
who answered your question today on Facebook:
Reincarnation Guide. We are glad you chose to contact
the Masters. We hope their answer is helpful to you.
Thanks, and best wishes
Questions: Masters: (1) Does the spirit of the dead
exist? (2) Do memories or imagination trigger their
presence? (3) Does the mind play tricks to strengthen
the belief that life exists after death? (4) Or, a
psychological shield of immortality is created by the
mind to confront the reality of death? ~Suresh, India
Answer: We must start out this discussion with the fact
that all humans are really souls, particles broken off
from Source energy, who are having a physical
experience. The bodies you see are just like a suit of
clothing they have adopted for their time on Earth. When
the physical body wears out, or the soul decides it has
had enough of that particular life, it leaves the physical
shell behind and goes back to its energetic form where it
can go anywhere it wills. What you call a spirit we call a
soul. It never dies or ceases to exist; it just changes form.

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It has the ability to make itself known to those on Earth

if it chooses.
All of your other questions deal with the purely physical
aspects of a human body. Each deal with a concept that
the thinking brain might want to understand or of which
it might demand scientific proof of existence. Once the
soul has shed the body that is controlled by the mind, it
instantly knows everything and can communicate with
all other souls. You want a judgment of something being
or not being; we just are.
You are talking about accepting a belief that cannot be
proven scientifically but must be felt. Human beliefs are
gathered together mostly by things that have been said
by others sharing the life cycle with you. To answer how
you feel about death, reincarnation (returning for another
life), or the immortality of the soul, you have to go into
your own feelings, not the scripted statements of others.
Just as you can‘t scientifically prove love, or even the
existence of electricity, except by the results they
produce, you cannot physically document immortality.
If you are open enough to the possibility of
communication between humans on Earth and souls not
on Earth, you may get a feeling or a knowing that souls
are eternal and have done the human journey many
times. This comes from a gut feeling, an intuition, or an
evaluation of the facts and messages you receive. After
all, you addressed these questions to us. We are with
Source; therefore, we are nonphysical and eternal.
Toni Ann Wenninger, and Peter Watson Jenkins

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(87) Feb 27, 2013

Dear Soni Suresh ~ Thank you so much for contacting
CARM and your interest in this ministry. The linked
article below may help to answer your question:
http:carm.org/soul-cease-exist-after-death
Does The Soul Cease To Exist After Death? ~ by Matt
Slick
No, the soul does not cease to exist after death. The
Bible clearly teaches us in the New Testament that we
continue on after death. We will go over those
Scriptures, but before we do, those who affirm soul sleep
often refer to the Old Testament and obtain their doctrine
from it alone.
 Eccl. 9.5, For the living know they will die; but
the dead do not know anything, nor have they any
longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten.‖
 Eccl. 12.7, ―then the dust will return to the earth
as it was, and the spirit will return to God who
gave it.‖
Often, the case with people who hold this position and
refer to Ecclesiastes forget the context. The first three
verses of Ecclesiastes say,
―The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in
Jerusalem. 2 ―Vanity of vanities,‖ says the Preacher,
―Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.‖ 3 What advantage
does man have in all his work which he does under the
sun?‖
Notice that he is writing about things from a human
perspective, from that which is ―under the sun.‖ He is

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not providing doctrinal statements about life after death.

From the human perspective, when you die the dead
don‘t know anything in that the spirit returns to God who
gave it. But neither one of these statements means that
the soul ceases to exist. Of course, the pro-soul sleep
advocate will say that ―the dead not knowing anything‖
means they don‘t exist. But again, this is written from
the perspective of people on earth. Also, we do not
interpret the New Testament in light of the Old. It is the
New Testament that interprets the Old Testament. This
is why we look to what the word of God says in totality.
Matthew 17:1-8
―And six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James
and John his brother, and brought them up to a high
mountain by themselves. 2 And He was transfigured
before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His
garments became as white as light. 3 And behold, Moses
and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 And
Peter answered and said to Jesus, ―Lord, it is good for us
to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles
here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for
Elijah.‖ 5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright
cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the
cloud, saying, ―This is my beloved Son, with whom I am
well-pleased; listen to Him!‖ 6 And when the disciples
heard this, they fell on their faces and were much afraid.
7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said,
―Arise, and do not be afraid.‖ 8 And lifting up their eyes,
they saw no one, except Jesus Himself alone.‖

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This is known as the Transfiguration of Christ. What is

important to note is that Moses and Elijah were both
alive in there, so to speak, dead state. In other words,
they are not united in their resurrected bodies because
the general resurrection has not yet happened. Therefore,
we can clearly see that there are at least two people who
are alive, after death, who are not in their physical
bodies.
Luke 16:19-31
―Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually
dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor
every day. 20 ―And a certain poor man named Lazarus
was laid at his gate, covered with sores, 21 and longing
to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the
rich man‘s table; besides, even the dogs were coming
and licking his sores. 22 ―Now it came about that the
poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to
Abraham‘s bosom; and the rich man also died and was
buried. 23 ―And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in
torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his
bosom. 24 ―And he cried out and said, ‗Father Abraham,
have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip
the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for
I am in agony in this flame.‘ 25 ―But Abraham said,
‗Child, remember that during your life you received your
good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now
he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. 26
‗And besides all this, between us and you there is a great
chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come over
from here to you may not be able, and that none may
cross over from there to us.‘ 27 ―And he said, ‗Then I

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beg you, Father, that you send him to my father‘s

house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn
them, lest they also come to this place of torment.‘ 29
―But Abraham *said, ‗They have Moses and the
Prophets; let them hear them.‘ 30 ―But he said, ‗No,
Father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the
dead, they will repent!‘ 31 ―But he said to him, ‗If they
do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they
be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.‘‖
We can see in the story of Lazarus and the rich man that
after each have died, both were conscious and self-
aware. Jesus is obviously teaching that the soul survives
after death. Still, there are those who will say that this is
a parable. Of course, the problem with this theory is that
parables don‘t have proper names in them. In this case
there is a specific individual named: Lazarus. Also, if it
were a parable, then what is Jesus saying with the
illustration of consciousness after death and before the
resurrection? The most logical answer is that Jesus was
teaching us that there is life after death.
2 Cor. 5:8
―We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be
absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.‖
Paul is telling us that he would rather be outside of his
body, ―absent from the body,‖ and be at home with the
Lord. If soul sleep is a true doctrine, then how is it
possible to be outside of the body and also be home with
the Lord? It wouldn‘t make any sense.
2 Cor. 12:1-4.

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―Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I

will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I
know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether
in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not
know, God knows—such a man was caught up to the
third heaven. 3 And I know how such a man—whether
in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God
knows— 4 was caught up into Paradise, and heard
inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to
speak.‖
In order to properly understand this section of Scripture
we need to know what is meant by the term ―third
heaven.‖ In the Jewish theology there were three
―heavens.‖ The first heaven deals with the atmospheric
region. The second heaven deals with the region of outer
space. The third heaven is God‘s dwelling place.
So, when Paul says that knew someone who was caught
up to the third heaven, he was speaking about entering
into that dwelling place of God. What is important is that
it occurred either in the body or out of the body of which
he did not know. If soul sleep is a true doctrine, it could
not be said that such a person who is outside of his body
(who had died), was also with God at the same time. It
just wouldn‘t make any sense. Therefore, soul sleep is
wrong.
I know this article only partially answers your question.
If you would like to get a better explanation of what
happened to you, I would highly recommend this book:
―Death of a Guru‖ by Rabi Maharaj. It is an easy read; I
just think it would really help you. If this does not fully

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answer your question, Matt invites you to call in to

CARM radio. We apologize for the time it took to
acknowledge your email. CARM is working with limited
staff. Your input is appreciated.
Linda
CARM Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry,
Portland, Oregon

(88) March 02, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Namasteji. Thanks for sharing this well-
articulated sharing. Sorry it has taken some time to
respond. I find your narrative quite compelling and I will
response from personal ((experience)) as well as from
my years as a philosopher teachings Hindu and Buddhist
Thought, Zen Philosophy and deep from the evolving
European and Greek traditions of Wisdom. Socrates, in a
classic dialogue, as he was about to drink the hemlock
(his execution in prison) taught his disciples the
((Immortality of the Soul)). Descartes, in his great
((Meditations)) sought to prove the Immortality of
((soul)) …. This runs through the Gita, through
Buddha‘s teachings…and across the planet. The
collective ((Wisdom)) of the Planet converges on the
consensus that ((Life)) does not /end/- the Primal Field
of Reality, whatever name we use- Tao, Aum, Brahman,
Yahweh, Allah, Christ, God…. does not /die/, and we all
flow from this ((Infinite Force Field)). What you
experienced does not make sense from the /ego mental
mind/ or /culture/. But when we shift to the awakened
((lens)) of ((Wisdom)) is makes perfect ((sense)). There

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are two cultures of Literacy and to dimensions of realty.

The /ego mental culture/ is lodged in /death/, while the
awakened ((culture)) understands that the ego mental
/death/ is a distortion of ((Death)). Your ((experience))
appears to be coherent, lucid, and the ((synchronicities))
that your mother pointed out surrounding the ((life and
death)) of your ((Father)) is further corroboration of the
((authenticity)) of your encounter with your ((Father‘s
Energy Field)). So, your ((experience)) is affirmed in
one ((culture)) and gets ―flack‖ is the /ego mental
culture/. Hope this helps. Warmly
Ashok K. Gangadean
Margaret Gest Professor of Global Philosophy, Director
of the Margaret Gest Center, Founder-Director of the
Global Dialogue Institute, Co-Convenor of the World
Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality
Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, U.S.A.

(89) March 02, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ I apologize that I am so busy that I cannot
answer most emails that come to me. I have over 700
emails awaiting my reply. Please be assured that many
kinds of spirits do exist, including those spirits of the
dead who are still attached to this world. Your entire
experience with your father sounds very authentic. That
is very beautiful that he came to you. In One Love,
Solara
A spiritual teacher, UK

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(90) March 04, 2013

Hi Suresh ~ Thank you for your patience regarding my
delayed reply. My response is a personal response by a
fellow seeker of Truth, and not on behalf of the TAT
Foundation. I assume that the story you have relayed, is
a personal experience, and not a fictional story. As to
your questions…
(1) What you describe is an experience of your mind, a
mental vision which appears to have arisen
spontaneously without a preceding perception to trigger
it. I have heard of and read of similar types of
experiences. Some such experiences can be corroborated
to a degree, such as yours, or validated by other means.
Meaning is ascribed to them by individuals who
experience them. Is it communication from a spirit?
Richard Rose, founder of the TAT Foundation, studied
spirits and materializations, and found they appeared to
evidence no real intelligence beyond the mediums that
materialized them. He also noted the biblical phrase,
―The dead know nothing. ―That your experience
evidenced an aspect of creative intelligence implies
something more to me. I would not pretend to know the
mechanism of your experience. However, your mental
vision illustrates that the mind is not limited by time and
space, and that thought exists outside the individual
mind.
(2) It is always possible that imagination can create
mental visions based on past memories and perceptions.
One of the hallmarks of a genuine experience (i.e. a
mental vision not created by imagination) is that they are
random, unexpected, spontaneous events. These seem to

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be qualities of what you describe, so that the mental

vision you described does not seem to have been
imagined, but a spontaneous experience.
(3)(4) The mind plays tricks to keep the individual‘s
attention focused outward. The mind fears its own
dissolution. When one applies energy and attention
inward to know the self, to find God, to discover the
source of one‘s awareness – however, one phrases the
great question of life – the mind is ultimately seen as an
obstacle. That which survives death is beyond the mind,
and is the witness of all. Nisargadatta wrote, and I
paraphrase, ‗that which dies never lived, and that which
lives never dies.‘
In your email, I sense a strong love for your father and
family, and a desire to somehow remain in touch with
them or their spirit. I empathize with this feeling. There
is, however, something that lies beyond even that. And
this desire and love for unity may be used as a personal
motivation to find that aspect of self which witnesses the
mind and its visions. If pursued, you may find a spiritual
value and unity beyond that which you seek at the
present time. There is a book by Nisargadatta entitled ―I
AM THAT‖ which you may find of great interest. In
addition, Richard Rose‘s ―Psychology of the Observer‖
outlines the nature of the mind and the many mental
experiences of life. It is not my purpose to sell books,
but to perhaps provide some teachings that might
provide additional inspiration for you to resolve your
questions in a direction that leads to understanding. In
Friendship,
Mike Gegenheimer
TAT foundation, a forum for friendship and spiritual
search
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(91) March 05, 2013

The answer is spirits do not exist. Best wishes,
John R. Searle
An American philosopher, currently the Slusser
Professor of Philosophy at the University of California,
Berkeley

(92) March 09, 2013

No – spirits and souls do not exist.
Geoffrey Lee
Professor of Philosophy University of California,
Berkeley USA

(93) March 09, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Forgive me for not replying sooner – until
I received your request, I did not take seriously that you
actually wanted my opinion. Since you ask, here is my
response:
Yes, of course souls exist. Spirits exist also. And there
is life beyond the life of this world.
From the experience you describe it would seem that
you were visited by the soul of your father, especially
since it occurred on the occasion of the festival of
Raksha Bandhan where ties of affection and protection
are celebrated, and was for the purpose of comforting
you. This is evidenced by the feelings that accompanied

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the experience. Accept it as a gift and don‘t think too

much about it.
I would suggest that you give thanks and offer prayers
for your father, for not everyone is given to have this
kind of experience, even once in a lifetime. I don‘t see
this as a trick by your subconscious at all, but as a real
experience. With kind regards,
Ruslan Moore
Founder, Al-Baz Publishing Inc. 38th Street Oakland
Park, U.S.A.

(94) March 09, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ I have just come out of hospital. I
apologize for not responding sooner. I have your longer
e-mail from before, but I can respond to your short
question very simply. I do not believe that there are any
disembodied spirits or souls. I believe we can understand
why we feel the need to believe in them ~ it does not
have to do with their existence, but more to do with our
own emotional states. This is my opinion, but of course I
recognize that it may not be yours. Best wishes
Jagdish N. Hattiangadi
Professor of Philosophy, York University, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada

(95) (Feb 21) / March 09, 2013

I am sorry, but I do not have anything useful to say
about your experience. With best wishes,

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T. M. Scanlon
(Prof. Thomas M. Scanlon, Jr.)
Professor of Natural Religion, Moral Philosophy, and
Civil Polity Department of Philosophy Harvard
University

(96) March 10, 2013

Our answer would be ―no‖.
Got Questions.Org
Bible Questions answered

(97) March 11, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Thank you for writing and I apologize if I
did not respond to your prior message. I very much
believe in spirits and I think you likely had a genuine
episode of communication with your deceased father. In
regards to your inquiries about such episodes, I
recommend that you consider reading two books that I
have written, which are cited below.In these books, my
own work with a discarnate spirit being named Ahtun Re
is described. If you do read the books, let me know what
you think. God bless,
Walter Semkiw, MD
Medical doctor, author of: Bornagain: Reincarnation
cases involving evidence of past reincarnation lives, with
Xenoglossy cases researched by Ian Stevenson, MD,
Books: Origin of the Soul and the Purpose of
Reincarnation
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The following message was received by me from Walter

Semkiw in a separate e-mail dated March 11, 2013, as
under:
―It sounds like your father is a very beautiful soul.‖ ~
Walter Semkiw, MD

(98) March 11, 2013

If by ‗soul‘ or ‗spirit‘ you mean something conscious
(esp. something ―nonphysical‖ or even ―non-material‖)
that goes on after bodily death, I am very doubtful for
many reasons, e.g., the way that brain
damage/deterioration leads so clearly to a lack of
consciousness depending upon where the damage is.
But, when one dies, the entire brain ceases to function,
so I have a hard time seeing how consciousness can
continue. Take care
Dr. Rocco J. Gennaro
Professor and Chair, Philosophy Department, Phil of
Mind/CogSci Area Editor, Internet Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, College of Liberal Arts, LA 3023, University
of Southern Indiana

(99) March 11, 2013

Dear Suresh ~ Thank you kindly for your email. Again,
I‘m afraid that it‘s not possible for Venerable
KhenchenThrangu Rinpoche to respond personally to
your request. In regards to your question, the Buddhist
view is that, although there are many physical and non-

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physical phenomena happening in our existence, there is

no fixed, permanent, separate self or soul. Everything is
impermanent and interdependent. As for spirits, I‘m not
sure what to answer. I think that in many Asian cultures
it is the norm to accept spirits or ghosts as existing.
However, in our Western culture that is not the usual
norm. So that‘s all I can answer! By the way, this is just
my personal answer–not so much on behalf of Gampo
Abbey. Thank you! Kind regards,
Dawa
Office coordinator, Gampo Abbey, a Buddhist
Monastery, Nova Scotia, Canada

(100) March 11, 2013

It sounds likely that what you had was a Oneness
Experience, where you and all of creation are one. These
are usually spontaneous. Namaste
Mickey
Light Source P‟taah

(101) March 27, 2013

I‘ve had some similar experiences, particularly when I
was much younger and meditated regularly. My own
opinion –not necessarily what I would like to believe– is
that such experiences are the products of memory and
imagination, and testimony of the power of our minds to
construct meaningful experiences, and not, in the end,

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persuasive evidence for the continuing existence of

spirits of the departed. Sincerely,
John Perry
Professor of Philosophy at Stanford university and
Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the university
of California, Won the 2011 Ig Noble Prize in Literature

(102) April 17, 2013

Dear Sureshji ~ Jai Gange! I hope all is wonderful with
you. Thank you for your beautiful email which I read
with a sense of rapture and joy. I received two messages
from your mail which I hope you will allow me to share
with you.
The first is the sense of what beautiful souls your divine
parents are and that you too have a beautiful soul and
spirit. You have been truly blessed to be touched with
this divine experience and for your parents to
communicate and flow their essence through you. It
shows that love and devotion must have been cultivated
in your family and that you, even as an intellectual
functioning adult, have the simple and pure heart of a
child. Your heart is clear enough to channel your divine
father‘s presence through you and for that presence to be
felt by your beloved mother. I can only offer my humble
appreciation for you at your feet.
Yes, it was a real experience. Yes, your father came to
you and the purpose of his presence was indeed, I feel,
to call your mother home. It often happens this way and
this is not an uncommon experience. Spirit can offer

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some validation of who they are and so the poetic

connection and the writing are confirmations to you that
indeed it was your father‘s presence.
I think deep down you know the truth of your
experience; your heart knows you are connected to the
spiritual and divine realms. And yet, our intellect cannot
understand or fathom spirit. When spirit is the form of
book knowledge, lectures and discourses the intellect
can accept it as a ―concept‖ but when it presents so
strongly in the material world our minds can seek to
reject it. Add to this confusion our egos, whose sole
purpose is to bring confusion and diminishment to our
lives, will jump on board the intellectual challenge and
cause even more confusion.
If you sink below the waves of confusion of mind,
intellect and ego and sit in divine presence, you will
know that what you feel is true. Your parents are with
you, you experienced the thin veil between the material
and spiritual realm and that love was at the core of your
experience.
Please have faith, you are right, your doubt is wrong and
may you use the gift of this experience and your loving
spirit to move forward will full certainty that life does
not end when the body does, that you are never alone,
your connections are based on love and that you are a
child, not only of your parents, but God Himself. My
humble pranams to you, With love,
Rena Pathak
Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh India

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Post Script: The delay in reply occurred as both Pujya

Swamiji and PujyaSadhviji were at Kumbh and from
Kumbh straight away went to attend an International
Yoga Festival ~ Rena

(103) March 21, 2014

Hi Suresh ~ There are no hallucinations in human mind
~ only wrong thoughts of our rational mind ~ to
understand the phenomena of your wonderful experience
we have to ask our primordial and thought-free spirit,
because he sees and knows without any failure.
―Hallucinations‖ is the terminology of psychiatry and
therefore a hypothesis of an illness, but our true spirit
can never be ill, he is our higher self, our very soul.
Thoughts can be confused, because our lower spirit (the
conscious mind) is only the servant and not the king.
That‘s why Patanjali says ―Yoga is the cessation (of
identifying with) the fluctuations (arising within)
consciousness. Then the Seer abides in his own true
form.‖
Peter Todesco
School of Meditation Tannenzaunstrasse 5 PO Box 1463
CH-8610 Uster 1 Schweiz/Suisse/Switzerland

(104) March 19, 201

Hi, very interesting ideas on your WordPress blog. I can
relate very well to your experience as I was a paranormal
investigator for a couple of years with a local group here
in Canada. I stopped investigating with the group

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because I soon came to the realization that these groups

are formed for personal thrill seeking and less about
actually acquiring accurate evidence of the spirits we
were interacting with.
In my time with the group, I experienced many spirit
interactions of all sorts, as well as, many nights of
nothing at all. In the time I acquired video evidence,
electronic voice phenomena and personal experiences.
There is no doubt in my mind that the spirits are real.
They exist in an unknown dimension that occasionally
interacts with our own limited dimension, sometimes
good, sometimes bad.
The personal experience I had that made me consider
resigning from pursuing the spirits with the group was a
profound personal experience. I was communicating
with an unknown spirit using a flashlight (like on
television) and it was effective for yes and no answers. I
asked the spirit to spell its name by turning on the
flashlight when I recited the appropriate letters of the
alphabet. It took a long time and in the end the letters
seemed like gibberish. However, when I entered the
letters into Google Translator and selected the phonetic
translation it translated into English from Arabic as ―I
am dead ―. It was an appropriate answer, but one I no
longer wanted to pursue openly.
For many generations, from all over the world, from
many cultures there has been one message passed
down,‖ the dead are better left alone‖ ―Respect the dead
and let then lie in peace‖. It is now I understand fully
that statement.

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Many people I have talked with over the years consider

themselves spiritual but do not follow any particular
religion because it is as you say ‗from a redundant age‘.
More recently, I have ‗awakened‘ and now I am trying to
find my place in a society where freedom is a myth and
religion is destroying civilization. We are entering an era
where our universe seems to be teeming with life, where
governments are trying to re-assert their control over
their respective populations and persecution is rampant.
We as a whole, face an uncertain time in this turning
point for modern civilization, it will either blossom into
something we have only dreamed of, or (more than
likely) end miserably in a pile of dust. Sincerely,
John Drescher
Artist ~ Surrey, British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

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Opinion Poll

he author encountered with the soul of his

deceased father and experienced a trance writing
spell, on the festival of Raksha Bandhan, in the
year 2003. Coincidentally, his father died 17 years ago
in 1986 on the same festival, which is celebrated every
year in India. He narrated the incident to his mother. She
saw this incident as an omen of her impending death.
Within a few weeks, she passed away, fulfilling her own
prophesy.
The authors mother, while praying, shared a deep
rapport, with Ma Durga. As a devotee of Goddess
Durga, she had chosen her own time to give up her life,
during the festival of Navaratri – by surrendering her
mortal remains, at the feet of her most adored Goddess.
The author tried his best, to forget this mystical incident,
but failed. He, then thought that time would soon erase
it, from his memory, that too, didn‘t happen. Instead, the
impact of the incident, kept simmering, in the back of his
mind, and reached a point, when the lid of secrecy, laid
over it by the author, suddenly blew out, like a lava
rushing out from a volcano.
Now, the author could not brood over it anymore, he was
forced by circumstances beyond his control, to negotiate
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and deal with his suppressed mental condition directly,

face-to-face, head-on, the way it had happened than, but
had now spilled all over in open domain.
Since, he did not know, how matters that defy
reasonable explanation are handled at individual level,
he posted a blog on October 12, 2012, inviting the
readers to give their opinion on this extrasensory
experience, he wanted to forget but couldn‘t stop,
thinking about it, over again and all over again.

The Range & Reach Of The Incident

Three significant features seem to emerge from the
incident: (i) After Death communication (ii) Automatic
Writing and (iii) Paranormal Phenomena.
Bogus-Baba‘s, Greedy-Gurus and Pseudo-Psychics were
ignored purposely, to keep the opinion poll, free from
stereotype replies.
The author shortlisted people from whom, he proposed
to seek a free and frank feedback. His sole objective was
to discover and divulge, the realness and the
ramification, of such incidents, on those who experience
it, and the scope of its manipulation, if any.

Objective
With this specific aim in mind, the author reached out to
the readers through a blog. To keep the incident, free
from wishful thinking, blind faith, conservative
assumptions and superstitions, he devised a few

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questions, itemized them in order, and invited the

readers to respond.
The information sought by the author, was not
forthcoming readily. So, to make the questionnaire
reader-friendly, the survey format was tapered to a single
question, around which all other questions revolve – ‗Do
souls exist?‘

Process Of The Opinion Poll

To conduct an opinion poll:
A blog titled :
http://www.sureshkumarsoni.wordpress.com was posted
on October 12, 2012. Initially, the blog did not evince
response. The ‗No Response‘ situation arose because
author was not computer savvy, he lacked the basic
knowledge of how to use online technology to get the
best result.
However, to draw public attention on this matter, he
emailed a questionnaire to people who really matter.
More than two hundred emails were sent to the
shortlisted persons directly. The author used a simple,
old conventional, yet an effective method, and managed
to get more than one hundred responses.
The overall result of the opinion poll is given as under:

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Statistical Data

Time Frame
Three months, with effect from, january, 2013 to
march, 2013

(A) Activity Chart

Number of emails sent 200

Number of responses received 102

Response in percentage 50 %

(B) Response(S) On The Questionnaire

Yes 44 %

No 14 %

Not sure 42 %

(C) Country-Wise Response

United states of america 46 %

India 16 %

United kingdom 14 %

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Canada 05 %

Iran 02 %

Australia 02 %

Scotland 02 %

New zealand 01 %

Dubai 01 %

Belgium 01 %

Germany 01 %

South africa 01 %

Singapore 01 %

Countries not cited 07 %

(D)Category Of Respondents

Professors 34 %

Religious and spiritual teachers 20 %

Authors 14 %

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Medical practitioners 06 %

Rationalist 06 %

Neuroscientist 02 %

Member of legislative assembly 01 %

Political / social activist 02 %

Others 15 %

(E) Gender Mix

Male 80 %

Female 20 %

The Key Statistical Findings

Analyzing a ‗Narrative Data‘ is not an easy task.
Narrative data, often lack an integrated layout, which is
an essential part of a numerical format. Narrative data is
nothing more than a compilation of random and
unconnected statements, difficult to decode.
Therefore, to simplify the whole evaluation process, the
author posed one simple and single question to the
readers to respond, which he considered, was enough to
wrap up, the impact and implication, of the whole
incident.

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Based on the responses received from the readers, the

result of the opinion poll, which highlight the key
indicators is summarized, as under:
(A) The figures appearing in the ‗Activity Chart‘ show a
lukewarm response because just 50% of the readers
responded, the remaining readers ignored it, despite
being reminded. This resulted in 102 responses, out of
more than 200 emails, sent to various people, in a span
of three months. The figures demonstrate, that people
have expressed an ‗Average Interest‘ on the issue under
consideration.
(B) The figures appearing at ‗Response(s) on the
Questionnaire‘ show that 44 % respondent believe souls
exist. 14 % do not believe in souls, while 42 % are not
sure, whether souls exist or do not exist. The ‗Ayes‘
outnumber ‗Nays‘, and the ‗Not Sure‘ response is almost
at par with ‗Ayes‘. This is a dicey situation, which leads
to an inconclusive result. Though the ‗ayes‘ come out
statistically strong against the nays. But, if we examine
the issue in its totality, by taking the ‗Not sure‘
responses too, into account, then no clear mandate
emerges from the poll.
(C) The figures appearing at ‗Country-wise Response‘
show that the maximum number of respondents 46 % are
from United States of America, followed by 16 % from
India, and 14 % from the United Kingdom. Statistics
reveal that Americans are more eloquent, in comparison,
to people belonging to other countries. It seems, the
biblical adage ‗Give an answer to everyone, who asks
you, to give the reason, for the hope that you have‘…

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seems to work well, with the Americans, people from

other countries should emulate them.
(D) The figures appearing under the ‗Category of
Respondents‘ show that 34 % of the respondents are
‗Professors‘ from leading universities, and 20% are
important ‗Religious and Spiritual Teachers‘, while 14
% are well-known ‗Authors‘ and 15 % belong to other
important walks of life. Distinguished ‗Rationalist &
Medical practitioners‘ comprise 6 % each, and notable
‗Neuroscientist & Political-Social activist‘ cover 2 %
each. Responses coming from eminent persons and the
intelligentsia is a good reason for us, to conclude that
educated people, are now looking for, decisive answers
on paranormal matters.
(E) The figures appearing under the ‗Gender Mix‘ chart,
shows that response by males is 80 % and females 20 %.
Gender imbalance occurred because lesser number of
emails were sent to females in comparison to males. As
such, the result does not reveal the superiority of the
males over females in the matter of communicative
skills.

The Unexplainable Explanation

The poll survey shows, readers have failed to give a
clear mandate. It is a no-win, no-loss situation, a tie
between Reason and Belief. With an ambiguous
consensus, the author was stuck, at the same place, from
where he had started the poll, to find answers, to the
perennial question – Do souls exist?

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Mario Beauregard, the well-known neuroscientist and

author, commented on this incident stating that…
―Nobody but you can respond to your questions‖ …
Dr. Raymond Moody the famous philosopher,
psychologist, physician and author, who coined the
terminology Near-Death Experience (NDE) and
researched the transpersonal dimensions of death and
dying, wrote on this incident, by stating that… ―These
kinds of spiritual experiences are common and do seem
to have very long lasting, even life changing effects, on
those who experience them, so that would infer that they
are real‖ …and
Linda Hess remarked… “Keep the question open. What
does this experience mean to you?”
These comments have significantly inspired and
impelled the author, to review the whole issue once
again, by sharing his own vision and the knowledge of
his personal experience.
As a rationalist, the author believed that anything, which
is beyond human understanding, strays the mind from
the path of truth. So, he kept himself away discreetly,
from the esoteric. Not knowing, what he was distancing
from, will someday, draw him so close to it,
unsuspectingly.
Ways of the world are mysterious indeed, they go
beyond the ambit of logical explanations, and mysterious
incidents seldom repeat or rewind, they flicker and fizzle
out so quickly, like a fragrance that lingers for a while,
and scatters to dissolve in air, hard to hold, contain or
analyze it, experimentally.
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Believe it or not, the author had never expected that one

day, at the fag-end of his life, he would act so silly, as to
discuss, the spirits of the dead, with such intense
curiosity, and great concern, he had never ever shown
before.
Contradictory views help to comprehend reality. While
educated people look to ascertain the authenticity of
such incidents. Their first victim is often the
‗Experiencer‘ of the incident, who comes under their
scanner. His credibility is questioned. Is he lying to
make others, believe that souls exist? Even though the
‗Experiencer‘ struggles to explain his point of view, in
vain.
Under such circumstances ‗Does the author need faith in
the established beliefs‘, or ‗Have faith in something that
is beyond his own understanding‘ or ‗Should he seek
faith in something, he doesn‘t ‗believe in‘ to explain his
point of view?
There are a number of rational and irrational factors,
drawn into the mystical working of the world. Some are
full of meaning, others devoid of meaning, resting on a
person‘s personal perceptions and not on the universal
laws of nature. Besides, the multifaceted dimensions of
existence in space are difficult to grasp, by the limited
capabilities of the human mind with a three-dimensional
vision.
By fluke, the author was accidentally entangled in a
paranormal incident, which hung to his memory, lasting
a bit too longer, as an unforgettable, strange yet a
beautiful mystical experience. People call it

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hallucination, but to the ‗Experiencer‘ the incident

appeared as real.
Juxtaposed in this paradox, the authors foremost concern
now is, how to explain the unexplainable? Should he
tread the trodden path and not deviate from what is
already established? Should he burn the midnight oil to
find evidence to support that there is some sense in what
others call silly? Can he confront and overcome such
fears and come out clean?
However, if he fails to convince people rationally, they
would obviously criticize him. Besides, his apprehension
that the more unique and incredible the incident is,
slimmer are the chances, of finding support from people,
comes out true, should he, then be silent and avoid
hyping the issue, any longer?
Supernatural is not yet known or explored fully, even the
best human minds think, that it‘s better to remain silent,
rather than answer any metaphysical questions. Anyone
who talks about life after death lies, even if, he thinks, he
is telling the truth, this is how most people respond.
However, our silence does not negate the possibility that
something also exists beyond words.
The author feels, if he keeps mum on the issue, he would
project himself, as a dumb creature, incapable of
explaining the reality of a mystical incident, he had,
himself experienced. This is an awkward position for
him to take, which is not acceptable to him. After all, life
grinds us, by many events, happenings, and instances.
There is a constant tug-of-war between life, living and
death, the drama of life and death is not a creation of the

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mind. There is something more that lies beyond the mind

to explore and discover.
The human mind constantly yearns to unravel the
mysteries of life after death. So, the author has removed
the conventional blinkers from his eyes, and intends to
take an independent open view, on the whole issue. His
views may lack clarity, yet it may well be worth
knowing it, to arrive at a reasonable understanding, on
an issue, which defies, the principles of logic.
The incident the author experienced was not a rational
but a mystical moment, when the thin veil of this world
and the other world was lifted for a while, for him to
glimpse the other world of existence, which he
experienced, by his feelings and not by his intellectual
demeanor.
Life after death defies scientific reasoning. Belief in life
after death is a matter of faith, not a matter of science.
The question whether it is real or not arises, because this
issue has not been addressed rationally. Now the real
question before the author is, ―How to explain the whole
issue rationally?‖
To start with, the author, would like to view the whole
issue once again, by explaining ‗Reality‘ and making a
distinction, between ‗Knowledge‘ and ‗Experience‘ and
then proceed, to put forth his own point of view, before
the readers.

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What Is Real?
What we perceive with our senses is not essentially real.
We perceive things through a referential entity, created
by our thoughts. Collective information is believed to be
real. We see matter as solid, but matter is actually
composed of particles and waves of energy. Ironically,
the reality which explains matter as solid, denies matter
as energy. Matter is a vibrating energy that appears to
the eye as solid.
Our eyes see visible things and fail to see invisible
energy. But the truth is that many unseen dimensions of
energy exist around us. Consciousness is the only
perceptive of whole truth of that we are. If we see
ourselves as energy and not as a body, then we can
assume, we are souls. This may sound meaningful. But
this perspective is beyond the information coming from
our senses so it is meaningless. The world of
contradiction infers that the meaningful and the
meaningless, shape the reality of a thing, as it is, and not
the way we perceive it.

What Is Knowledge And Experience?

A straight stick when it is immersed in water, appears to
be bent that is experience. We know that the stick is not
bent, it is straight, this is knowledge. We see that the sun
rises in the east and sets in the west, this is experience.
The sun does not rise in east nor does it set in the west,
as directions on earth are manmade, there are no
directions in space, this is knowledge. Knowledge and

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experience are two different ways to perceive the same

thing with absolutely different inferences.
The realities of the world are universal, yet each person,
forms a different opinion about reality, based on his own
understanding and personal perception. People foolishly
believe that their personal opinion is real and others
opinion on the same thing is false. This happens because
relative terms manifest freely in absence of absolute
terms. In eternity everything is ephemeral only
‗Nothing‘ is absolute.
Besides, one person‘s experience, cannot be the
knowledge of another person. The area of personal
experience is often constricted and in contrast. It is
different, individualized and not universal, owing to
human constraints inherent in each person. The scope of
knowledge is infinite. Therefore, our finite intellect is
inept to comprehend it fully.
Knowledge is founded on reflection. Experience is not a
reflection, it is a sensory reality, which is not based on
any ideology. Both knowledge and experience are
distinct and separate from each other. With study and
observation, knowledge is gained, but the unseen
presence of the soul remains largely unobserved and
unstudied.
The kind of mystical experience, the author had, can
finetune his conviction on paranormal matters, but can
his encounter with the spirit of his dead father, enable
him to unravel the mystery of the soul.
Since knowledge is superior to experience. Therefore,
fusing ‗knowledge‘ with ‗experience‘, perhaps, can lead
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to the awareness of this ‗Existential Reality‘, the author

seeks to explain it, rationally to the readers.
To avoid being vague or going off the track, the author
intends to restrict his observations on two relevant
issues, pertaining to the incident, that is, the spirit world
and paranormal phenomena.

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 Do Souls Exist?

The Spirit World

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 Suresh Kumar Soni

Death

o living being can escape death. Death is the

fundamental truth. Infact, living is dying.
Typically, we encounter with the idea of death,
when we reach old age or suffer from terminal disease,
then the fear of death is chilling. To get rid of this scary
fear of death, we start believing that our body dies and
not our soul.
As a result, our fear of death, psychologically disappears
and gives us, the courage to face death, with no fear. But
then again, the dilemma of death is forever, we never
live twice, but only once. Our death defines, how we
lived our life, the way we lived our life, decides, the way
we shall die. Now the question arises, if the natural
process of a child to a young man and then to an old man
is not painful, will the transition to death be painful?
Death is a part of the living process, it will eventually
happen, so we should not fear, but prepare ourselves to
face it.
The most amazing thing in the world is that we see
people dying around us every day, yet we think that we
are not going to die. We accept the inescapable reality of
death but our survival instincts do not, being a part of the
universal lifeforce that does not die. Life and death are

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the two sides of the same coin, a different dimension of

life or just recycling of elements. Who knows? Perhaps
physical birth and death are mere incidents of
momentary matter identification and not the beginning
and the end. Is the brief sojourn of human life on earth a
parenthetical interlude of a long journey of soul through
space and time?
In fact, death is a great equalizer. It reduces everyone,
the powerful and the weakest, the rich and the poor, the
wise and the fool, the healthy and the sick to a mere
carcass. Death overcomes everyone and everything. It
gives no warning and can strike anyone at any time.
Death is a great ego buster, essential for a ground to
earth life and living.
Paradoxically, we don‘t want to leave the world. We are
afraid to give up our material possessions, our loved
ones, and our unfulfilled material ambitions, we are also
scared of retribution, indiscretions and wrong doings.
Therefore, we cling to our ephemeral body. Even, when
terminally ill, we want to prolong our life rather than
accept death with grace. Life is uncertain. Death is
certain. The cosmic eternity has no starting or an end
point. We are wanderers walking on different roads with
no destination to reach.
When we grow old, we become irritable, crotchety,
petulant and cantankerous. Old age is the dawn of
wisdom and patience, kindness, truth, humility,
goodwill, peace, harmony and brotherly love are the
making of age-old values, which never grow old, and are
useful for smooth shifts in our ageing process. Old age is

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the beginning of a glorious, fruitful and productive life

pattern, which is different or maybe better than what we
have experienced earlier in life.
Essentially, ageing is a physical process but
consciousness within us never ages. It is timeless,
endless, a part of the unborn everlasting cosmic
consciousness. Man made electricity is an invisible
energy, we cannot see it, but we comprehend electricity
by its physical working, like the illumination of a bulb.
Similarly, we are unable to see the power of natural
breath, life-force or consciousness and assess its
invisible presence, through specific functioning,
exhibited by living beings.
Have we ever seen a person who is not a mortal being?
Does immortality really exist? Our senses have a limited
reach, our mind is in a conditioned state, only by
personal experience, with limited ability to infer, we
conclude immortality does not exist. Is this the eventual
reality. Can our knowledge reach the summit of the
ultimate truth with inherent human limitations? Yet, we
struggle to go beyond human limitations to know the
indecipherable. There is no scientific explanation of life
after death. We see when winter comes spring is not far
behind. Likewise, after night the day follows, so does
sunrise after sunset. In a constantly changing world there
is a constant continuity. Considering these natural
characteristics. Can we experience immortality after we
cease to be mortal? We do not know.
Old age is the autumn of life. When we grow old and are
in bad health, we see, most of our friends have gone,

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there is something so enormously chilling about old age.

Yet we think, this will never happen to us, but it happens
to everybody, there is no cover or protection against old
age and death. There is no detour, no reverse gear, no U-
turn. Being alive fear and uncertainties bothered us, old
age and death is ready to gobble, time is ticking fast,
now there is no escape route.
Being old is not bad. To be old and have little money is
bad. Poor heath is bad, being alone is bad, losing one‘s
partner is bad. It is a great challenge for old people to
cope with such situations. Therefore, the elderly need
love, compassion and not pity. They have reached a
state, where they have come to terms with the reality of
death. Their crankiness stems from accumulated sorrow,
sadness and from unsatisfaction. The old are helpless,
they are good to be around us, they may not give what
we want, but they can offer what we need, their wisdom
and experience matured by age.
We should treat the elderly well, that is how, we will be
treated, when we are old. We cannot escape, we too, will
be alone, frightened, desperate, body and hands will
shiver. We will have to stay indoors; nobody will hold
our hand and take us out. The days will be long, nights
longer and no sleep, memories will haunt us, of the
bygone days of our youth, of our loved ones and the
burdens of life, we will suffer from loneliness, doctors
don‘t prescribe any medicine to cure it, only our past
karmas will come to our rescue during the twilight of
life.

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Can we live for 100 years or more? Are we knocking the

doors of immortality? Experts believe future scientific
advancement will enable human beings to live for more
decades, beyond the current limit of human life span by
manipulating cells, genes, and nanotechnology. There is
a dramatic and intensive push so that people can live
from 100 to 120 years. Scientist specializing in ageing
are skeptical of such claims and say human body is not
designed to last past 120 years. Can healthier lifestyle,
less disease, prevent brain and organs failure. It still
remains to be seen, whether we can cross the threshold
and be healthy enough to lead a good quality of life.
Enhanced longevity will create over population. Can
earth cope with it? Will human beings migrate to other
planets? Death over immortality is a better or else
human race would become stale and stinking species
living on earth.
Water from the ocean evaporates to turn into clouds,
clouds in the form of rain falls on the plains to water the
land, nourish the fields and support life, while falling on
the mountain it becomes a stream and flows down the
basin from where it took off its flight. Similarly, living
beings are born to revitalize and keep the cycle of the
universal life force flourishing unhindered on planet
earth.
So, no one can take a break, all must merge with its
source, from where it has risen, from dust to dust. The
river loses nothing by reaching the ocean, even though it
gathers on route a distinct form. Eventually, the river
loses its form, when it becomes one with the ocean.
There is no conscious effort on the part of the river to

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reach the ocean, unlike the moths rushing into the

blazing fire to perish. This reveals that the fundamental
facts are inconsistent and baffling.
As rivers hasten to the ocean, as moth to fire, erasing its
identity and physicality, so too, all manifest things in the
whole cosmos, merge with the un-manifest ultimately.
With the realization of this fundamental truth, we can
face life without the fear of death. Since life is a process
of constant change, so is creation, existence and
destruction a synchronized matrix. Creation from
existence moves towards destruction and destruction
transcends to transform the everlasting residual matter
and energy into new forms of living beings and non-
living things.
While sleeping we unknowingly practice partial death so
we need not fear death when it comes. It would not be a
new experience but something we are already familiar
with. Death experience is not terrifying. We should see
birth and death as evolutional cycles each person has to
undergo in the cycle of life. After death, does life
continue in other worldly dimensions? we cannot admit
or deny this possibility, maybe other worldly dimensions
are real, as the physical world is.
Death is fearsome, concluding and hopeless, a mystery,
a misperception, a force that cuts off people from the
physical world, the human habitat. Like many things in
life are, death too is shrouded by folk tales, beliefs and
superstition. Body is mortal and will anyway pass away.
What happens then? Will our consciousness perish with
our physical shell? Or is there something more, beyond

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what we know as life? Curiosity is insatiable, stop

searching for metaphysical answers, make human life
and living easier, and spent some time to keep happiness
and love alive, without bothering what lies after death.
Death is the end of all.
People who have experienced clinical death, say they
saw their own body laying on the hospital bed like a
corpse and were amazed to see their personality
remained intact it had not changed. This is an important
point of view because people fear dying will transform
them into an unrecognizable strange being. This means,
the manner of death can be different, but what happens
after death is nevertheless the same. Therefore, they
believe that fear of death is no more a morbid subject but
a ticket to a fascinating otherworld. It means, by
shedding the physical body a whole new dimension of
knowledge unfolds before us to perceive more than what
we can imagine.
There is no such thing as dying. We enter into a different
dimension with a different form. If there is no pain
experienced in the transition of the human body from
childhood to adulthood and then to old age. So how can
death be a painful experience. Dying is painless, as is,
the growing and decaying process of the body. Our
memories remain intact, we feel, as if, we are the same
in all stages. Many people have described that after
leaving the physical body they headed towards a bright
dazzling light at the end of the tunnel. Suggesting, light
as an energy field serves as a barrier between the
physical world and the otherworld.

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In India, old people took Vanaprasth and then Sanyas,

which means they led a spiritual life and then renounced
all material possession, home and family, after obtaining
education and fulfilling their worldly duties and social
obligations as a householder. Old age was not for
sluggish slackening but to shift one‘s focus from outer to
inner world. However, with changing time, this practice
has vanished. Thus, spiritually deprived old people are
now suffering from emotional and mental illness.
Medical care is available for the body and not for the
spirit.
When a caterpillar sheds its shell, it turns into a
butterfly. Likewise, for the living, death is certain and
for the dead a new beginning is certain. On the journey
after death, everyone is alone, struggling to enter into the
existence of the otherworld, supposedly, beyond this
world. Essentially, life begins and passes away, just like
a plant blooms and withers as per the laws of nature.
Only the unborn is undying, a deathless state which
culminates in the realm of consciousness or the soul. In
other words, immortality is a belief in the
indestructibility of the soul, a great deed or creative
work survives, to outlive the doer‘s physical body,
similarly one‘s name through his offspring continues
even after the death of that person.
The search for immortality has attracted the best human
minds. The yearning of being young equates with plastic
surgery, gerontology and the desire to live forever. We
resist the idea of dust-to-dust because there is a built-in
aversion for death. Therefore, eternal life in deceitful
alluring ways is dangled before us. Even the philosophy

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of reincarnation is a part of the package. But then, Vedic

culture embraces eternity and insists to resist Samsara
the recurring endless cycle of life to free ourselves and
finally attain Moksha the state of a deathless eternal life!
Death is nothing but to return back to the state from
where we have come into being in the living world.
When death comes, we do not exist. Oddly, the one who
enters the house of death never returns to tell us about
death, which to discover, we must go in line to taste
deaths taking. After all, life is an opportunity to know
what deathlessness can be.
Human mind has invented false ideas about hell, heaven
etc., to lessen life‘s fearful horror of death. If truth
cannot be found, create a picture of truth that appeals the
mind. This is not a solution. It is like giving a lollypop to
a child to stop him from crying. If there is no direction
or destination then the journey of life is meaningless.
Why we are here and where do we go. Living is a
preparation for death. All living beings are heading
towards death. Death is the only truth in life, rest all is
false. Pyramids, tombs and mummies was a big business
in Egypt.
Consciousness does not reside in brain. It exists in the
absence of a functioning brain too. If consciousness is
not in the brain, then where is it? Is it in each cell of the
body? Everyday billion or trillion cells die which means
all the cells that make us are replaced, yet we hardly
perceive ourselves being different. Perhaps, there is a
massive communication not only with brain cells but
with trillion of others in an inexplicable network of

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consciousness. In changing stages from sperm, child,

adult, old age and death only consciousness remains
constant. It is not subject to change. Therefore, there is
no death except passing away of one form to another
form. This explains logically the immortality of
consciousness or soul.
The anthropologists say if insects and ants disappeared
then all forms of life on planet earth would be
endangered. If human beings become extinct would life
flourish on earth? Our expanding universe is in a state of
flux and is heading towards termination. The diverse
forms of nature do not fall off. There is recycling and
renewal. Living being before death leave behind their
off-springs. There is a pattern of opposites, life and
death, day and night etc.; this pattern of cause and effect
is the underlying principle of creation, preservation and
dissolution. Like the river keeps losing water every time
the sun shines and keeps gaining water every time the
rain falls. River‘s destination is ocean which has no
beginning no end. Since consciousness or soul cannot be
perceived by senses, it is not subject to the laws of space
and time. Therefore, consciousness is immortal and
eternal.
What is the greatest wonder? Yudhisthir, a character of
Mahabharat replied that ―So many people die every day
yet living human beings think they will not die‖. For the
wise death is the door to set free, the way to moksha, the
freedom from bondage, end of all desires, breaking away
from the cycle of life and death, and entering into a state
of immortality.

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A liberated state of existence is the heart of our true

nature, which creates bliss and harmony, essential to
lead a meaningful life. Salvation lies in the merging with
the absolute. Knowing the reality of death, we should
while living prepare ourselves for the journey to oblivion
after death. Dying is a natural phenomenon, we need to
experience it with full consciousness, it‘s in the deep
sleep-like state the future of our death is determined.
After all, living is a preparation for death.
Flowers‘s falloff. Human body decays. Death is the final
truth, rest all are lies. Immortality is a bidding with no
recourse. We know it will happen. During our life, we
faced hardships, anxieties and misery. Living in a make-
believe word, we hardly found time to get closer to truth.
There is no happiness in the material world. We must
understand to know, that one day, we will become old,
diseased and eventually die. The things we hold dear are
all subject to change, decay and separation. We are an
outcome of our own deeds, whatever be the nature of our
deeds good or bad, we cannot escape its consequences.
Time is death. Time doesn‘t wait and money cannot buy
time to postpone death. Billions are spent to prolong life
and produce deathlessness in future. Plastic surgery,
organ replacement and genetic manipulation have failed
to stop the tick of time. Even those who believe soul is
immortal, cannot stop the moving time in perpetual
motion. Due to time, we decay and die. Therefore, time
is feared as the destroyer. Time has led to the demise of
civilizations and has relegated leaders to footnotes in
history. Stopping time or reversing or accelerating it, has
been the subject of fiction and fantasies. Consciousness

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is the eternal now, there is no past or future, only present

lives in consciousness. Time is more or less an
illusionary measure, there never was anything before but
‗Now‘, nor will there be anything after but ‗Now‘, the
reality is that only the eternal ‗Now‘ exists.
The universal life force, the breath of the universe and
cosmic consciousness are the airy elements that
constitutes the human soul. When we see people dying,
we see that something has disappeared and body is laid
down like a log. We don‘t know where ‗that‘ has gone,
whether it has gone anywhere or simply ceased to be.
The nature of physical body is that it starts dying the
moment it is born. Once we spot unborn, undying and
unending characteristics of the universal forces engaged
in the grand cosmic play, we experience deathlessness
then the fear of death turns into a simple wash and wipe
work.
Birth and death are the two sides of the same coin.
Therefore, there is no reason to deplore death and there
is no reason to be pleased with life. Being immortal is a
good idea but undying life can be boring and dreadful
enormously. We are driven to find ways to delay death.
Long life gives us the possibility to accomplish more
work. But in any case, we can never conquer sickness
and death. The sooner we understand this, the better it is.
By leading a spiritual life we can experience the
immortal in the cosmos. So, this is not a bad idea to
workout. Life appears, disappears and reappears, like
sunrise after the sunset.

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In the debate over euthanasia, doctor assisted suicide for

terminally ill patients, doctors say one option is legal.
Any sane person can simply refuse to eat or drink. Those
who refused water and food die with little pain and
suffering, within two weeks. Such deaths are legally
acceptable and morally acceptable than assisted suicide
by doctors. Some countries have legalized Euthanasia.
There should be a debate on this issue so that a law can
be legislated to legalize euthanasia in only exceptional
cases. This should no longer be stigmatized as taboo.
Religious sects of the east advise to experience death
with full consciousness and suggest fasting to feel the
soul. Fasting in east is a routine. When a person makes a
conscious effort to free his soul from its bodily
embodiment, he starves his body to make the stay of his
soul impossible in the body. In ancient times sages spent
their last days in the coldest regions of the Himalaya,
fasting and practicing meditation, which helped them, to
shed their body and let their soul merge with the
universal soul. Committing suicide out of depression is
not similar to it. One day we will die so courage is
needed to face death, the greatest adventure of human
life, all else in life is insignificant.
We must give love to the dying. If we can‘t love them,
then we need to cultivate it, by seeing the dying person
and thinking that it‘s you who is lying on the death bed.
The old long to talk and touched, so touch them, hug
them, message them and hold them in your arms. The
body has its own language of love, use it open-heartedly
and bring comfort and consolation to the dying. On
spiritual level, as death comes closer, the dying persons

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chances to attain enlightenment becomes easier. As such,

the dying deserves more love and care to do so.
Many people end their lives by suicide majority of them
suffer depression. Suicide is now among the leading
causes of death. Young people are at the highest risk.
Mental disorder like depression and substance abuse are
associated with suicide. World is facing a shortage of
psychiatrists. Why mental illness is a social taboo? It‘s a
behavioral disorder and not a forbidden health hazard.
Alarmingly, very few people take doctors prescription to
cure themselves. Sadly, rest all are left at the mercy of
the Godman who treats them with superstitions.
Why death is welcomed? People think it is a reliever of
pain, misery and the final release from their sorrow and
suffering. Death is longed even by the terminally ill. It is
sad to know the body which we tend and nourish so well
for several years with utmost care is put on pyre or is
buried underground.
When we talk about diseases in today‘s world, we see
animals are the source of new diseases. Potentially
deadly diseases caught from animals include HIV,
MACHUPO, SARS, bird-flu, COVID-19. Injudicious
use of medicines has made bugs, bacteria and viruses
develop resistance to medicines, on the other hand
hyper-hygienic living gives rise to auto-immune
diseases.
When we see old age the pride of youth is curbed. When
we contemplate on disease the pride of heath is curbed.
When we think about death the pride of life is curbed.
When we witness change, decay, separation and demise

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it creates a situation compelling to leave behind all

assets then the obsessive desire for hoarding money and
ownership of properties is curbed. By accepting we are
the product of our own deeds then evil propensities of
our thought, words and deeds are curbed. Meditating on
these truths can easily curb our pride, passion and
possessions, making us a better human being.
Pride is the cause of misery and our downfall.
Everything in this material world is transitory. We are
the creators of our own destiny. Contemplating on this
simple truth makes us a better person, enabling us to
attain Moksha. In our youth and middle age, we are
busy. In old age our inflated ego become a mental
aberration and then our pride and arrogance are not
under our control. We have no choice but to be humble
and as modest as we can be, because in the twilight of
our life we don‘t know when and where our end will
come without warning.
Old age is a handicap, it makes one dependent on others,
forcing him to feel awkward, frustrating and shameful.
We live our life simply in planning and preparing to
fulfill our desires and ambitions, till the last breath of
our life. As a result, on our deathbed, we regret not
having lived our life the way we wanted to live it. Death
doesn‘t announce its arrival, the messenger of death
takes us away. How insecure and brief our existence
really is. We are vulnerable and succumb to diseases.
Reflecting on life, living and death, we observe our
ambitions, desires, material possessions and our
attachments with loved ones all are in vain.

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Desires can never be quenched. Even, if, the entire

universe, with all its wealth is given to someone, still it
will never satisfy his craving for more. We are the
architect of our own fate. No deed good or bad goes
without its corresponding payback so we reap what we
sow. Death is not evil, some long for it, to escape the
vanity of life. Alas! we cannot hasten or delay our time
of departure.
Placebo effect means we can psychologically cure a
patient. It serves both ways, if a patient is told he is
suffering from cancer, even if he does not, then a healthy
person can also become sick. Body has its own self-
correction system. Placebo effect can be created not only
by artificial medicines, it can be done by healers or by
mantras or by hypnosis etc. Placebo affects
psychologically and physically. This leads us to infer
that auto-suggestion is the best medicine for any cure. It
shows that mind is more powerful than the effect of
medicines. Placebo treatment is not revealed to the
patient or else the effect will not materialize because
human mind is illusion-centric and not truth-centric, it‘s
an endless fight of fact with fiction.
The latent length of longevity is an attribute inherited
from mother. Researchers have pinpointed the location
of a gene linked with ageing that may over a period of
time improve our understanding of age-related diseases
and the whole ageing process. The near-starvation diets
also seem to extend life and prevent disease in many
mammals. Whether it works on human beings is unclear
but the lab findings on calorie restrictions is pouring out
several studies on human longevity.

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Nothing is independent or separate everything is

interconnected, our bodies are recycled chemicals, our
bodily fluids are recycled watery element, our breath is
recycled airy element, our emotions are recycled
elements of reactions, our thoughts are recycled data, our
mind is the reflection of collective observation. As such,
life, living and death is a never-ending process which
moves on unplugged.
Everything in this universe is inter-connected and inter-
dependent. Therefore, disturbing the equilibrium of
inter-dependence and inter-connection between diverse
entities of nature will obviously disturb all constituents
of the universe. To maintain balance, we have to follow
the eternal law that governs the universe, that is harmony
and peace. Death is also a natural phenomenon so why
fear death, no one can avoid death, even living is dying.
It is consistently true that nobody likes to grow old and
see their abilities decay and diminish. The real secret is
simple one must make the best use of life and living,
while he is alive.
Death is a step from the temporal to the eternal. Death is
not extinguishing the light of life. It is merely putting out
the lamp of life, which can be relit anytime. When the
story of life comes to end, our life‘s labors in collecting
material possessions, treasures, designations,
achievements are left behind as unwanted waste that
turns into dust. Similarly, when body is buried or burnt,
its residue is also converted into dust, when we become
dust, then where are we.

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The wind blows wherever it wills, we feel the wind but

are not aware from where the wind comes and where it
goes. Such is the nature of the windy element. Similarly,
soul, spirit and consciousness are ethereal so they too are
not a solid substance. When a man reaches the end of his
journey, many questions crowd and cloud his mind.
What will happen at the last moment? What is beyond
that? After soul probing one finally surrenders to that
invisible force concealed behind the façade of life.
Realizing that the revelation of this truth is not possible
so the concept of surrendering to another concept God
was thought to be appropriate.
Even people having enjoyed full life are miserable at the
time of death, their all enjoyment comes to an end. The
accumulation of their wealth and property is left behind
to the vagaries of new custodians. It is only in old age,
close to death, we think about after life. What will
happen after death? It is natural to be curious to know
what happens after death. Death can snatch anyone
anywhere at any time. Therefore, the time is to find
answers to these questions right now. Spiritual
knowledge may provide non concrete answers or else
there is nothing after life. Dying brings out all repressed
emotions, the dying person sees his true sparkling
spiritual self, even if, he had missed to glimpse it when
he was alive.
When death is certain, it doesn‘t matter how long we
live but it does matter how well we live. Because of an
uncanny feeling that we will continue to live, we attach
undue importance to money and material possessions.
We become selfish and arrogant. Nobody knows when

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death will strike. Once death consciousness is awakened

within us then all material acquisitions become
worthless and then the importance of giving
unconditional love and compassion is valued.
There is a story of a woman, who took her wicked son to
Buddha, on seeing the youth, Buddha told him, he has
just one more day to live. The youngster was shocked,
he broke down and lamented, there is nothing he could
do now. So, he decided to meet his family members,
friends and neighbors before his end would come. When
three hours were left, Buddha met him, but the youth did
not wish to speak, Buddha smiled at him and inquired if
in the last 24 hours he had lied or cheated. The youth
said ‗No‘. Buddha than asked him, if he had stolen or
hurt anybody. The youth got irritated and said, ―How
can it be, I was thinking only about death‖. Buddha
gently patted his head and said, ―Son, I don‘t know who
has to die and who has to live but understanding the
ultimate truth can be very enlightening, you have now
become aware of death in the last one day, I have been
aware of it for the last several years‖. This incident
poignantly conveys Buddhas message that death
consciousness is imperative to live an ethical life.
It‘s hard to come to terms with our mortality. We want
to believe, there is life after death. But those who are in
constant touch with their inner self seldom fear the
inevitable. They believe in neither heaven nor hell. They
don‘t believe in the theory of reincarnation or rebirth.
They know their lifespan is a blip in infinity. So, they
don‘t waste their time in hoarding money and
possessions, or else, they are left with no time to

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experience the essence of being alive on planet earth,

before the vanishing act of death occurs, let‘s make
provisions so that we are not inconvenienced. There is
no personal ownership of things in the world. Everything
is recycled, our thoughts our personality even our body
doesn‘t belong to us.
Nobody can last forever. Everyone has to leave this
world. Death consciousness explains that this body will
perish one day, so we should prepare to face it head-on,
free ourselves from the bondage of attachments and
learn to be detached. We believe parents, children and
relatives are ours but nobody in this world is really ours.
We believe relationship are a prized possession and get
attached to friends and family an association which is
mundane and transitory, even though, sunk in the ocean
of life and death, we are one inseparable lot.
Can we know the exact time of death? Examining the
physical body to determine the precise time of death
medically or metaphysically is not possible. We assume
that death comes is a flash, some say that death duration
is a single moment in time. So, it is believed death is a
process accomplished in one second. Suffering clinical
or brain death or in coma or kept alive on life support
machines is not the measure of death time. The question
arises does departure of the soul coincide with the death
time of the body. If not, then where is the soul.
It‘s true while living we rarely think about death, we do
so only when we come across a dead body on the funeral
ground. Why do people treat death as an ominous
thought, why try to ignore it and close the eyes like a

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pigeon does on seeing a cat. Can anybody ward off

death? Death is a bitter truth. Buddha saw a corpse, for
the first time, he curiously asked Channa. Is death the
end of life‘s journey? Will this happen to me? Channa
replied he who is born will die. Buddha did not overlook
Channa‘s statement of death, he tried to solve the riddle
of suffering and achieved Nirvana. Therefore, being
aware of death consciousness is necessary to lead a
liberated life. When death comes by than it is too late to
relive life that is about to end. Life is very short so don‘t
waste time.
Death plays a vital role in keeping us alive. Countless
bacteria evolve and renew at the same time. Millions of
cells in our body are dying every moment. Therefore, in
a way we are constantly experiencing death and birth
simultaneously. Our body is made of cells and cells are
made of atoms and atoms constitute protons, neutrons
and electrons. The sub-atomic particles are moving at an
amazing speed, they flip in and flip out so our skin, nails
and hairs cells are dying and being replaced afresh.
These cells die and renew recurrently to keep us alive.
Similarly, we being a part of the universe, appear and
disappear, to keep the universal life force alive. There is
flexibility and no rigidity in the cosmos, it means matter
and energy are convertible. Therefore, transformation
takes place repetitively, we call the laws of nature. Water
is a fluid we can convert it into solid ice or gaseous mist
yet the essence of water remains the same.
We are scared of death, like kids are afraid of darkness,
this is basically the fear of the unknown. We are alive so
it‘s hard for us to reconcile that we can die. There is no

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authoritative commentary on what happens to us after

death. Only the awareness of death can conquer the fear
of death, knowing this is essential to live life fully well.
Strange enough, when we are here to live and die, we
should learn the skill of living and dying, by doing so we
evolve, from human to spiritual being.
We should not grumble about growing old, many people
do not have that privilege. The longer we live, the
tougher our life becomes. We cannot look after ourselves
independently. People in their seventies are still playful
and daring. Sadly, society keeps old people out of sight,
whereas the older we get, the more we want to be in the
thick of life, for the reason if we are not mobile, we can
be bed-ridden for long. The maximum bodily suffering
is due to old age and death.
We are drawn to discover death. Death waits to receive
us with open arms. Even though, while living life we are
heading towards death from moment to moment. Yet,
without knowing what death really is. Can we gather
courage to face death with fearlessness? Fear is essential
for our survival, an experience to protect ourselves. As
we fear uncertainty of life so we fear the unpredictable
moment of death. This is a natural response. When
closer to truth, we see there is no escape from death, then
why do we keep uncertainty alive, as life after death.
Each moment reduces the span of our life it concurrently
increases our desire to live more and more. The
universal laws of nature are constant they do not change.
The element of immortality and mortality exist within
us, our physical existence is mortal and non-physical

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consciousness is immortal. We must learn the art of

dying in order to live life fully alive. There is nothing
here nor there, except change and continuation,
therefore, we should produce good karma for good
continuation of the coming generations.
Some findings suggest longevity run in families; sibling
of a centenarian is four times more likely to live past the
age of 90 years then ordinary people. Actually, good
genes are part of the whole story. Other survey findings
suggest that lifestyle and habits play a huge role in
keeping the body and mind in healthy shape in the eighth
and ninth decade of human life. This super-age is free
from disabling symptoms of heart disease, diabetes or
Alzheimer.
Adding extra weight to body strains the heart and other
organs. Learning new skills keeps the brain active.
Regular exercise and walk helps to prevent and delay a
host of physical diseases. Stress is risky, it leads to
sickness. Social connections can ward off depression and
boost immunity system. Fruits and veggies contain
protective substance to keep diseases at bay. Sleep
deprivation leads to memory loss, creates hopelessness
and lowers the immune system of body. Many diseases
can be treated if diagnosed early. Eventually, prevention
is better than cure.
Nature is a tough task master, survival of the fittest
means the existence of the able-bodied and robust living
beings. Human beings are born with a physical body
according to the biological cycle, the purpose of human
physical body is nothing else but a singular aim, to

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reproduce and then die. That‘s why human beings are

naturally driven by sex. When human body is incapable
to reproduce any more, evolutionary speaking its dead,
now nature needs it no more.
The population in several developed and affluent
countries is shrinking, women are not interested in
having more children, even the fertility rate has dropped.
The population implosion is not counterbalanced by
immigration. However, by improving the quality of
medicines old people are living longer. So, the
population of old people in the world is rising and that of
the youngsters of working age is falling. What will
happen if population of working class is shrinking and
that of the retired people is rising? This is not a good
situation for economic growth.
According to Bible human longevity is three scores and
ten, it adds up to seventy years. What should we do in
this short span of life? Most of the time we spend in
gossiping, worrying and thinking things that don‘t
concern us yet we bother about it. So, we are left with
little time to focus on ourselves. Twenty years are spent
in sleep, rest in day-dreaming, fulfilling ambitions,
desires, and chasing the mirage of money. In the end we
find nothing. We are born and die empty-handed. Life is
precious, knowing this, we will not brood on petty
things, instead we will utilize our time in expanding our
consciousness to its optimum level.
Death is an uninvited visitor. Curiously, there are some
people waiting for death and there are some people
trying to escape death. Death is painful. Death is

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imminent. In the frame of time yesterday is history and

tomorrow are a mystery, considering this we must live
our life fully well today, who knows death may strike
fast. So, it‘s better to control our emotions of revenge,
rage, resentment and fury. Only love, kindness and good
deeds enhance the quality of life and dignity.
Ageing blossoms, the true colors of our personality. Our
distinct individuality is as empty as emptiness in space
is. Our existence in the vast cosmos is a freak short-lived
happening. Even Sun has a lifespan, eventually Sun will
burn out and exist no more. So, all physical existences
are trivial comings and goings. Human existence is just
like a bubble. The bubble has no substance of its own.
The air is everywhere in the atmosphere, the same puff
of air is trapped in the bubble, when the bubble bursts,
the air in the bubble is reclaimed by the atmosphere.
Therefore, only by cultivating detachment, a state of
non-existence is achieved, which takes us away from
being grinded in the crucible of cosmic recycling bin
repeatedly.
If, we are told that today is the last day of our life. What
will we do then? Will we hate or show anger or pamper
our passions or cheat or rob people. We will not do such
silly things, instead we will examine our bad doings and
do good deeds. When death comes near, the worth of life
is valued and attention towards desires, anger, lust etc.,
ends. That‘s why we say, death is the mute teacher of
karma and dharma. Yet, we don‘t like to think and talk
about death. The biggest mistake we all do is that we
think death will strike us only when we are old, this is
wrong. Whosoever is born could die anytime, whether

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he is rich or poor, wise or fool. Remembering this fact,

we can, for sure, practice good deeds.
Death consciousness improves quality of life, the idea of
death alone can create the sense of detachment in us
because we know that nothing goes with the dead and
nothing remains after death. Only our deeds, our
photographs and our memory stay in the world, which
may or may not influence others. That‘s why, before
death embraces us, let us do something good for
humanity, live with the ideals of humanism and make
the world better.
Basically, we don‘t know, where we come from where
we go. From after death to subsequent life, in this
intervening period, we know little about life and more
about the soul. We reflect on body and soul but perceive
death as a full stop. There is nothing extraordinary about
death. Death comes to all those who are born so why feel
sad when death comes and takes us away. It is human
nature to grieve, there is no reason to wail and scream.
Death is the command of nature. When time of death
comes just die with dignity. Be least concerned whether
death is painful or not. We have a tradition to celebrate
death of old people, marking their death with festivity,
music, dance and feasting. This is a sign of human
maturity and social acceptance of the unavoidable.
We should sit close to the person who is dying, talk
about the happy experiences in his life, help him not to
cling to his body any longer. He is more than what his
body is, he is pure consciousness and consciousness is
truly he, his real immortal self. If conditions to survive

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are put forth then body tends to struggle to stay a bit

longer and when it‘s not then the body passes away
peacefully. I‘m free from birth and death. I‘m the
boundless life force. I‘m the never-ending breath, I‘m
the never-dying consciousness. My body is simply the
residue of I‘m the universal self. such suggestive sayings
help, to release the dying from the anxiety of death.
Scientific studies suggest our whole body acquires a
complete new set of cells every year. Therefore, not even
one cell is now as it was before. This is a natural process
that helps to rejuvenate the body. Muscles grow weak,
memories get shorter and immunity levels decrease
making us prone to diseases. However, ageing is inbuilt
in the human DNA. There is no antidote to ageing so we
cannot reverse ageing process to make ourselves young
again. Nor can we stop becoming old but we can surely
delay the degeneration process and age gracefully.
When we see death from close quarters, our enquiring
mind starts asking the same lopsided unanswered
questions. What is the purpose of taking birth? Why are
we in this world? Where did the person who was alive a
few moments earlier go after death? From where did we
come and where will we go? We keep asking such
questions without getting reasonable or verifiable
answers. When we shed tears at the death of a loved one,
we do not realize that tomorrow, it will be our turn. The
way we die depends on the way we lived. To know time
and place of death is inexplicable. No doubt death is
awful, but once we know the truth about death, it is easy
to welcome death, where ever and where ever death
comes.

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The body ages and not the mind. By the time we reach
old age our mind becomes clear sighted and quite
mature. Old age is not a disadvantage, on the contrary,
our thinking gets liberated from the gross and rests in the
subtle dimensions. Ageing has its own autumnal
splendor so bringing back our lost youth will be
ridiculous.
Is there a connection between sex with death? Sex is the
main cause through which genes are passed to reproduce
a new person. That‘s all. With the passage of time death
eventually ends life. Therefore, sex can‘t extend human
life. Studies on human ageing claim frequent sexual
intercourses enhance longevity. Religious sects also use
sex as a tool to attain the state of super-consciousness.
These are silly ideas leading people in the wrong
direction. We need to correct the errors of elucidation.
Old age is not the right time to indulge in sex, it‘s time
to share the rich experiences of life to benefit others and
avoid setting any wrong example for coming generations
to follow. Let the young indulge. Why should the old do
it?
We cannot rewind life. We can only move forward in
life. Death is an enigma so it is impossible to define
death without knowing all about life. Life is a bio-
chemical chain reaction once it begins it reaches the final
destination death. Death is least painful, dying is like
falling into a long and deep sleep, never to wake up
again. Like we fear the unfamiliar and we fear darkness,
similarly we fear death too.

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We live on planet earth which is biochemically,

biologically and geographically covered with the
remains of extinct species. This is a grim reminder
warning to us that we too will last only till the next
calamity comes. Today human race is not subject to
extinction, someday even planet earth will meet its end.
There is no guarantee on survival, if there is creation
then obviously there is destruction also.
When we breathe and walk, unaware we kill living
organisms in the form of microbes, insects and plants.
Life and death are two facets, which co-exist under the
same energy called the universal life force. Sadly, some
cruel and sick minds have rationalized killing. The laws
of nature are subtle and complex the way forward to live
is to accept the fundamental cosmic principle that is
harmony.
No one can describe death experience because no dead
person survives to talk about it. Still, we can have a
death-like experiences when our consciousness merges
with cosmic consciousness, when we see water falling in
ocean becomes the ocean. Physically we are dying each
moment. But our non-physical inner self is undying.
However, the idea that we are not the body is still
arguable.
Death reveals how we had led our life when alive, if we
were unhappy in life then it‘s a sad death, if we were
content in life then it is a joyful death, if we have lived a
life of physical comfort and pleasures then it‘s a painful
death. If we have lived the life of the body then it‘s a
torturous death, if we have lived life beyond our body

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and have attained oneness of consciousness then it‘s a

blissful death…etc. In nutshell, our death mirrors how
we have lived our life.
We cannot turn a blind eye on the reality of death and
deceive ourselves believing death will kill others and
spare us to live. This is like living in a fool‘s paradise.
The best course of action is to prepare ourselves for
death and welcome it when unannounced the messenger
of death will come to take us to the spirit world. A
rationalist will not accept any sort of crazy and comical
concepts of re-creation.
The greatest mystery of life is death. Living is artificial
and our life is short-lived and transitory. Death
consciousness makes us understand the true essence of
life. Those who are afraid to die will never know the
mystery of life. Spirituality is concerned with death. It
reminds us of death to keep us alive consciously. Death
is the culmination of life. The mystics explore the nature
of death and the idea of after-life. Sleep partially teaches
us the art of dying not fully. After all, life is an
expression of death. If the fictional realms beyond death
are real then death is a beautiful dream and not a factual
natural experience.
Time doesn‘t affect the body evenly, each cell, each
tissue and each organ ages according to its own time-
table. Therefore, considering this inconsistency of time
measuring human existence, we assume there is a
biological clock as an inborn mechanism that controls
our physiological activities that keeps on changing

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regularly. Its rhythm slows down when body starts to

wane and wither.
Money-oriented life formulates spiritual life. By the time
we reach old age, we develop detachment and our desire
for wealth, name, fame, pride, anger, greed, material
possessions and attachments to wife, children, friends
are weakened. whether we have lived a satisfying life or
not doesn‘t matter. Negativity wanes and positivity
waxes. Its right time to absorb oneself in spirituality.
Finally, living a satisfying life depends on how we view
the rarity and the reality of the world.
Universe is expanding galaxies are moving away and
may drift towards each other, it seems the universe can
collide and collapse. Is the cosmic doomsday real?
Global warming, melting of polar ice caps, earthquakes,
eruptions of volcanoes, forecast catastrophic events. An
asteroid hit earth million years ago, and wiped-out the
dinosaurs. if it smashes again, billions of people would
vaporize and cities and civilization will burn on fire and
fume. Aren‘t we living in a violent universe? Even
religion have doomsday theories. Christians predict three
days of darkness on earth. Hindu the pralaya, the time
when everything will be submerged in the ocean, and
Muslims calls it Qayamat, a time when oceans will boil,
dense smoke will cover the atmosphere and mountains
start flying.
When death is close, we can only visualize its coming.
We have never dealt with such a situation before. If
knowing this possibility can change our perception. In
anguish suicide attempts will not work nor walking in

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the jaws of accidental deaths. Interestingly, we face

death-like situations in life too often. Then what
prevents us from gaining the same insight? The day we
realize that we are not going to live forever, it can
liberate us, from a life wasted in anticipating death.
In west, death is the end of life. In east, death is not the
end of life there is rebirth. West knows life is lived once,
so each moment brings them close to death their
possessions, luxuries are meaningless because it cannot
be carried forward. East is more relaxed, it doesn‘t give
importance to death, its aware of one‘s inner treasure
trove, which is carried forward and death cannot take it
away.
We need to expel the expression of defeat from our mind
such as ‗I can‘t do it because I‘m too old‘ instead we
should be telling ourselves ‗I won‘t give up yet, I can
still do it‘. There is a difference between living a long-
life and a fulfilling life. We should live life naturally,
without looking for the meaning of life.
We ignore biological forewarnings of the fleeting nature
of human life, graying hairs, wrinkling skin, falling
teeth. Instead, we choose to camouflage these signals
and end up forgetting or overlooking reality. However,
the earlier we get into the preparatory mode the more
equipped we would be to face the eventual reality, that is
our death. So, allow the heart to flow with compassion
for entire mankind and in the oneness of humanity let ‗I‘
become ‗We‘. Life too is a merger with death.
Human physical body is the vehicle for life-force, for
breath of life, for soul and for consciousness to keep all

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these portions of universal consciousness perpetually

rejuvenated. This is the fundamental spiritual all-
pervading and all-controlling energy in space. Death is
just a momentary switch off, to keep the life-force on.
Life and death are an evolutionary process. If every
beginning has an end, then every end has a beginning.
Then why fear death? If we identify ourselves with the
body then we fear losing the body, forgetting that we are
consciousness which is eternal, so life and death are
illusions, only consciousness is real.
No philosophy nor any sacred scripture or gurus can
give us the real meaning of life. we have to find the
answer to our questions ourselves. Mystery is revealed
by living with mystery. Once we know what life is then
can we know what death is. Life and death are not
separate, the same energy is polarized, like day and night
appear as two versions of one phenomenal truth.
If in a person‘s heart all desires are dead, he will not be
affected by the fear of death, this is a state of being
immortal. If in a person‘s heart the knots of ignorance
are untied, this is a state of being immortal. These are
some religious beliefs proclaimed by holy scriptures.
Death is extraordinary as life and living is too. To
understand death, we must understand life in its totality,
both are not separate from each other. Right now, we are
alive and rest all is less important so being
enthusiastically alive is very significant than anything
else can be.
Biology suggests, survival at the bodily level is vital for
the genes to make more of its kind, at brain level it

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produces an overpowering psychosis of dying.

Physically producing more of it results in powerful
human emotion and in brain the thought of dying
struggles for securitization. Therefore, technology,
medicine, society, family, etc., the entire process of
progress aims towards it. Scientist claim genetic
breakthroughs can prolong the human lifespan.
Since we fear death and are afraid of darkness too.
Therefore, we associate death with darkness. The genesis
of being afraid of darkness, essentially stems from the
primitive days, when in pitch-black nights, there was no
light and the caveman was surrounded by wild ferocious
animals. The traces of those nightmares as genetic
markers, continue to effect, the human DNA, even
today.
When we reach old age, at that time, we must withdraw
from the mainstream of life slowly and gradually. Well,
once upon a time, having a lot of children was a sign of
affluence, they were seen as providers of economic
security to their parents in old age. Nowadays, the next
generations obligation to parents has badly foundered.
Even as, the world is becoming an ageing society, old
customs, like giving respect and taking care of elders is
breaking down. This is not good.
Surely, science has added many years to human life, the
life expectancy has gone up. But then, sadly, incidents of
violence and crime against the elderly is increasing so is
their neglect and abuse by their own family members.
The problem of old age is how to put on the boots and
not hang the boots. Developing hobbies, keeping the

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network of family and friends buzzing, recreation and

travel, and doing some community work is not bad to
keep old people busy.
Brief human lifespan stands nowhere before the
unfathomable timeless cosmic life force and death of a
human being is hardly noticeable under the
immeasurable canopy of space. Imagine how
insignificant and tiny are our ideas of death and rebirth
can be. But consciousness is baffling, indeed. We
assume consciousness is not located anywhere in human
physical body while agreeing that physical body is its
vehicle. It seems consciousness works independently of
the body. Its relation with body is like a connection
between the transmitter (cosmic consciousness) and the
receiver(individual consciousness).
Whenever we see a dead body, we should at once remind
ourself that this is what is going to happen to us
eventually. Doing so, we see there is nothing
extraordinary about our body that needs to be preserved.
What is so remarkable of this mind. What is so
remarkable about the wealth, name, fame, position,
power we possess. Ultimately, after death nothing goes
with us, we leave everything behind. This is the biggest
paradox of life.
There is misidentification of ‗Soul‘ with mind. Is it false
or maybe it‘s true? If true this can make us insecure so
we strive after worldly possessions, money, success,
power and recognition to feel safe and secure. Actually,
the secret of life is to practice the virtue of renunciation
before death to taste the deathless while living. This

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helps to conquer the fear of death. When we are about to

die our previous actions good or bad wind back and like
floating images appear before our mental eye. At the
time of death, we have to bear the results of our karmas,
there is no escape route. Two things we ought to
remember is that consciousness and death are irreducible
truths hard to decode.
Nature has not designed the world for manmade worldly
possessions, pleasures, comfort and luxuries. It‘s a place
for test and trial, to examine and determine the eligibility
of a human beings, to enter the next stage of human
evolution, from reason to spirituality. So, when we think
about death questions like; Where will we go after
death? What will happen to us? comes to us naturally.
Spirituality tells us how to handle the stages of life and
living, death and dying. Death is our final act so why do
it horribly. Dignity and grace come from the acceptance
of death. Therefore, we need to remind ourself
constantly about death, then as and when the time to die
comes, it would not be a big deal for us to handle.
Personally, before going to sleep I practice ‗Shavasana‘
the dead pose, suggested by Hatha Yoga, on my bed. In
this way I remember death daily. When I wake in the
morning, I thank nature for keeping me alive. I don‘t
know how far I will succeed to stay dignified when I
meet my death. Therefore, don‘t be carried away by
what I say nor prevent yourself to try this. Reject it, if,
it‘s not found useful. But for sure, if we remind
ourselves every day that we are going to die one day,
then we can move fast towards higher perception and
peep into different dimensions. Death strikes suddenly

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and doesn‘t give us time to think or reflect on it, like a

balloon, one prick and its gone. So, don‘t take things for
granted, live life lightly and not seriously, or else, we
will make ourselves sick sooner or later.
Mostly we commit sins to grab wealth, women and
property unlawfully to make ourselves and our family
members to enjoy it happily. Family members do not
pay the penalties of sin, it is he who committed the sin
reaps its consequences. When he dies his family
members rush to bury or burn his corpse like a log, no
one accompanies him to the next world, he goes alone.
Considering this, we have no choice but to practice good
deeds, only then, we can cross the ocean of sorrow and
misery. Furthermore, our sins are destroyed only by
righteous deeds.
When all knots in the head and the heart are untied then
we experience the immortality of our inner self. These
are teachings of the old religious schools of thought.
What are these knots? These knots represent our
unfulfilled desires and conditioned thoughts and feelings
which block the flow of natural energy. Once the knots
are untied, all blockages are removed and we pulsate
with full energy. When this happens, our heart becomes
a full-blown flower and spreads its fragrance. When this
person perishes with his death, the one who lives within
him lives on, as a pleasant memory in the mind of
others.
Living beings and even non-living things acquire a shape
and form. They appear and stay for a while and then
disappear. Only the eternal formless consciousness stays

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on. To understand the essence of this element called

consciousness, we have to empty the mind, pay attention
to the formless to know formlessness which is the
elementary nature of everything. The fundamental reality
is that from all-pervading consciousness living beings
and non-living things manifest.
Can we eliminate all diseases from earth? Diseases
continue to trouble us. In fact, diseases are a part of the
dying process. We succumb to it, even if, sophisticated
hospitals, machines, medicines are there to treat us with
professional diagnosis of disease. Even then, people
suffer by a host of ailments. Immunity from diseases is
far-fetched. When we suffer from a deadly or incurable
disease, it‘s better to reconcile with the inevitable. It‘s
not how long we live but how well we live matters. To
die well we must live well.
Deceit and survival-killer instinct is in-built in our DNA.
Nature gives us the license to kill with treacherous
dishonesty. The powerful and strong species prey on the
weak species. We see this happening in the animal
world, how a tiger feeds on a deer, a snake on a frog, a
frog on a fly, a bird on a worm, and a big fish on a small
fish. It‘s not so with humans, humans regulate humans,
this is a big problem, even laws of nature fail to solve.
Nature is a ruthless killer and the forerunner of death.
When the time of death comes, we have no prepared
script to respond, except to act intuitively as per the
prevailing situation. For sure, if our body is terminally ill
then death is freedom from suffering and pain.

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The last moment of death according to Hindu scriptures

is very important. Our state of mind during the last
breath decides where our next birth will take place. Are
we all good, are we all bad, are we mixture of good and
bad? Are these configurations correct? I don‘t know. But
I do know being constantly mindful of death makes us
vigilant, even if, we fail to taste the deathlessness, at
least we can be disinterested in Maya. Contemplating on
death doesn‘t mean being morose, melancholic and
miserable, or planning to commit suicide. The concept of
death consciousness is certainly not a dark subject.
People who lived a money-oriented unhappy life,
regretted the way they ill-treated the down-trodden and
ruined others in pursuit of worldly ambitions. Having
reached the top they found that their achievement was
not satisfying, it was hollow and meaningless. They are
losers in life despite the vast wealth they had collected.
Sadly, on the deathbed, they are pathetic, bad tempered,
gazing the wall with grief, fear and emptiness before
they died. I‘m intentionally citing it because I want to
emphasis the importance of ethical living, to make our
life better. I don‘t mean to denounce riches and success.
I just want a balance, we need to abide by the universal
spiritual values.
Imagining death brings a sense of urgency, our sluggish
energies are charged and we are now prepared to do
something good before we die. Otherwise, we are
obsessed with pleasures and comforts of life and resist to
go beyond the mundane to explore the unborn, the un-
originated and the unformed absolute. Deathlessness is
the eternal state of no arising and no passing, it‘s the

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cessation of mind and matter, extinguishing the fires of

greed, hatred and delusion. No more are we deluded by
wealth, women and wine. Now, we can channelize our
resources towards a fulfilling and rewarding life with
wisdom and compassion.
Death is something we are experiencing constantly from
moment to moment. The cells and tissues of the body are
dying and are being reborn simultaneously. Which
means with the dissolution of one awareness another
awareness arises instantly, this goes on unstopped.
Therefore, what we experience is a continuous arising
and passing away of mental and physical phenomena.
This is what is meant death and rebirth which occurs
from moment to moment. This unending succession of
arising and passing away is seen by a static unborn
witnesser who resides within us, which we believe is the
soul.
When near death we are frightened. Although we know
that death and tragedies are happening around us, yet we
are shocked and stunned and are unable to accept dying
even when we come face to face with death. Instead, we
turn to religious scriptures and philosophy to escape
from this reality, like smoking is bad yet we smoke.
Living is dying, therefore, in the deep recesses of our
psyche, the sense of finality, the fact of our death lurks
forever. Life is too short, if we are aware about death
then life is worth living in a righteous and rational way,
without bothering whether souls exist or not. What
difference does it make if soul exist? Even then, we have
to lead our own life independently.

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Our physical body is overhauled every seven years.

Considering this, if, we identify ourself as the body then
we certainly are in a dilemma. Equally so, the shelf life
of thoughts and emotions are short, if we identify
ourselves with our thoughts and emotions then again, we
are in a dilemma. Things are constantly changing. So,
obviously, we are none of those things which are
changing. We are outliving those changes. We are the
‗one‘ experiencing and witnessing the those change.
Who is this one? Sages call this Soul or individual
consciousness. Now, behind all the multitude
phenomena in space there must be an unchanging all-
encompassing existential reality. What is it? Sages call
this God or cosmic consciousness.
Innocence in childhood, lust in manhood, disease in old
age are the predominant facets of these three phases of
life. So is death a natural transformation of life, the child
grows into a boy, then into a young man, then into an old
man and then thawed by death. In this process we go
from mother‘s lap to the lap of death. Therefore, in old
age, let us develop discrimination and dispassion,
withdraw our mind from external distractions and
differentiate the observed world from the world beyond
human observation and see the difference ourself alone.
Even a shriveled body, a failing eyesight, hostile
offspring‘s, a nagging companion, cannot stop us from
desiring more and more in our old age. Precisely, in old
age, we need to practice to delve deeper, beyond the
matrix of mind because strong craving for a long life,
carnal indulgence and self-preservation are very deeply

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entrenched not easy to obliterate from the mind of an old

man.
From being to becoming is an evolutionary process
necessitated by nature to reach the optimal level and
extend the boundaries of creation. This cosmic caboodle
corroborates sequentially that from cause arise effect,
from ignorance arise volitional acts, from volitional acts
arise consciousness, from consciousness arise mind and
matter, from mind and matter arise six senses, from six
senses arise contact, from contact arise craving, from
craving arise attachment, from attachment arise karma,
from karma arise birth, from birth arise old age and
death. This is the cosmic cycle of being and becoming,
according to Buddha.
Combination of countless conditions has created
universe. It is not independent, it is interdependent.
There is nothing permanent in universe, everything is
continuously changing, all physical, non-physical
elements and their coming together is constantly
changing. Elements are annihilated and emanate
naturally. Even, human body, thoughts and emotions are
changing. In this endless process of change. Everything
is temporary, nothing is permanent. If different stages of
human body, like childhood, manhood, and old age are
not permanent, then, in this whirlpool. Can death be
permanent? Therefore, exploring and examining the
concept of afterlife is not a bad idea.
The life of human beings is short-lived, uneasy, sad and
painful. The worst part is that we cannot avoid death.
After reaching old age, our death is certain. As ripe fruits

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are in danger of falling on ground anytime, so human

beings when born are always in danger of death. As all
earthen pots made by the potter end in being broken so is
the life of human beings. Both young and old, fool and
wise, rich and pauper are subject to death. Death is the
greatest equalizer. A father cannot save his son nor the
members of his family. While people lament, one by one
human beings are carried to the burial ground, like ox is
led to the slaughter house. The world is afflicted by
decay and death. Therefore, the wise do not grieve.
Union of elements is a compound. Dissolution is one of
its characteristics. We too, have to part with our near and
dears. Likewise, everything that is born inherently
contains within it, a distinct feature that necessitates its
self-dissolution. This law of nature is irreversible. Yet,
believers fantasize about soul, afterlife and rebirth.
Science sees no ground to confirm this. The art of living
involves the art of dying. If, we have lived our life fully
well with dignity, our response to death should not be by
shedding tears but with a sense of gratitude.
Death is the termination of all biological functions of the
body that describes human life and living. Death is the
ends of the process of dying and does not refer to any
condition that may result in life after death. The idea of
afterlife or rebirth has been the fulcrum of religious
beliefs and philosophical enquiry. Science see death as
the end of the body-mind. So far science and psychology
have no clue what consciousness is. Therefore, life after
death is or not is dicey.

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Humans and animals die from senescence. Some

exceptions documented reveal, hydra, rockfish, turtles
and whales live a long life, without showing signs of
aging. Surprisingly, even a tiny jellyfish is capable of
living forever. Can this become a case study to probe
biological immortality? Or should we discard it merely
as a supposition. Malnutrition, disease, accidents,
predation in the animal kingdom is due to some causes
such as premature death. Besides, human activities
which cause unnatural death like suicide, homicide, war,
reduction of species and the destruction of ecosystems
are damaging consequences of industrial growth and the
rapidly changing technology.
Death plays an important role in the course of natural
selection when one species gives rise to a new and
distinctly different species. Organisms which adapt and
change to their environment than others organisms have
produced fewer offspring, this reduces their contribution
to the gene pool of the succeeding generations. Their
genes are eventually bred out of the population leading
to speciation and extinction. Reproduction plays an
equally important role in determining survival. An
organism that dies young but leaves many offspring will
have a much better Darwinian fitness to survive than a
long-lived organism, which leaves just one offspring.
When the ability to breed is lost and death of the last
survivor of that species comes to pass, that moment is
the extinction of that species. Since, the potential of that
species to bounce back cannot be determined, it leads to
a phenomenon termed Lazarus taxa where a species
presumed extinct appears abruptly. New species arise

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through the process of speciation. New varieties of

organisms arise and thrive when they are able to find and
exploit an ecological niche and those species become
extinct when they are no longer able to survive in
changing conditions or against superior competition.
The main leading cause of death is infectious diseases,
heart disease, cancer, diseases related to obesity, aging,
etc., home deaths once normal are now rare. General
indications that a person is no longer alive are the
ceasing of respiration and body no longer metabolizes.
The challenge to define death is to distinguish it from
life. Death is the termination of life. Determining when
death occurs, requires precise demarcation between life
and death. It is not easy to define life and death. If we
define life in terms of consciousness, then at that point,
when consciousness ceases that human being should be
dead. This clarification is indistinct. First and foremost,
the scientists must decide what consciousness is.
Death doesn‘t scare people because it happens. Once
dead they know everything about it but cannot tell their
experience to others. So, we can never know anything
about it till we ourself experience death. In this dicey
situation, what actually frightens us, is the process of
dying, we are worried whether our death will be painful
or not. But it's not always blood and gore people die
peacefully too. The fear of death and the belief in life
after death are universal phenomena. Therefore,
religious institutions responsible for constructing
concepts of life after death should not lose sight of the
biological aspect of life, which obviously sets the limit
for reality creating activity. Living human consciousness

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cannot access one's own death as an inner experience.

Therefore, we also need to rationalize the idea of death
and afterlife.
In nature there is no such thing as death other than
reshuffling and recycling of atoms to refresh the
universal life-force cosmic energy. Perhaps we do not
know. But we do know that afterlife can be known only
to the person who dies, there is no other way to see. Till
than hell, heaven, rebirth, reincarnation will remain an
idea not good enough to express the continuity of life
after death. The infinite is beginning-less and end-less
realm, once we step in it, we can never return back nor
reach anywhere, so from where do we come and where
do we go, what it was that was born and what it is that
dies.

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Soul

he author claims, he came in contact, with the

imperceptible soul of his dead father and felt his
presence. He says it was real. To put the record
straight. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that
souls exist. So, to grasp the self-stated incident in right
perspective, it is imperative to give full and fair
awareness about death, soul, afterlife and what does
communication with the dead really means.
What is a soul? The composition of human beings is
supposed to be a dualistic entity, which means a
grouping of body and mind, which are fundamentally
distinct kinds of substances or natures. According to this
concept soul is the inner invisible spiritual part, while
body is the outer visible physical part. There is some
truth to this, yet it‘s not the whole truth.
Soul in other words means the spirit, mind, psyche, self,
universal breath of life, life-force and consciousness.
There is no clear or precise description of Soul so its‘
meaning lacks clarity. We have to understand it
comprehensively. But people by and large concur on one
common point that soul is something that everyone
possesses. It is the center of spiritual and emotional

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experiences. It refers to the whole person, whether alive

or in afterlife. Soul is regarded as immortal.
It is believed the backdrop of physical-mind-soul
structure is the universal soul. But our thoughts and ego
keep us away from this fundamental reality. If the cause
is determined then doubts disappear. The cause of mind
whereupon thoughts originate is soul. This is a
spontaneous and a natural state of revelation of an
essence, which is beyond the description of words, the
enduring eternal consciousness - the atman. Some enter
this state, yet, no one can stay there for long, no one can
delay leaving its exit. It‘s a mysterious glimpse of
something indescribable, hard to explain in words but is
felt or experienced. Superficial interpretations are the
root cause of all false beliefs and wrong thinking.
Where is the soul? The soul is not inside the body. The
soul is the projection of body and mind. Its location is in
space-time and it works itself through the body. Just,
like actors in a movie are not inside the screen on which
we watch the movie. Similarly, soul is not inside the
body, it expresses itself through the body, thus creating
an illusion, as if, body contains it, like the image before
the mirror is a reflection and not a presence inside the
mirror. Soul is not inside the body and looking out, it
exists in space-time, just as our thoughts occupy
different locations in space-time. This means the soul is
everywhere and nowhere. Our body-mind is a unified
field of the universal life force, which is eternal,
unchanging, all pervading and so is the soul a little part
of that large cosmic force. There is a need to

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comprehend truth in abstract meaning, as well as, in

practical terms.
There is ‗Something‘ in us that can be without us and
will be after us. What that something is? Because we see
the universe exists, if, we don‘t see it. Still, the universe
will exist, but in a different way, according to the
perception of the observer. It is this ‗Something‘, what
the Vedic sages called ‗That‘, which makes the
difference. Like everything in the body is moving, there
ought to be something that makes it move. There is a
stillness that makes it move. What is this stillness? This
stillness is something this something we call the soul.
There is a state of freedom from the mind and that calm
consciousness is the key to spiritual dimensions, which
enables us, to witness ourself by ourself. Only human
beings possess this unique quality. Beyond mind is
intellect, beyond intellect is consciousness, beyond
consciousness is the soul, beyond soul is God, beyond
God is matter and energy that creates God, universe and
man, beyond all this is infinity and beyond infinity is
nothingness. Now imagine, if nothingness is the starting
point of everything then the end point of everything is
nothingness. This is the great paradox of the grand
cosmic mystery.
Some associate the pineal gland in the brain with the
soul, this inner, vital, indescribable credence of curiosity
is uniquely human that sets us apart from other animals.
Is it this quintessence that makes us so special? Are we
looking for something that will make us distinct from
other animals? A phenomenon, which has dogged our

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cultures and customs from ancient times to the present

day.
The soul has its beginning from a speculative spiritual
world. it is believed the soul links with the physical body
in mother‘s womb. Their suggestion is similar to that of
light and the mirror. The light that appears in the mirror
is not inside the mirror, it comes from an external
source. Similarly, the soul is not inside the body it comes
from some subtle spiritual world, with an unverifiable
address.
How is the apparition of soul formed by physical body?
Soul appears with birth and disappears with death.
Wherever the humans move the soul moves together.
Like the electric field is accompanied with the magnetic
field. No one knows how the magnetic field is created or
how it arises. But it always exists with the electric field.
Then why soul or consciousness can‘t be called an
induced field in relation to the body which is an
unseeable entity. The fact is that this elusive energy
exists. Its location is not the body, it is the body that
lives in it.
Atman or soul is the epicenter of the human body, which
after death either transmigrates to a new life or attains
‗Moksha‘, a state of total release from all the bonds of
existence. Atman is the cause of all the activities of a
person, as ‗Brahman‘ or God underlies the workings of
the universe. Atman is part of the Brahman, with which,
it can commune or even fuse, to become one.
The idea and values of Vedanta comes from the
hypothetical philosophies of Upanishads, Brahma Sutra,

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Bhagavad Gita and commentaries by Adi Shankar.

‗Veda‘ means knowledge and ‗Anta‘ means end.
Therefore, Vedanta is the end of knowledge, knowing it,
there is nothing more to know. Vedanta philosophy can
be summarized in one sentence, ‗Brahman alone is real,
the world is illusory and the individual soul and
universal soul is one‘. Rest all is interpretations, in a way
it‘s silly and in a way it‘s sane. That‘s why Vedic
teachers had cautioned people that books and scriptures
cannot lead them to ‗Moksha‘, moksha is attained by
following the path of self-knowledge alone. There is no
other way.
Brahman cannot be defined. It is a state of pure
existence, summed up as ‗Sat-Chit-Anand‘ which means
a unique combination of truth, consciousness and bliss,
it‘s an all-pervading presence. ‗Atman‘ or soul is
revealed by self-knowledge. Self-knowledge kindles
meditation and conquers the ego. In stillness of
consciousness the presence of soul is felt. This is the
crust and core of Vedic philosophy.
According to the Vedic school of thought the soul
reincarnates again and again, till it‘s fine-tuned to finally
fit, to merge with its source. In this process, the soul
assumes many forms in the cycle of life and death.
Hindus believe in multiple worlds of light and multiple
worlds of darkness, the ‗Leela‘ of creation is hard to
count, its multiple dimensional, some known
dimensions, other are unknown. In these infinite
dimensions, there are innumerable possibilities. Hindu
cosmology is a complex structure. The evolutionary

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deciding factor is Karma, it is through karma a person

moves from this to that world.
Hindus believe human brain does not produce soul. It is
hard to explain soul by physical or chemical laws nor is
it produced by mechanical or molecular motion. Then,
which energy constitutes to contain soul. Is it the
universal life-force or the breath of life or the portion of
cosmic consciousness called soul? The soul is not
subject to molecular changes in the body. It‘s beyond all
changes including death. Soul is the vehicle of
consciousness which is carried from one life to another
life.
When soul-consciousness can survive the bodily
transformations as a child, as a youth and a grown-up
person and old person, sequentially. In these successive
changes the distinct element of soul-consciousness
remains intact it never changes. In the same way, when
we discard our worn-off body, the body perishes and
soul survives by rebirth. Soul is indestructible, after
attaining ‗Moksha‘ a state of highest spiritual attainment,
the soul finally enters the realms of other worlds. The
indecipherable domains we know nothing about it so far.
The author went thru a mystical experience, which left
an unforgettable impact on his memory. His mind is
often gripped by complex ideas and he finds them
mentally stimulating to untie the knots of mystery. Yet,
he is not sure, whether his presentation of the
inexpressible soul has clarity. Please bear this lapse in
his explanation he cannot help himself to carry forward

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contractions which he thinks will continue till we don‘t

gain the absolute knowledge of everything.
Describing the formless soul is like evaporating the
ocean into mist or trying to capture the sky with a
clenched fist or expecting high tide in the sea to flood a
barren burning desert. So, when dealing with an abstract
subject, the author is not bound to prove it, but to look at
the whole issue from all probable perspectives. Or else,
truth is not easily arrived, further if anything abstract is
not proved to be abstract is not abstract. Even negation
can lead to acceptance.
There is a way to describe the soul. We all have at one
point of time experienced an uncanny feeling that
‗something‘ within us is constantly watching our inner
and outer world. This ‗something‘ is none other than the
human soul, which is invisible and hiding itself under
the concealment of mental and emotional dispensation.
If, ego hides it then only the egoless state of mind can
reveal it.
There is a way to describe the soul, soul is a circle its
circumference is infinity and its center is the person.
Soul is not inside but all over the body. The feeling that
soul is inside the body and is looking out is an optical
illusion. Soul is present in timeless zone and body exists
in a time zone. Consequently, human thoughts dwell in
different time locations even though the soul occupies
those locations concurrently. Thus, soul is present both
in ‗time‘ and in ‗timelessness‘, everywhere and nowhere.
Like consciousness, physical body also endures on life-
force. Is the soul-consciousness the life-force? This

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question baffles. Perhaps, words are many but its

essence is one.
There is a way to describe the soul, the body changes
with the passage of time, but ‗something‘ within us is
constantly witnessing the change and it does not change.
Even though, the coming, the going and the modification
of the body continuously come to pass. Transformation
is happening relentlessly. In the whole process of
physical change there is ‗something‘ within us, which is
unaffected by the changes taking place. We know that in
changing things there is a constancy of cosmic laws.
This irrefutable law of nature helps us to recognize that
‗something‘ is none other than the steadfast ‗soul‘.
There is a way to describe the soul, physical body is
born, it grows, decays and die but what is the nature of
that formless ‗presence‘ which witnesses birth and death
of physical body. What is it? What role does it play by
being a witnesser of the whole the drama of life? Why a
see-er as an immortal entity dwell in a mortal body?
Why experiencer of life is required? The answers to
these questions lead to consciousness in other words
‗soul-consciousness‘.
There is a way to describe the soul, everything in the
body is moving, the blood is constantly gushing, the
organs are always functioning, in this non-stop motion
there is ‗stillness‘ at its core, which makes everything in
the body move. What is this stillness? This stillness is
soul. Is this evidence of its existence? This stillness is
the bedrock of consciousness on which the body and the
phenomenal world are superimposed. Can a plant

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survive without roots? Mind sees a smokescreen not

what is behind it. The finite comes to an end in the
presence of infinite.
There is a way to describe the soul, the world is a mental
creation called maya an illusion. In sleep state dreams
come involuntarily. Dreams are not created. Dreams are
born naturally and effortlessly. In waking state dreams
culminate. No effort is made to make or end the dream.
It comes and goes naturally. However, in the conscious
state of waking the mind fabricates a make-believe
world, which only self-awareness is able to nullify the
trickery of the mind. When the make-believe world
collapses then everything gets consolidated as one, what
remains as a leftover is the ‗soul-consciousness‘.
Now that we know a little about the soul, let us focus our
attention on it to know more. Soul is not created or
destroyed. Soul is immortal and survives after the death
of the physical body. Soul moves from one level to
another level of existence like from stone to plant, from
plant to animal, from animal to human being, from
human beings to a celestial being. The journey of the
soul starts from formlessness to form and ends from
form to its formlessness. Soul is a part of the great
cosmic consciousness. Cosmic consciousness is unborn,
uncreated original portion of space and existence.
Elements create the body-mind compound and soul-
consciousness is a byproduct, just as ingress of
intoxicants induce inebriation. Things dissolve and
disappear into a state of imperceptibleness but nothing is
destroyed in the cosmos. Similarly, soul manifests when

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embodied and when it exits the body, it continues to live

in its invisible dimension. Human beings are composed
of matter and energy, the physical body as matter and
mind, intellect, ego, consciousness and soul or self or the
life force breath in the form of energy, which controls
the body as a puppet.
The river loses water when the sun shines and gains
water when the rain falls. Starting from a spring rivers
merge into the ocean. Rivers keep changing itself but the
idea of a river remains constant. Water evaporates from
the river in the form of a mist and becomes a cloud and
from the cloud water falls on ground or river. Each drop
of water travels a long journey before merging with the
river. Then again it proceeds on another journey. At no
stage did the water disappear. It only changed its form
according to laws of nature. Similarly, the soul-
consciousness energy never ceases to be. It changes from
one form to another form.
Learning broadens and enlarges human vision but
curiosity to know the unknown still holds great attraction
because, we know, in the infinite astronomical domain,
there is no finish line, to end the race of knowing, so we
can never reach a point, where we can claim to know
everything in the unfathomable space. Therefore, the
quest of human knowledge will never come to an end
ever.
The moment we stop identifying ourselves with our
body the next moment our ego disappears and then the
knowledge of ‗Self‘ as our core essence is realized.
What is this essence? I‘m not the physical body, I‘m not

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feeling or thoughts, I‘m not mind or intelligence. Then

what am I? To know this, remove the several layers laid
on our mind, one by one, by peeling each layer
completely, then we see, I‘m not this, I‘m not that and
end up realizing, I‘m pure soul-consciousness.
Therefore, our real identity is soul-consciousness.
Paradoxically, consciousness is also not ‗I‘ or ‗Mine‘.
There is no tangible way other from consciousness. He
who looks inside awakens. He who looks outside sleeps.
When we identify our consciousness with cosmic
consciousness, we free ourselves from the body, we are
liberated from the bondage of suffering and become
happy.
Time does not affect soul-consciousness. It is the eternal
now, which is embodied to exist in past, present and
future time zones. As the nameless, formless, inner self,
life of breath or life-force. No one, other than us can see
our soul, it is no one else‘s business. Soul is hidden in
the deep recesses of our heart. It is revealed by our own
self-efforts through contemplation and meditation.
Some spiritualists say, soul and body are just like light
and mirror. The light that appears in the mirror is not
inside the mirror, it comes from an external source.
Similarly, the soul is not in the body, it‘s an image of the
universal soul. As such, the soul is not the mind, it is a
spiritual substance. No language can communicate with
the soul. The soul is a silent witness. It is not looking for
the meaning of life but is experiencing the cycle of life.
This knowledge of inner self is gained when the mind is
totally empty. When the mind is empty the presence of

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the soul is felt effortlessly. Dissolving the mind in

consciousness is meditation. This is true wisdom. Rest
all is mental gymnastics and vocal clatter.
When a great piece of literature is written, when a
solution to a problem is found, when a new idea is
unfurled, when a novel discovery is made. Is this solely
the work of human effort or universal consciousness is
helping them to generate it? Cosmic consciousness is the
producer and director of the whole show. Those who see
everything as one on the screen of duality can
understand that deeds are done but there is no doer of
deeds, the wind blows but there is no blower of the
wind. Can‘t we see that human consciousness and
cosmic consciousness is one? This is a fundamental
reality then why make it complicated.
There is only one single path, that is the path of knowing
through self-study. Self-knowledge is gained through
personal efforts. He who takes up this study chooses to
walk on a double-edged sword. Having gained self-
realization, he becomes a blessing to humanity. How can
that place be called a pond, if, water in it has dried? How
can one remain in a false world if reality is revealed?
Truth becomes elusive where ignorance is. When self-
knowledge is gained, we realize we are neither the body
nor the mind. This understanding dissolve our ‗I‘, ‗Me‘,
‗My‘ and ‗Mine‘ and becomes ‗We‘, ‗Us‘ and ‗Our‘.
Now the world appears as an illusion, it is no more real,
what we perceive may not exist, what we cannot
perceive may exist, the old order exits with a new order,

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a state where there is no creation no destruction, this is

an eternal cosmic truth.
In the monopoly of ‗Infinite Cosmos‘ looking for
fulfillment of human desires, longings, ambitions etc., in
the domain of nothingness appears meaningless because
all that exists as living beings or non-living things are
finite. But soul is infinite so there is nothing for the soul
to accept or reject, there is no coming or going of the
soul. Soul is just a state of being and not a state of
becoming. Therefore, why should one try to stop what is
happening, let it happen on its own, we need to avoid
contamination, if the ‗Soul‘ within us is polluted, then
how can we cross the river of existence to reach the
shore of deliverance?
Nothingness is the uppermost state to cognize soul-
consciousness. This is the reality of the eternal. Soul is a
state of presence. Since everything which is not eternal
is unreal so the universe is inferred as an idea. It is an
illusion created by consciousness, which creates,
sustains and reabsorbs it. This play never stops, it goes
on perennially. When the act of merging of individual
consciousness with cosmic consciousness happens then
there is no display of the manifested forms, now the drop
of water has become the ocean.
Objects look solid, in fact, it‘s a stream of
consciousness. The image of objects imagined and
imprinted on the mind are not real. Consciousness is
real. In the same way, life of the body is brief and
subject to death but a subtle energy within us which is
tied like an umbilical cord to cosmic consciousness

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never dies. Thus, we assume transmigration of

consciousness from one physical form to another
happens. Yet, the manifestation of its outer form is an
illusion, actually, its real form hidden within is formless.
Our body is being recycled and so is our DNA every few
months or in years, which means we outlive the atoms
the molecules through which we express ourselves.
Thoughts come and go and transformation of our body is
taking place too, but the ground realty is that both mind
and body is rooted in the unbroken continuity of soul-
consciousness. The characteristic of soul-consciousness
is not material so it is hard for us to correlate it with
anything material or maybe anything else too.
Cosmic consciousness is that primordial energy which is
linked to life-force and the breath of life, a glue that
binds all living beings. In unfathomable space, this
energy flows as a wave, weaving multitude patterns to
manifest in innumerable forms as living beings. This
energy enters as a vibrating impulse in the mother‘s
womb, at the time, of the formation of heart. It is
amazing to see, for three weeks from conception, the
fetus is just a piece of flesh and suddenly it throbs and
sets a chain reaction of pulsation. No one knows the
cause of this intervention. This act of universal life force
and breath of life defies a coherent scientific
explanation.
Soul has its origin in spiritual dimensions. The soul is
connected with body from mother‘s womb. Since it‘s an
external portion, the soul is not a part of the body, the
body is in the embrace of the soul. Soul appears with

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birth and passes away with death, wherever there is a

body, the soul goes together with it. Scientifically,
wherever there is electric field, it is at all times
accompanied with a magnetic field. No one knows how
the magnetic field is created or arises. But the magnetic
field always exists, with the electric field. Then why
soul-consciousness can‘t be called an induced field in
relation to the body. The conclusive fact is, there is an
unseen, subtle entity that exists. Its location is not the
body but body lives in it.
Human beings experience three stages of consciousness,
waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. In the state of waking
a person runs around the world. In the state of dreaming
all unfulfilled desires manifest as dreams. In the state of
deep sleep all wanderings halt and all the dreams fade,
what remains is tranquility. There are people who
experience a state beyond these three stages called the
fourth stage ‗Turiya‘ a state of pure consciousness. In
this state of harmony and bliss the existence of the
‗Soul‘ is revealed. Meditation helps to achieve the
altered stages of consciousness to enter the plains of
infinity and then rest in nothingness in the real cosmic
essence, rest all is our guess work.
Individual Self and universal Self are one.
Consciousness is like electricity. It hardly matters
whether it flows through a small or a big appliance so
making a difference is pointless. Where are we in
infinity? Our fleeting existence is merely a glimpse in
time. We are born from infinity and merge in infinity.
There is no difference between us and infinity. In other
words, all things are made of one essence. Things appear

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differently according to the forms they assume, but

things happen according to one law. How long will it
take us to grasp this simple truth? The more we probe
the deeper it becomes like the ocean and the
unfathomable sky, yet, ocean has one taste salt and sky
one reality the presence of consciousness.
Our mind, senses, speech and scriptures are inept to
grasp the reality of the soul. Soul is revealed by self-
study and self-analysis. Soul is a formless reality. How
can we see that, which is not other than us? What we see
and know cannot be seen or known by others. He, who
says I see does not see. He, who says I do not see, may
see. Subtle than subtler is the path to discern the soul.
There is no starting or end point in the realm of the
formlessness. This mystery is resolved when knower
becomes the known. There are not many paths but the
path of self-enquiry is the only way to know, to discover
and to express the meaning of soul. It comes from
sincere and wholehearted self-effort, when it‘s geared to
action, it can reach to that disclosure, we didn‘t expect to
understand.
Is consciousness biological? Still, it‘s a statement of
supposition. If assumption is the foundation of our
arguments, then knowledge of the soul can be gained
only by multitude point of views. No single opinion can
ever prove or reject the existence of soul-consciousness.
So, start self-conversation of questions and answers,
once we discover the source of our thoughts, we enter
the realm of the thoughtlessness Atman, individual soul-
consciousness and when this merges with Brahman the
universal soul or cosmic consciousness, we experience

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oneness. Then we see one reality and conclude that

consciousness is the fundamental reality. If we view
things through physical dimensions. Can we rule out the
existence of non-physical dimensions?
The limitations of mind and senses prevent us to grasp
complete knowledge. So, inadequacy keeps them
engaged in gathering more and more information, yet,
incompleteness of information lingers. The mind is
seduced by inner most senses and is enticed by external
objects. The mind imprisons us and also sets us free. Just
as wind gather clouds to crowd the sky, the same wind
scatters them to clear the sky. That means without the
mind we cannot know the soul. Beyond senses there is
mind, beyond mind there is ego, beyond ego there is
intellect, beyond intellect, is what we are seeking right
now. But there is something, its formless, its unnamed, it
appears to be separate from body. Sages call it soul-
consciousness. Scientific definition of consciousness is
still awaited.
Indirect inference reveals the existence of soul. In sleep
mind ceases to function. Yet, we wake up with the
awareness that we had slept, even though, our mind was
not there during sleep, but ‗something‘ was there. What
is this something? It is consciousness, which constantly
flows like a stream without interruption. By which we
know we are the same person who went to sleep. This is
indirect evidence of consciousness or soul, an entity,
which persists both in sleep and wakefulness. Besides,
what keeps the body functioning during sleep? Who
makes us fall asleep and withdraw from sleep? Why do
we want to live knowing our death is certain? This

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shows consciousness is eternal. Can science solve this

mystery? Study suggests, if, we are a part of the mystery
we are trying to solve. How can we formulate the theory
of everything? Isn‘t it far-fetched?
If the soul exists. Is it trapped inside the body or is
wrapped on the body? If it‘s in energy form. Is it frozen
energy or inertial force or still energy? The molecules of
body are being replaced rapidly but our emotions,
thoughts and memories live longer. It means memories
are still there, even after, all the cells in the brain that
were in place, at the time memory was formed have died
and replaced. This is indirect evidence showing how
consciousness transcends the body.
When we see a dream in sleep or a motion picture in
cinema hall, we get mentally and emotionally involved
with it, but after waking up, or coming out from the
cinema hall, we realize, all that we saw, was a make-
believe world. Likewise, everything around us is Maya,
a make-believe world, which we treat as reality and get
deeply involved in it. No one should take the world
seriously, it is a stuff made of dreams, drama and death,
life is a brief journey so travel light.
During sleep body requires minimum energy to sustain
its vital functions, while the lingering energy returns to
the primordial source to be re-energized. Many people
have reported the phenomenon of soul or consciousness
coming out of the physical body. This is called astral
projection. The wonder of leaving the body and
returning back happens every night when we go to sleep.
When we wake up the soul enters back and causes a

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fleeting imbalance and then resettles in the body. People

experience astral projection, at times, fully awake,
during surgical operations or traumatic death situations.
How far it is true no one knows.
Thoughts are produced by the brain. Shallow thoughts
fritter away, profound thoughts go in space and get
connected to celestial energies. Discoveries in science,
spiritual realms and work of art come from cosmic
consciousness through deep thoughts. Aren‘t people
taking the flight of their imagination too far?
Human body is a compound of molecules and chemicals
and ego the ‗I‘ tendency of human body is an illusion
created by mind. Then the question arises. Where are
we? Do we really exist? The definitions of structures in
space are the creation of human mind. Do galaxies and
universe really exist outside the human mind? Perhaps,
aliens may see galaxies and universe differently, not in
the same way, humans see them. Is the human mind
simply creating mental constructs? Human mind is a
great illusionist. Therefore, nothing except, individual
consciousness and cosmic consciousness are real, rest all
are illusions. The search of truth that starts from
consciousness, the seat of self-knowledge, leads to
reality.
Some say, if cause of the soul is determined then all
doubts will end. The mind initiates the formation of
thoughts but not of soul-consciousness. Consciousness is
not an object. Consciousnesses alone can perceive
consciousness. It‘s therefore, a subjective experience
perceived directly by senses. Science keeps subjectivity

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away. This makes consciousness elusive, an unsolved

riddle, shrouded in mystery. Consciousness is not the
creation of brain. Consciousness is not found in the brain
or the body. On the contrary, human body and brain are
in consciousness. Consciousness is the cause of mind.
Mind is the cause of ego, thoughts, desires and all
cravings and indulgences.
Almost the whole cosmos is a dark place. Consequently,
we assume, there is more darkness and less light in life
and after death as well. Besides, we are born out of a
womb, which is a dark dwelling. Besides, we fall sleep
with ease in dim and dark environs. However, by living
in the light of consciousness, we can see things vividly
here and there and by the same light of knowledge, we
can see the mysterious world of afterlife unfold before
us.
We observe objects in space. We demarcate and identify
objects when we observe them, then we define it as the
universe, according to the level of our understanding.
This is just an observation by the observer, which means
it‘s a one-side opinion. If, the observer becomes the
observed, then where is the universe. Is it same or
different? Is our definition of universe the fundamental
reality? For sure, the aliens will define it in a different
way. Therefore, the eastern Vedic philosophers say,
what is here is there and what is there is here.
We observe objects through our eyes. The power to see
comes from external light and other factors, which
activate our internal mechanism. The moment the eye
transmits a signal to the brain, the brain triggers a

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thought of the object and mind starts seeing it with the

coordination of the senses. Now, the question arises
from where did the thought come. Does consciousness
command to choose?
In the world of physical living beings, it is hard to
imagine a non-physical entity, the universal life-force in
the human body is perceived as cloud, fog or mist. So, it
is a delusion to believe that the idea of a non-spatial
witnesser soul is conceivable. But, not exactly,
according to the theory of contrast, if nature can create
physical living beings visible in three dimensions, then
the existence of non-physical living beings invisible in a
dimension unfamiliar to us is possible. So, the
phenomenon of an invisible non-physical living being
cannot be ruled out, outrightly.
The assumption of a non-physical entity inhabiting
human body has not enhanced human understanding.
Instead, it has furthered superstition and ignorance,
hindering the growth of human mind. However, both
religion and psychology are lucrative business due to
this belief. Besides, philosophy is rewarding too, by
keeping the idea of soul alive, even though, many
disbelievers refute and criticize them. It seems skeptics
and believers need each other.
Soul promotes the idea of a continual existence after
death. The functioning of human consciousness during
waking, in dreams, in a dreamless state, and in brain
surgeries suggest that life-force exists independent of the
body. Science does not approve this. The reality is that
we are made of chemicals, carbon and proteins. We are

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born, live for a while, and then die. No soul is involved

in this process. But biocentrism — a new theory of
everything has come out with a new way of thinking,
which may lead to new revelations, if any.
Science dismisses soul as an article of belief and a
mental construct. The term life and death are nothing
more than a biological life and a biological death. The
animating principle in terms of human body and mind is
based on the laws of chemistry and biology. The eternal
essence that occupies our being has never been seen
under a microscope or by any other scientific test. As
such, nothing appears to survive the human body after
death. If the soul is in a quantifiable framework, then the
soul can be examined by studying the functioning of the
brain, neuroscience can take up a scientific study to
know the soul.
While neuroscience has made incredible progress
revealing the functioning of the brain but it has dealt the
issue in a subjective manner, the nature of self is the
objective ‗I‘ that feels and lives. Biocentrism has
challenged scientific theories, and raised some difficult
questions about life.
Everything that makes us what we are, as we think,
comes from our experiences, fused into our memories
which shape and determines our personality. It is
believed soul contains information about who we are. It
contains the essence of our self, our memories and our
personality. Neuroscience has evidence that such souls
do not exist. If, brain injury can change our personality.

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Then, the soul, which contains our personality is also

damaged by the brain injury.
Likewise, other things like alcohol or drug abuse or
brain trauma, etc. can also damage the network of
synaptic connections that store our memories. Further,
our memories are not static it can be changed by
suggestion and by the running time. This shows if a soul
exists, it cannot contain our memories, or alternatively,
when memories are lost. Are those parts of the soul
disabled? No one knows.
Is there a soul? Does anything endure the ravages of
time? Life and consciousness are a fundamental reality.
Life is not the activity of atoms and particles, which spin
around for a while, and then dissipate into nothingness.
If we add life to the equation, we can explain some of
the major puzzles of modern science. Quantum
mechanics is a theory in physics that provides a
description of the physical properties of nature at the
scale of atoms and subatomic particles. Since quantum
physics began, the concept of consciousness and soul
has entered the domain of science, even though, being
examined more or less as a matter of belief. After all,
physics is like philosophy.
It is believed soul is immortal so there is life after death.
In recent times medical practitioners have come across
several cases where people have reported that their
consciousness was separated from their physical bodies
during near death experiences (NDE), further, it was
observed that drugs can produce altered states of
consciousness such as floating outside the body. Does

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this substantiate the existence of the soul? It seems that it

is too early for the physicists to conclude.
Science has not explained what consciousness is. Is non-
physical consciousness an outcome of a physical brain?
if so, then something can come out of nothing and
nothing out of something, which is fundamentally
wrong. Can differently viewing platforms of perception,
chance experiences and unintended coincidences prove
the existence of souls, this too is fundamentally wrong.
Then what is right?
Consciousness involves something more than
electrochemical process. Quantum processes connect us
to a deeper reality, experiencing a range of paranormal
phenomena such as telepathy, premonitions, or
precognition. There is no proof or final evidence of
consciousness or soul on a scientific basis till now. But
the probability suggesting the existence of soul or
consciousness is on the anvil.
If cloning of humans becomes a reality, will those
persons who want to clone themselves treat their human
clones as relatives or friends? What about the soul in
human clones? Human clone is identical in every respect
to its propagator. Now the question arises. Will the
human clone have the soul of the originator or a different
soul? Is human clone soulless? As far as psychology is
concerned the soul represents mind, psyche and the
personality.
In the interstellar space of impermanence can there be a
permanent soul. Buddhism denies the existence of soul
as an independent entity. The transient body is not

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survived by an immutable soul, it teaches the doctrine of

non-self or absence of soul. Paradoxically, Buddha
during his daily discourse narrated the stories of his own
rebirths. It is a fallacy to believe that he negated the soul,
in the sense of an indescribable absolute, on which, he
maintained a noble silence.
How to know the difference between self and non-self?
What is the driving force behind our desires? What is the
stimulus behind the constant craving for the fruits of our
actions? It‘s the egoistic-self. When we grasp that the ‗I-
centric‘ world is an illusion, we start negating it, and
observe that the ‗egoistic-self‘ is the cause of all
suffering. That‘s how the state of non-self-unfolds.
We are a part of a continuum consciousness or the
universal self on which our existence as individual
entities is defined and perceived. What we recognize as
spiritual impulse within us is the presence of that
wholeness. Our existence is not only a part of the
continuum but as a whole continuum rolled up as one.
Does the soul-field of non-physical consciousness
emanate from a physical source has not been established
so far. However, mind-field is influenced by all sensory
fields. We affect each other in a physical sense with or
without sensory contact. Our minds are influenced by
supra-sensory sources, existing outside the human plane,
which is a natural consequence of inter-connectedness.
The way our senses work prevents us from seeing
everything. We see partially and not wholly. As a result,
we live in a patchwork of world created by our patchy
perception. Universe is an accumulation of matter and

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energy but our eyes are designed to see matter alone. We

are predisposed to see dense concentrations of energy
surfacing as matter created by energy waves. This
negates the concept of materiality, suggesting the
possibility of soul-consciousness.
Our curious imaginative mind is prone to hallucinate
then vomit words, conjure concepts and visualize silly
illusions. The foremost illusion created by the mind is
our delirious ‗ego‘, which functions within the
parameters of our own notions, opinions and reactions
thus creating a make-believe world assuming it to be
real. This false reality laced with biological and social
conditioning, results informing personal views, leading
to a fractured and fragmented fundamental reality.
The Vedic sages understood the role of the mind in
shaping reality and also minds reactions to incoming
stimuli. The theories of maya, samsara, duality, oneness
etc. were founded on these inputs so they stated nothing
startlingly different. What led to minds inkling of a
separate self? Is this an illusion a phantom or the sleuth
mind? Is this the life-force or the universal breath or
consciousness rolled up as one separate soul?
Spiritual seeking means responding to a call from
beyond the physical dimensions, without knowing it or
being able to cognize why seeking is necessary for
spiritual growth, this psyche is tuned to the enormous
energy landscape of the universe, every organism and
object is embedded in this seamless, formless
continuum, this is that glorious consciousness the sages
spoke about and pondered on silently.

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The concept of soul-consciousness does not appeal to

all, but in some part of our mind sees through it and the
mental faculties know that there are areas of human
experience which trend outside and lean beyond the
bounds of the standardized consensual sensory reality.
There is no scientific instrument or explanation to define
what absolute reality is or than why is everything
relative. Duality or oneness is an illusional pictorial and
is not a true reflection of reality.
Physicists say numerous quantum fields, which lie
beneath all physical reality, arise from one common
source that is the unified field. Space theorists believe
that the mystery of consciousness and quantum physics
are linked. Some insist that a universe whose laws do not
take consciousness into account cannot explain the
universe truly. Physics like philosophy is using thoughts
to hypothesize, as the scope of lab experiment, to prove
it, is not possible.
Decoding consciousness is now a matter of scientific
discussions, it is called entropic cosmological principle.
It suggests that the laws of nature are crafted precisely
and are quite accurate, as if, it‘s the work of some
cosmic intelligence. Objective information is gathered
by subjective perception. No quantum phenomena can
be termed a phenomenon until it‘s observed in a
transmittable form by a conscious observer. Photons
exist both as a wave or a particle and manifest only
when it is observed by a conscious observer.
The conviction that consciousness is an essential part or
the real nature of the universe is based on the quantum

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nature of the fundamental reality. The primary realities

of unified field and consciousness are inseparable
features of the same underlying process, united by
collective mutual participation.
Since the unified quantum fields permeates all manifest
phenomena, similarly its corresponding counterpart
consciousness acts accordingly. Spiritual traditions
suggest that consciousness is not the functioning of
neural connection in the brain but is the basic
characteristic of the ultimate reality of universal energy
pervading all manifestations, demonstrating a connection
how the receivers receiving the all-pervading field of
cosmic consciousness are finetuned as well.
Is there an invisible slit between the mind and the body?
We hardly know about it. But we do experience some
kind of separation in deep meditation, and feel that
nothing can touch soul-consciousness or the mind. Once
we live this experience, we suddenly realize my body is
not me, my mind is not me and then the wisdom and
understanding of the real soul-consciousness is gained.
The formula ‗This is not me‘ is a nice method of
meditation to realize what is our real self, and what is
not our real self. This information can render clarity to
our line of thought so that we can handle our life with
correct understanding.
Our senses cannot go beyond the physical plains where
as the invisible dimensions are beyond the reach of our
sensory perception. Visibility and invisibility are two
sights of a human vision. Visual distance, if huge,
creates invisibility, but under the optical microscope

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even the tiniest things not visible to naked eye become

visible. Consciousness exists but we cannot see
consciousness. Due to great distance the universe is out
of sight. But cosmic consciousness and individual
consciousness are not distant, they are here and now.
Consciousness is the link between all physical, subtle
and invisible domains of dimensions.
Often musk deer are seen searching for the musk, round
and round they go, unaware that the heady fragrance,
urgently sought, lay beneath their own belly. Many
times, humans too behave like musk deer. We search for
self-realization outside, unaware that it lies within us,
untapped, unnoticed, unexplored. Why have I shifted my
talk from humans to a musk deer elatedly. Do I can want
to raise questions. Does a cat or a dog have a soul? What
about a flea soul? I must stop here and not confuse the
readers to cross purpose.
Science treats soul in physical context. As a result, soul
is examined as a function of the brain. Therefore,
scientists dismiss soul as an object of belief, and reduce
the soul to a mental offshoot that shapes our cognition
and the understanding of the observable natural world.
The terms life and death are nothing more than the
scientific explanation of biological life and biological
death.
According to religious traditions, soul is measured as a
spiritual essence, soul is immortal and can transcend
physical existence. The soul has never been tested in a
laboratory or put under an electron microscope. Can
neuroscience explain. Why do we have a subjective
experience? The problem of the soul lies exactly here, in

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understanding the nature of the real Self the "I" in

existence that feels and lives life. This ―I‖ should not be
confused with the ―I‖ projected by the ego or the ―I‖
named as an identification mark by the parents.
Consciousness is the focus of our argument. We agree
that the world has an objective-observer-independent-
existence. But In reality, its opposite. We reason out, life
is the activity of atoms, which spin around for a while,
and then, dissipate into nothingness. in this scenario, if
we add consciousness, the equation will become
different, and may explain some of the most difficult
queries of science, like the uncertainty principle, the
double-slit experiment, entanglement, and fine-tuning of
the laws, that shape the universe, as we perceive it. One
point is certain, the nature of the universe can't be
separated from the nature of life. If we separate them,
then the reality will cease to exist as it is.
We are more than a biochemical grouping. Even the
tiniest amoeba is a complex living creature. But
scientific study has focused only on religious beliefs not
on the existence, structure or presence of soul-
consciousness as an entity embedded in human body. So,
to find it out, we have no choice, but to keep aside,
science and psychology and revert back to spiritual
studies. This too, can be a difficult field to navigate
because of charlatans who capitalize on science's lack of
proof. So, finding actual spiritual information can be like
finding diamonds in trash. Yet, the real information is
there and when the treasure of real knowledge is
revealed, its worth, to have gone through the trash to
find it

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Afterlife

s there life after death? This is the most enigmatic

question, which still remains unanswered from the
dawn of human civilization. It is too complex to
reply with a rational explanation. It‘s like finding an
answer to a question most of the people refuse to
respond to. If souls are true then it is worth considering
it. Then again, if the information is just a chit chat, then
we will never know it, till we experience our own
demise. Shouldn‘t we make provisions for the journey
after death to understand afterlife ourselves. Who will
return back to talk about it? Otherwise, the idea of soul
is merely a figment of human imagination.
Everything happening to us is colored by our own
thoughts. Thus, we will never know what afterlife
actually is, until, we leave our body, the last of all
hurdles, to move on the journey towards a new light of
understanding that marks the barrier between this world
and the next world. Hopefully, when that time comes,
the journey will not hold, as much fear, as it once did,
because it‘s not like entering a strange, dark, forbidding
unknown place, but is like home coming. So, why not
examine the idea of afterlife as we understand it.

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When the evolutionary process of the universal life force

on earth is observed, it seems like the Sufis assumed, we
died out of stone and became a plant, we died out of
plant to become an animal, we died out of the animal to
become a man, and we shall die out of a human being
and become an angel and even from angelhood it must
move on to the next spiritual dispensation. After all, the
human evolutionary process is struggling to shed its
animalistic bearings.
When evolutionary process at the individual level was
observed by Vedic sages, they saw the rising of same
aggregates resurfacing again and again in a repetitive
manner, they called it ‗Punarbhav‘, which means the
reappearance of moods re-emerging again and again,
like the feeling of hunger and thirst. Correspondingly
even thought patterns come back again and again and
produce the same effect in one‘s life. When a similar
state of mind is molded in another person‘s mind who
cherishes the same thoughts then this is known as
‗Rebirthing‘ the same cause to reproduce the same
effect.
Rebirth means born again or new life but it has a wider
connotation cited in terms of recycled elements, cyclic
occurrences, reappearance of phenomena and the
manifestation of living-being and non-living things
resurrecting again and again. Just as day dies out to be
reborn as a new day with the next sunrise, so do human
beings disappear after death and re-appear in a new
living form known as rebirth. According to this belief,
the intervening period after death and rebirth is called
after life. This subject demands subtle awareness, which

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entails the understanding of religious beliefs and

knowing the reality of the universe, such as, the laws of
cause and effect, scientific study of living beings, and
natural forces
Hypnosis is used to recall one‘s memories of previous
life by taking a person back in time when he was a child.
This is ‗Past Life Regression‘ a term that refers to a
hypnotist who specializes in the technique of talking
with the soul. According to these hypnotizer
psychotherapists mental health has its origin in the
traumatic experiences of past life. Even birthmarks or
birth defects in a person indicate fatal wounds of past
life. Suppressed memories may fire some inexplicable
symptoms. But overall, there's no evidence to prove that
hypnosis in any way expands human ability to penetrate
and peep into past life. So, PLR is dreamlike, discredited
and rejected by science fraternity as utter nonsense.
Birth-death is the endless evolutionary cyclic processing
of the universal life force. The natural system will
stagnate if there is no death and no afterlife. Death
cannot be denied so people say there is no afterlife, we
know natural energy cannot be created or destroyed
unlike manmade energy like electricity. It means that
energy is always there, even if, it‘s in different forms
and shapes. Then why do people think human soul can
be destroyed, the human soul is nothing but energy. All
matter in fact is energy, there is no such thing as matter.
Matter is a term to describe the superficial presence of
the physical universe.

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Death holds untold fears. Death is a great denier. Death

is a great equalizer. Death is the great truth that unravels
of untruth of life. Death is the great explorer of astral
traveling. The soul before starting the return trip from
the non-physical form to a physical body, the soul plans,
analyses the karmic vibes, then decides where to take
birth. The soul chooses to enter the unborn human in the
mother‘s womb or by the like vibes which mutually
attract each other, which means the soul has no choice.
The wave of forgetfulness sweeps away the memories of
otherworldly realms, other existences, other dimensions
anon.
The statistics of the world population baffles us. We see
more people on earth now, than the total accumulated
population that has ever lived on earth, and yet it keeps
increasing. If, these are the same souls, coming back,
over and over again, how do we explain, the increase in
population? Are there more souls and less bodies to
incarnate? What is the impact of the total influx of all
souls on planet earth? Hasn‘t the time come for souls to
take rebirth on some other planet.
If, unborn, uncreated, self-existing, original component
of space consciousness is the cause of human existence,
then neither the body nor the mind is the core. Mind like
body is constantly changing. Therefore, anything which
undergoes rapid change will be affected by cause and
effect. This is the basis of the rebirth theory. The process
of rebirth is continuation of consciousness and
reproducing the body.

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When a child is born, he is gifted with some inherent

skills, and other skills he learns from the scratch, which
means, the child does not start from a pre-learned stage
from where he had left. This fact demolishes the theory
of reincarnation but not of rebirth. Firstly, because
rebirth is the recycling of matter and energy. Secondly,
because we die not our deeds and ideas they live on and
are reborn and relived by people who choose to follow
it. Suggesting that rebirth is the reliving of the ideas and
the deeds of other people, who no longer exist now.
The world we live in stands for the reoccurrences of
same activity. That‘s why history often repeats itself.
The seeds of teaching sowed in the mind of a student is
recreated into activity. Since, it is not easy to reconcile
the configuration of this recreation or restoration, people
call it rebirth or reincarnation.
Today, medical technology can resuscitate people who
in earlier days would have been declared dead. Surely,
medical advancement has gone beyond the frontiers of
death. Nobody had expected that a number of patients
would come back with tales of out-of-body experiences,
travelling down the tunnels, encountering angels or
deceased loved ones. This phenomenon is called near-
death experience.
Doctors dismiss and describe it as hallucination,
triggered from changes activated in the dying brain. For
instance, even during brain surgery, under local
anesthesia, patients have reported seeing things from an
out of body perspective. Similar experience is reported
under the influence of LSD, opium, hashish and

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anesthetic drugs too. Moreover, brain is awash in its own

opiate substance called endorphins. The out-of-body
experiences and near-death experiences no matter how
real they seem begin and end with a dying brain. Is there
something that lives after death? No one knows. For
many people, it‘s a life altering experience. When
Buddha starved himself, his brush with death led to
enlightenment. Was this a near-death experience? We do
not know.
We are conditioned to follow knowledge that is imparted
by parents and various streams of knowledge compiled
by others thru educational institutions. All, this is,
rebirthing of others‘ ideas in our minds creating a
mainstream herd mentality, suggesting that human
knowledge defines the already trodden paths by others.
Anyone holding a different opinion is an unorthodox
dupe so his point of view is not accepted easily by the
intellectuals struck in the herd mentality. Social
conditioning is a non-physical medium of rebirthing
human knowledge.
People who had near-death experiences, before facing a
death like situation, in a flash review their early life.
Their soul compares the tasks it had set out to
accomplish and then it exits. The moment of exit is said
to be chaotic for the unprepared mind. But there is no
physical pain as we know it, if the person has not had
any spiritual rooting the soul doesn‘t know the next step
and is helpless. The soul doesn‘t die it moves on to the
next realm. But the reality is we live only once and never
twice or again and again.

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How real is near-death experience? When the brain is

starved of oxygen supply, then a person can experience
the so-called tunnel vision. stated. often under the NDE,
the experiences are linked to those who say that they saw
themselves being operated upon when the surgery was in
progress or they saw a bright light at the end of a tunnel.
Anyone can have an out-of-body experience if his right
parietal cortex is stimulated with an electrode, while he
is conscious and awake.
The fear of death is real, profound and life shattering,
passing of each moment leads to death, living is almost a
dying process. To overcome these fear theories of
rebirth, reincarnation, hell and heaven was invented by
the religions to give self-assurance so as to confront and
overcome fear of death and live life freely, as long we
can live. the idea of afterlife serves to strengthen the
psychologically weak minds. Therefore, we should see
no harm, if, people believe it.
Even, if, we know what lies beyond death what do we
gain anyway. Shouldn‘t we be concerned with living
life. People want to know what death is, even if, one
knows nothing about it. Without dying there is no way to
know anything about death. The only way to know is to
experience it ourselves independently. Knowing afterlife
before death is a supposition. Can anyone tell us the
taste of cyanide? Right now, focus on living righteously
otherwise we will miss the joy of living life. Celebrate
life, don‘t wait for death and after life. Out of curiosity
love to explore death-defying spaces of consciousness to
have an idea about it questioning. Is there life after

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death? Or just one life before death. Ponder and know

thyself.
Is there any inconsistency asking? Is there life after
death? Or is there life before death? If we have truly
experienced living life before death, beyond the illusions
of five senses, then all questions about death are
irrelevant, then death would merely be a continuation of
consciousness, freed of the karmic influences of the
body and free from the illusion of the individual self. We
die but our species may survive for long time to come,
death and renewal go on ceaselessly in nature. So, in
other words, biological cycle of birth and death cycle
can be termed as rebirth.
Does our protoplasm dissolve in the elements? Does
consciousness survive? The conclusive question is. Are
we finite or infinite? Just as we cultivate the will and
skill to live, we should cultivate the will and skill to shed
our mortal coils. We are born, we live, we die, this is
natural. So why not die with grace. A sense of relief
comes by discarding the absurd. Energy is neither
created nor destroyed. It is just recycled and recast in
different forms. Every living being is a form of energy.
We are a part of infinity so our knowledge of evolution
will always remain incomplete. Nothing can be said
surely, we can convey it only thru conjectures.
The belief bodies perish and souls survive is not a bad
idea to trick the mind from the fear of death. Without
pretending we should accept the finality of death. No
one knows what happens after we die, there is no
scientific evidence to support what religions accept as

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true. But somehow death marks the end of sorrow. Death

is celebrated as liberation from worldly suffering and
attachments. No one knows what lies beyond death and
there is neither bondage nor liberation for one who
understands that the world is illusion. No one knows the
date of death, the old and ailing sense it, but can never
know the exact day and time of their death. We know
death is inevitable, then why brood over it, be prepared
for it.
The composition of all living being in the animal world
human is entwined, making us soul mates. When a living
being dies, decomposition sets in, then the atom that
constitute the body are released into the atmosphere,
they mingle freely, and scatter over a wide geographical
area, some atoms reconstitute to become a part of
another or same species. Other atoms continue to free
float before they submit to another composition. That
makes us, the part of, an indistinct whole, which gains
some of the ingredients of others. In fact, every atom we
possess has passed through several stars and was once a
part of millions of organisms on its way to becoming
each one of us. This is a way to suggest rebirth by
reiterating that we are atomically recycled at the time of
death and a significant number of atoms, once belonged
to someone else. So, we are recreations.
Religions have helped superstition, rites and rituals and
hyped weird imaginings to breed, so that death is not
perceived as the end of everything, death is glossed as a
new journey. The life-force, universal breath or
consciousness is imperishable energy like the air inside
the bubble continues to exist even when the bubble is

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bust. Death is a physical event. Ultimately everything is

energy, source of physical appearance is energy. After
physical death energy returns back to its original cosmic
energy that permeates all space. Birth and death are mere
interregnums.
Some believe that when a person dies nothing remains.
Death is the end of one‘s personality and there is no
trace of it thereafter. Others disagree. They do not
consider death as a final inference of life. They take up
the continuity of the lifecycle to claim their point of
view. Others speculate the existence of imaginary realms
of heaven and hell, where humans are housed after death
in hellfire or in embrace of dazzling dames, damsels and
drinks. These are religious beliefs, the reality is totally
different, so we need to get closer to truth, to have a
clear idea of the phenomenon of birth and death.
After death body substance merges with the elements of
earth. On the face of it, it seems something cannot pass
into nothing, the laws of indestructibility and
conservation must apply to elusive consciousness too.
Can this existential reality vanish into nothing at the
time of death?
Every human being is different possessing a unique
pattern of thoughts, feelings and desires. Exceptionally,
some at a young age show the signs of a genius. These
child prodigy‘s skills are extraordinary. They are gifted
in a specific field; they are the one who can
revolutionize that field of knowledge. Now the question
arises. Is this due to child‘s genetic legacy or is it due to
rebirth? Accepting that their talent comes naturally isn‘t

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sound. Religions attribute the desires of the dead as the

cause linking to the desires of the new born as an effect.
This ingenious correlation of cause and effect develops
the theory of reincarnation.
With last breath comes death. Mankind has been
struggling to go beyond the limitations of death to
explore the idea of immortality created by belief
systems. Such mental-constructs are not logical. No
doubt, there is timeless reality, known as the eternal,
which is a limitless domain. After death soul floats in
free space to take birth again. The souls after death are
airborne in space, they are judged by the natural laws of
creation. Our body merges with earthy elements but our
deeds stay on in the world. Living people who repeat the
deeds of the dead are rebirthing those deeds, even if, the
previous doer of those deeds is dead so when we are
alive, it‘s important to be careful with our deeds.
The physical body dissolves but not its energy. Body is
not self-regulating it depends on consciousness, when
consciousness exits the body, we declare the body as
dead. Consciousness merges with universal
consciousness. Natural phenomena are dual in nature,
oscillating between all positive and negative aspects,
facilitating the creative potentials of nature to reach to its
highest level of evolution. When this play stops, duality
coalesces into oneness. So, death is not the end of all but
is a transformation to a different dimension of existence.
In the cycle of time, past has gone, it does not exist
anymore, future has not happened it has not existed so
far. Therefore, human life is lived only in the present

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moment, rest all is past memory and future imagination.

If, we are not living in present moment, we cannot be in
touch with real life and living. Human imagination
spirals to reach the frontiers of the unknown, this shows
mystery is doing its work properly as it should. When
it‘s hard to penetrate the timeless infinite then how
difficult it is to know anything about it.
Human body is an amazing work of nature. Each part of
the living body works with precision. When the living
body is pronounced dead. If, then out of curiosity, we
dissect the dead body to know what was there before and
what is missing now. We find no proper explanation
because all that is made-up to be inside the living body
is still inside the dead body. Then, what makes the
difference between life and death? What is that which
controls it? Till now, consciousness, life force and breath
are still clueless within the grip of guesswork.
Research on patients with near-death experiences show
human consciousness remains functional, despite clinical
death of the patient due to pan cerebral ischemia. This
validates that death is not the end-of-life cycle. Physical
body is visible, tangible, material, its animated by life-
force and is governed by mental processes. Above all we
have the fundamental body, the blueprint of our life, our
driving desires and karmic quotient which continues till
the mind is dissolved. Death is relevant to the physical
body but the energy of the fundamental body that
constitutes atman or soul-consciousness is not
perishable.

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The essence of spiritual wisdom is in seeing life as

eternal and considering death as a transitional phase in
man‘s long evolutionary journey to moksha. Death
closes one chapter and opens a new chapter, just as we
change worn-out clothe and wear a new garment. The
soul changes the physical body but memories
accumulated are not carried forward because it impedes
the commencement of the next new life. Death is the
beginning of another form of life. Therefore, the causal
body supposedly carry forward its karmic tendencies in
next life.
Bardo Thodal is the Tibetans book of the dead, it defines
the intermediate state of the soul after death and before
rebirth. According to the book, during the first four days
after death, a person enters into a state of expanded
consciousness and luminous vision, as per the level of
his evolution, some make use of this state for realization,
while others ignore and slip into a dreamy condition, feel
uncomfortable on the higher plane, and enter into the
phase of hallucination of heaven and hell. These are
mere projections of their inner mind. Subsequently, they
enter the realm of physical consciousness again, with
unconscious motivation from latent drives and desire of
rebirth.
The nature of life after death depends on the mental
content of the deceased. It‘s similar to life on earth. The
only difference is that the after-death state is passive,
whereas life on earth is in a state of activity, storing
mental content and karmic quotient. Mind divested with
the gross physical, accumulates mental content and
memories. This process ends after death as a wound-up

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clock runs mechanically, before coming to a stop.

Likewise, impelled by karma, after-death life runs till it
takes next birth, sheds its passivity and stores fresh
energy from the lifeforce.
We reap the consequences of our actions that are
governed by the law of karma. When an individual dies,
the soul leaves his body and adopts the next form
according to the karmic cycle of birth and death.
Whatever a person thinks of at the last moment of his
death that alone he attains in next life.
Consciousness is a thread that ties the series of all
successive states of our being from beginning to end.
Death is just a physical disintegration. Consciousness
does not reduce existence to a dead-end, but takes it
beyond the limitations of the body and mind.
Consciousness is fundamental reality. How
consciousness works after physical death? It seems death
is not the end of consciousness because it is separate
from body and mind. Therefore, consciousness survives
after death. The human brain does not produce
consciousness. It is located outside the brain as a hinge
connected to the field of collective consciousness. All
thoughts and experiences are stored as ‗Akashic
Akshar‘, from where it is retrieved by DNA. When we
lose the body, we lose the mortal substance, but the
architect of our system consciousness continues its
journey in a different dimension.
Do we merely rise and fall in the natural cycle of birth
and death? Much has been written about afterlife. None
of these accounts have solved the mystery. It remains a

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veil beyond which we cannot see, it‘s the door to which

no one has the key. The religions theories around what
happens after death, there is no evidence to support these
theories. Therefore, no rationalist can ever accept as true
regarding the day of judgment, heaven, hell,
resurrection, reincarnation or rebirth, because there isn‘t
an iota of evidence to support it. Instead, we see a blank
walled space of oblivion.
The Self or consciousness is constantly wearing and
shedding physical forms to gain various experiences of
life and living as a natural process of evolution. The Self
remains the same, even when, caged in different forms
of body, it lives through its self-ordained environments,
retaining a continuity from past, present to future, it does
not become non-existent, when it‘s liberated from the
cycle of life on planet earth it then scoots to other
interplanetary dimensions of life in space, something
totally unknown, even to the know-all boasters who live
on a tiny speck of dust in the unfathomable space, where
earth has no significance.
After physical death body merges in the divine form.
This merging is not the merging of rivers into the ocean
or flames into fire, it implies losing oneself in the divine,
overwhelmed by the exuberance, its lost in the divine
form, but does not lose its identity. The self is
immutable, it is not born nor does it ever die, after
having existed, it again ceases to be, as unborn, eternal
and changeless. Unlike the physical body, the self is not
born, it being an eternal factor exists at all times. Waves
are born and they disappear but the ocean is not born nor
does it disappear with the waves. There is no birth there

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is no death. Things that have a beginning and an end, the

rising waves don‘t moan their disappearance.
Ancient India held the belief that atman/soul was a
permanent enduring entity created by parmatma/God.
Many sages alleged it was an imaginary concept. This
belief nevertheless still persists like a rainbow as an
apparent visual reality. The notion of soul is a
misconception; this concept of soul holds great
importance in every religion. Life is a combination of
mind and matter. Mind is composed of feeling,
perception, mental formations and consciousness and
matter as four elements, solid, fluid, heat and motion.
Suicides are committed due to depression, grief, loss,
desperate circumstances, etc. Besides, there are
Fedayeen‘s who do it for their religion to dwell in
paradise and enjoy the company of 72 virgins. Such
religious beliefs show that real life doesn‘t matter to
them, it is afterlife that really matters. In Christianity
actions in this life decide whether we go to heaven or
hell. If we take away the afterlife concept of heaven and
hell, rebirth and reincarnation, all religions will collapse.
Because religions and prophets cannot eradicate human
suffering, therefore, they promise afterlife, and promoted
the idea of an independent soul housed separately in the
human body?
Logically, consciousness is contained in the tissues of
the brain. When the brain dies so does consciousness.
Nothing survives after death. Our actions are outcome,
as to how, our programming reacts to various inputs,
genetically and acquired circumstantially. If our

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reactions are determined by genetic programming, it

means, we have no freewill, we will do whatever we are
programmed to do. But actually, programming is a
mixture of genetics, conditioning and experiences,
evolved over a period of time. Neuroscientists are
convinced that there is no evidence of the mind or of any
consciousness that exists independent of the brain. When
the brain dies mind, consciousness also dies. Nothing as
a soul survives. There is no soul and therefore there is no
afterlife.
Buddhist believe rebirth happens instantaneously after
death. Consciousness has the tendency to arise and pass
away unceasingly. There is no interval between death
and next birth. One moment we are dead and the next
moment rebirth takes place, either in human form or in
animal form or as a spirit ghost or demon languishing in
hell or in a blissful celestial form in heaven. One takes
rebirth according to one‘s karma. If one has led a good
life, one generally gets a good rebirth. If one has led an
evil life, then bad rebirth is likely to come in woeful
states as a hell-being, a hungry ghost, an animal or a
demon. But a person, who has given up all desires, will
undergo no new rebirth. He is no more subject to the
cycle of birth and death, he attains nirvana.
Funeral rites and rituals have been handed down to us
from generation to generation, any ritual after death
cannot benefit the deceased. Cultural Mores are difficult
to alter and any effort to reform will meet with strong
resistance and total condemnation.

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Out of body experiences was earlier accredited to the

intervention of God, now the rationalists believe, it
stems from our mind. Neurologists believe the sensation
of floating over the body or a feeling of being
disconnected from it, is an experience, often recounted
by people who undertook surgical treatment under
anesthesia, it seems it is triggered by angular gyros in
the right cortex of the human brain. The right cortex of
the brain takes care of the topography or the imaging of
the environment, it helps in remembering images. This
could be the result of psychic seizures, chemical
stimulants and in the case of epileptic seizures abrasion
of topography occurs, certain signals are sent from brain,
which produce out of body experience.
Our instinctive impulse of survival creates self-
preservation, producing a longing to be free from
disease, old age and death. Religion caters this
unrealistic human craving and ignorant people become
victim of imaginary religious beliefs. The fear of death is
universal. Therefore, the belief in a life after death
motivate people to overcome the dread of death.
Moreover, immortal soul is the brainchild of religions.
The immortal soul enters the mortal body at birth and
survives after death. This is the most pernicious religious
error and the most deceitful illusion, which has
irretrievably pushed people into the pit of ignorance.
Belief in soul creates an independent-self, and this
independent-self produce egotism, the hunger for
pleasure here on earth and yonder in heaven.
Death is not the end of journey. No one knows what
happens after death. It‘s a leap in the dark. A

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transformation into a different dimension. So, it‘s not

proper to speculate on the unknowable as it leads to
wrong understanding. One thing is certain that matter
and energy never perish. They are recycled and
reassembled in different shapes and forms. Thus, death
is a misnomer. It is a word to express what happens
when body-mind stop working, a malfunction triggered
by the disbanding of elements. We live in a material
world, our body is made of five elements, beyond body-
mind there is a subtle power called lifeforce. Everything
comes into being out of lifeforce, stays for a while, and
finally is dissolved into flux. However, the ultimate
reality is consciousness.
We do not know whether soul is deathless or it dissolves
in nothingness. No-thing is transported to nothingness.
The consciousness from a dying person, seeps into a
state of new presence, and the consciousness of the
dying person, who has attained enlightenment, his
desires are quenched, and rests in eternal ecstasy. People
accept that religion is the only bridge to cross from
temporal to eternal. Perhaps, we cannot trace what is
probable and improbable. Currently, its
incomprehensible like an unsolved riddle.
Birth-death happen in a cyclical sequence, the karmic
momentum of mental flux is the forerunner. Births
continue as long karma sustains each subsequent
existence; the moment it ceases it brings bliss. Becoming
has to cease to restore the natural state of our being. This
is within the human grasp. When mysterious things are
experienced in life, like seeing visions or feeling the
presence of the dead, etc. or when a genius is spotted at a

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young age or when a kid is able to recollect his past life.

Then we fail to explain these incidents logically, and the
plausible answer look as if its rebirth. What religions see
a credible belief to rope in innocent people to believe
something like rebirth blindly.
How does the doctrine of rebirth operate? The karmic
potential of good and evil is the regenerating power and
the determining factor. Good deeds get acceptance, bad
deeds face rejection. The medium of karmic force is
psychological, analogous to electric, sound or light
waves. It‘s a psychic process like electric current in
electronic device. What is its identity? Can we explain
it? The layman, the wise man and the fools fail, which
means it‘s just a philosophical idea.
Explanation of everything is not possible unless its
experienced. We can describe the way and means to go
to a room. We can even describe what the room is like.
But no one can feel the ambiance of the room, unless he
has been there, himself in the room. So, death is nature‘s
device to give back life. It is a person who dies and not
life. The lives of the living end, yet, the imprints of those
lives are not gone. Their activities, thoughts, words,
deeds are preserved. The ego passes away but is
preserved even after one‘s death. When body dissolves,
deeds remain to bear the forthcoming fruit of karma.
Remembering those actions produce those karmas. This
reappearance of karma is called rebirth. From sperm to
womb there is no transmigration of a soul. There is
reconstruction of the living form with well-preserved
features. Thus, there is reincarnation but no
transmigration of a soul.

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Everything is changing and everything is temporary.

There is no stability in the universe. This is the law of
nature. Only the duration of time to constantly change
things differs. The physical form of human body
changes slowly, in comparison to the rapidly changing
frame of mind. In every moment a different thought
process arises in the mind, even as memory of
childhood, adulthood and old age recedes back.
Paradoxically, behind sense organs of the body, mind,
ego and intellect, a conspicuous presence is felt, we
imagine this as immortal soul. Perhaps it‘s a psychic or
mystic illusion or maybe its breath, lifeforce or
consciousness. Science doesn‘t know nor do we know it.
Every moment our sensations undergo change, the
changing sensations change our thoughts, beneath this
current of change a subtle process to replace the old with
the new is happening. This discontinuous continuity of
elements moves in a sequential order to annihilate and
emanate, keeping harmony in disintegration. In movie
making separate frames of photos are rolled with speed,
which looks on the screen as one act. The same happens
with the changing elements. Knowing this, when we see
a tree, the memory of the tree as a seed disappears.
Youth comes from childhood, from an unbroken chain
of consciousness, it changes so fast, that the
discontinuation taking place each moment and the
arising thereof is not observed or experienced by us.
On one hand, there are people who believe soul is
independent and permanent, so their hypothesis is based
on this assumption. On the other hand, there are people,
who believe death is the end of all mental and physical

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formations, and there is no returning back to life again.

However, we see nothing is destroyed completely,
everything is recycled in different forms. Besides,
assuming that soul can shift from one body to another
body is not convincing. By chance, through
combinations and permutations, reappearance of same
form and its attributes, is rarely possible, but rebirth of a
person who is dead is imaginary. At birth human body is
composed of five elements. These five elements exist
before birth, when death occurs, the body sheds all the
five elements back, from where it had acquired it at
birth, that already existed, before taking birth. Now, if
we scan the soul in the same manner, would the outcome
be different. If not, then science should demystify this
mystery.
What happens after death? Some say soul knows no
death. Therefore, life is eternal. Some say death is the
end of everything. Therefore, nothing is left after death.
Some say there is rebirth. Therefore, there is no death.
Different views tell, that truth is still, not known to us, so
far. When a person dies. What happens to the elements
of existence? There are no drains in space to flush out
elements and energy which compose the body. So,
elements and energy are never lost, everything is
recycled is the law of nature. Seeing this fundamental
reality, Vedic sages believed in the possibility of
‗Rebirth‘. Assuming that the reconstituted elements
could not necessarily come from same body which is
dead but include elements from other living bodies too.
The Vedic sages suggested the soul was an independent,
separate, undying entity.

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Is a dead person born-again as same person? If, the born-

again body is supposedly formed of same elements of
different beings. Then where is the rebirth of the same
person. When a dash of elements joins, it becomes part
of the collective massive mass. In the same way,
uncountable gallons of water make an ocean. Imagine
the merger of elements as a drop of water merging in the
deep ocean. Then where that drop of water of goes. Will
that drop of water turn into same drop of water that
merged with the ocean?
The drop of water as long it is not a part of the ocean has
a form and identity of its own. This drop of water had
come into existence, without making an effort, due to the
evaporation caused by the heat of sun, which separated
it, from the ocean. It reached sky, without making an
effort to rise, it was carried away by wind, it made no
efforts to fly. Forming a cloud, it fell on ground or in
rivers, still there was no individual effort. In this whole
activity, the drop of water made no efforts at all. The
entire process was regulated by the laws of nature. From
becoming the drop of water, from evaporation and then
merging with the ocean. The drop of water made no self-
effort. No matter where it fell on earth or river or ocean.
The fact remains, that a drop of water is the essence of
whole ocean. Even while wandering here and there, its
ultimate destination is the ocean. Once it enters the
ocean, it loses its separate identity and becomes the
ocean. This natural process is repeated, again and again,
to revive the renewal, of existential elements and
energies. This is how, we can understand, the shades of
life, through this analogy.

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He who thinks rightly will rid himself of ignorance and

acquire wisdom, the idea of a separate independent is not
acceptable to a clear-headed thinker because all
combinations are subject to separation, be it the soul. Is
this the final escape? Or, the law of cause and effect
differs in the afterlife dimension of existence, if any.
Apparently, there is no evidence of the existence of an
immutable soul / atman, which remains the same, and
migrates from one body to another body. However, we
see the recycling of elements, which can be categorized
as rebirth but certainly not as transmigration of the soul.
Buddha eloquently said ―Is not this individuality of
mine, a combination, material, as well, as mental? Isn‘t
it made of qualities that sprang into being by a gradual
evolution? The five roots of sense perception in the
organism, have come from ancestors, who performed
these functions. The ideas, which I think, came to me
partly from others who thought them, and partly they
arise, from combinations of the ideas in my own mind.
Those who have used, the same sense organs, and have
thought the same ideas, before I was composed, into this
individuality of mine, are my previous existences. They
are my ancestors, as much as the I of yesterday, is the
father of the I of today, and the karma of my past deeds,
conditions the fate of my present existence.‖ Further,
Buddha, lucidly went on to say ―I observe the
preservation and transmission of character. I perceive the
truth of karma but see no soul-atman as the doer of our
deeds. There is rebirth without the transmigration of
soul-atman‖.

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There is rebirth of character but no transmigration of

soul. Our thought formations reappear but there is no
ego-entity that is transferred. The verse uttered by the
teacher, is reborn, in the scholar, who repeats the verse.
Therefore, a soul is not a separate and a self-existent
entity. So, clinging to soul is failing, living in truth is
liberation. Collective consciousness is a form of mental
energy. The elements of body disintegrate, but mental
energies as collective consciousness are transmitted
conditioning others accordingly.
Our body will be dissolved, after its dissolution, no one
will see us again, only truth will remain. Nevertheless,
the deeds done by us, do not die, and continue to live in
people who choose to replicate it. Our extinction
happens when we pass away, like a flame in the blazing
fire, when the flame has ceased, we cannot say for sure
whether the flame of life is here or there. But we know,
it continues to stay, in our deeds, we leave behind.
In dream and deep sleep, our body lay motionless on bed
with eyes closed. During a dream, there is ‗Something‘
within us, which is not associated with the dream, but
through which, we see ourselves in the dream. And, in
deep sleep that ‗Something‘ disappears. Now, the
question arises. What is the difference between waking
and dream? While waking the bodily ego perceives the
physical world. Whereas the dream world is perceived
by the astral body. But in deep sleep the perceiver is
absent because the physical world and dream world
disappear in deep sleep. According to Vedic sages that
‗Something‘ is atman. The atman or soul is present in all
the three states of waking, sleep and dream. The atman is

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like the movie screen on which different pictures appear

and disappear, the movie screen is not affected by it.
Similarly, waking, dream and sleep do not affect the
soul.
Chinese government has introduced a new rule that all
the reincarnations of ‗Tulkus‘ (the reincarnate custodian)
of Tibetan Buddhism, must get the government
approval, or else its illegal. This directive issued by the
government of China has institutionalized the
management of reincarnation. Besides, it means, that the
Chinese lawmakers, have indirectly, validated the idea of
reincarnation. Is this in sync with communist ideology?
I‘m mentioning this here, because we know, we haven‘t
reached any conclusive proof, so far, to legalize the
metaphysical theory of reincarnation.
Some recorded cases of past life suggest the likelihood
of afterlife. Recorded cases reveal, there was a variable
time lag, between the death of the person, and his next
birth. So, the question arises. Where does the person go
after his death till his rebirth? Is he at one place or at
some other place? What are the factors that decide where
a person will go after death? Shouldn‘t we find out what
happens to suicide cases after death as well. Should we
just rely on answers based on spiritual interpretation and
clairvoyance, why not on scientific investigation to
know the ultimate truth.
According to Vedic beliefs when a person dies his
physical body ceases to exist, but his subtle body the
soul continues to exist. This subtle body goes to
unearthly places, according to its karmic track record,

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and is born again. But people who commit suicide suffer

divine reprimand. Sadly, they squander a seductive and
sensuous stay in a cloudland with women, wine and
wealth. In Abrahamic religions when the ‗Day of
Judgment‘ comes then God or Allah will decide the fate
of the dead, starting from 2000 years in case of
Christianity and from 700 years in case of Islam. The list
of the complete record of the dead before they enter
heaven or hell is going to be too long to settle.
Ghost is a disembodied soul of a dead person, it can
appear before a living person, as an invisible presence,
or is visible in translucent strange shapes, or in realistic
forms, but never seen naked, they are always wrapped in
a winding sheet. Mysteriously, from ancient times,
through folklore, the belief in ghosts, lives till now.
Ghosts are believed to live in netherworld, and can
return to the world of living beings any time. They are
known to haunt places and people who were connected
with them in their past life for causing fear, remorse or
their death. Ghost‘s visual manifestations are as
apparitions, movement of objects, creaking
doors/windows, and by way of lights, sounds, laughter,
screams, knocking, footsteps, etc. Seeing a ghost is
regarded as an omen of death, associated with violent or
tragic events, such as murder, accidental death or
suicide.
The doctrine of rebirth suggests one or more successive
existences one after another. This belief system is seen
in the religions born in India, Hinduism, Jainism,
Buddhism, and Sikhism. Upholding the doctrine of
karma, it believed actions in this life, have its

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consequences, in the next life. However, a person can

free himself, from birth, death and rebirth, by moksha or
nirvana. Likewise in Buddhism, discipline and
meditation may enable a seeker to reach nirvana and
escape the wheel of birth and rebirth. Manichaeism and
Gnosticism accepted the concept of reincarnation, as do
such recent spiritual movements as Theosophy.
Hinduism believes in atman or soul. The Sanskrit word
‗Punarbhava‘ means something like re-becoming, and
‗Punarm‘ means something like repeated birth, these two
words are not the equivalent words like rebirth and
reincarnation in English.
Reincarnation means the soul takes the flesh of a new
body after the death of the former body. Beliefs vary,
whether the soul assumes the new body immediately, or
after an interval of disembodiment. some believe, soul
inhabits higher or lower form of life. Most uphold the
soul is reincarnated in the same species.
Rebirth means the re-emergence of character, but no
transmigration of one‘s permanent self or soul. Our
thought-forms reappear but there is no ego-entity that is
transferred. The stanza uttered by the teacher is reborn in
the student who repeats the stanza. In the definition of
rebirth, souls are not considered separate and self-
existent entities.
The belief in immortality is timeless. All religions
believe human soul survives death, and consciousness
goes beyond the grave. All religious afterlife beliefs
allow a measure of freedom and security, and
reassurance of the continuance of self of the followers.

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It‘s a theory of immortality followers can easily accept

and relate themselves with.
Those who believe in God claim that before man was
created, they did not exist. They came into being through
the will of God. They live a little lifespan of three scores
and ten (70 year) and then go to heaven or hell. If God
really creates us, then it is difficult to explain, why so
many people are born with deformities and why there are
miscarriages and still born births. Besides, why should a
person suffer eternal pain in hell or enjoy eternal bliss in
heaven for spending a small lifespan on earth.
Rationalist say an individual comes into being at
conception due to natural causes, he lives and then at
death ceases to exist anymore. This explanation is
backed by scientific evidence to support it, but it does
not respond to an important question, which still remains
unanswered. How can a phenomenon so amazingly
complex as human consciousness develop from a simple
meeting of a sperm and egg?
Eastern religions believe. When a person dies, his mental
tendencies, preferences, abilities and characteristics
developed and habituated in his life, in other words his
karmic impressions are reestablished in a new womb.
Thus, the new born individual grows and develops a
personality partially conditioned by the mental
characteristics carried over from previous life, by living
in new environment. This process continues till the
conditions that cause it, craving and ignorance cease, the
moment this happens he attains moksha or nirvana, and
is freed from the cycle of life and death.

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We can understand this phenomenon through an

analogy. Like soul, radio waves, are an airy portion.
Sounds are encoded as wavelengths or frequencies in an
electromagnetic spectrum, the radio-set receives these
electromagnetic waves and converts to mechanical
vibrations, creating sound waves, we hear. Similarly,
after death, the soul hooked to the universal life-force,
moves out to take rebirth, when its attributes match with
the calling of the new womb, it grows into a different
physical personality, but karmic impressions of past life
are embedded in the subconscious mind. Consciousness
is a riddle so nothing more can be said or else it will
become as illogical as the soul is.
If one set of natural laws, known to us, govern the
physical world, then, there ought to be, another set of
natural laws, unknown to us, which govern the non-
physical world as well. We know that physical beings
exist on earth, so the possibility of the existence of non-
physical beings in the cosmos cannot be ruled out, it‘s a
dimension, beyond human understanding. Perhaps a
state we visualize as the soul in a bodiless relocation,
that differentiates our physical world, from the other
non-physical worlds, in cosmic realms.
Many people have vivid memories of their previous
lives. This is the only evidence we have to support the
after-life theory. Rebirth is a probable idea, the doctrine
of transmigration originated from Vedic and Buddhist
speculations based on the theory of indestructibility of
memory. We have to go a long way, before we can
reveal the reality about afterlife.

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No one can deny the presence of consciousness in our

life and around us. Actually, the bone of contention is,
whether consciousness is a by-product of the brain or
consciousness is separate and independent from the
brain. Scientist studying heart attack patients, suggest
that consciousness continues, even after, the brain has
stopped functioning and the patient is clinically dead. If,
well structured, lucid thought processes, with reasoning,
and memory formation, is observed, when the brain is
not functioning, needs further research, possibly it can
reveal the existence of the soul, if any.

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Paranormal Phenomena
(Mystical Experience)

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hat is a mystical experience?

A mystical experience can be defined as a
direct understanding of transcendent reality.
The experience is fleeting and forceful, and returns to
normal soon. The whole incident is beyond the usual
perception, beyond the natural order of things, and
beyond one‘s conscious control. That‘s why, it‘s hard to
put the experience into words. It‘s a one-time happening,
difficult to repeat, so scientific investigation is not
possible. We can only trust that, the person who
experienced it, is telling us the truth. It‘s a never
forgetting life changing experience. The classic example
is the awakening of Buddha.
Mystery is impossible to fathom. Mystical experiences
happen in conscious state with eyes wide open. No one
knows what they mean, that makes all mystical
experiences murkier. There is no perfect reply. The mind
is extremely complex that‘s why we keep on analyzing
such incidents again and again, hoping to find some truth
in it. Mystical experiences are valid only if they
withstand the test of reasoning. The truth lies not in
more answers but in fewer questions.
Stop being critical, thinking is the management of
probabilities. We have built our understanding on logic
and facts. Let us loosen our intellectual rigidity for a
while, and go beyond the mind, to dive in the ocean of
cosmic consciousness, and experience a new way of
thinking. Mystical experiences are not an outcome of a
normal and natural pathological process, so plug into
cosmic veracities.

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Neuroscience uses a combination of imaging

technology, computing power and genetics. Reviews
reveal that brain related studies are not reliable they
overstate. A low ratio of statistical output, creates
exaggeration, and a small individual variation gets
highlighted as a major effect. The unconscious mind
contains our biologically based instincts. While we are
fully aware of what is going on in the conscious mind,
but we have no idea of what information is stored in the
unconscious mind.
From ancient times, the idea that souls exist was
basically developed through religious beliefs. Blind faith
can produce a supposable but unbelievable incident as a
mystical experience. Therefore, it‘s not a question that
people believe it or not. The overbearing problem is to
know whether it is right or wrong.
When we deal with ambiguous and inadequate
information, then solving a mystical experience by
logical deductions is improbable. Methodology based on
probabilities, is sometime used, to analyze a complex
issue, but only on the basis of verifiable facts and
information the statement whether it‘s true or false is
made. Probability is at risk of being manipulated. A
significant test is nothing more than an estimate of the
probability of getting the result from inferential
statistics, the higher the degree of probability, the higher
is the chance that people may accept the statement as
true. Incomplete understanding leads us nowhere. All
that is needed is, to know more, in knowing, we come to
conclusion.

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The denial of soul is startling and disappointment to the

propagators of various theories of reincarnation and
rebirth. The statistics are discouraging. A staggering
42% of the respondents of the poll, referred as ‗not sure‘
are actively disengaged, which means they have
indirectly petitioned their rejection, if viewed together,
14% tilts the scale of disbelief in the existence of soul as
a separate independent entity. Nevertheless, religions are
engaged to keep alive the idea of soul, turning a blind
eye for millenniums is a warning sign.
From immemorial time spiritual experiences are
considered divine. Spiritual experience and hallucination
have a hairbreadth difference. Hallucination is due to
brain malfunction. Doctors prescribe medicine to treat
hallucinations and delusions linked to psychosis.
Whereas subtle spiritual insight or mystical experience
necessarily do not arise from the internal source brain or
from some unknown external source. It simply happens.
Therefore, it has failed to pass the test of reality. Such
experiences are mired with difference of opinion. What‘s
more there is no rational explanation as well.
To substantiate the credence of religious and spiritual
rituals, rigorous practices and penances were invented,
and later, considered as essential prerequisites to achieve
success in the sublime search of spirituality. Many
practitioners reported to have experienced mystical
ecstasy. But they too failed the test of scientific scrutiny.
Only few people starting from Buddha to Muhammad
were successful in launching major religions, followed
by a large population of the world, from then on, to still,
moving on.

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It is hard to believe, why the foundation of human

civilization and culture, moral and intellectual progress,
was built on the basis of spiritual musings, by those who
claimed, were in touch, with the divine. They were
considered to be wise by their contemporaries or people
in the past were so naïve they just believe in it. Further,
what baffles is the thirst for spirituality, a striking
feature, associated with human life. Medieval society
accepted mystical experiences as real. But, today it‘s
difficult to say phenomena‘s incomprehensible by
human mind are real or not.
From the advent of imaginary religions, to science and
technology, and now to spirituality and reason, are
various stages of mental evolution of man. What went
before sets the stage for what is yet to come. The future
of mankind will be created by rationality gained from
past events, which means past ramifications will
influence future applications. That‘s why we find an
element of spirituality in science and technology too.
This does not happen randomly. They are signs of
evolutionary change and growth. Science says,
stimulating specific areas in the brain can produce
spiritual like experiences. Can science stimulate those
areas of the brain to produce geniuses like Buddha and
Einstein? It‘s evident, science is not the end, but the
means to an end. Actually, spiritual evolution with
reason is the goal of human life. We are not fully aware
about it so far.
It‘s hard to explain the cosmos is multidimensional and
not three dimensional as we see it. So, it‘s difficult to
picture that the state of cosmic consciousness is different

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from the state of our consciousness. If we cannot depict

the state of being a genius, how can we image spiritual
experiences as an aberration of the mind? Cosmic
intelligence cannot be a part of the normal human brain.
Since our consciousness is a part of cosmic
consciousness, chances exist aplenty, to glimpse the
inestimable cosmic intelligence, through mystical
experiences.
There is no instrument to measure human consciousness
even the access to cosmic consciousness is shut.
Spirituality and science are lost in the labyrinth of the
cosmic web. Our senses cannot perceive the
electromagnetic waves around us then how can we
perceive the worlds that are hidden from us. Our sensory
equipment works on a specific plane of existence on
earth and is dysfunctional in other planes of existence
prevailing in space. Maybe sightings of UFOs or the
presence of aliens, if true, can completely change our
thinking of the universe.
Maya is the incomprehensible and indescribable illusion,
our intellect fails to wholly grasp it, topping it with
knowledge makes it more complex to understand.
Mystical experience and extrasensory perception stem
from Maya, therefore, it continues to remain a riddle.
Science is opening up to new possibilities of matter
being energy, thus moving towards a higher level of
consciousness, a completely new vision. The more we
evolve, the more penetrating the mind becomes as a
receptacle of universal knowledge, which will change
the way, we see the world right now. Presently, we

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cannot rationalize spiritual experiences from a logical

point of view. We have to accept it as something beyond
scientific scrutiny. But from an intuitional point of view,
it is obvious, that such experiences, do occur.
Mystical experiences come effortlessly, no mental
gymnastics or physical drill can make it happen. Indian
sages associated such phenomena as the awakening of
the ‗Kundalini‘ or the ascent of mind to higher states of
consciousness. Geniuses with extraordinary faculties
display their amazing talents to the world by virtue of
the ‗Kundalini‘ power. ‗Kundalini‘ is the reservoir of
psychic power. Usually, it is dormant when active it
becomes the fountainhead of spiritual wisdom and
mystical experiences. Consciousness is the fundamental
reality, and the material manifestations are projection of
consciousness as Maya.
Some minds are responsive and receptive to cosmic
consciousness than others are. There are instances,
where writers and poets, have honestly admitted that the
content of their books was, as if, spoon-fed to them, by
whom they do not know. This doesn‘t mean they didn‘t
made efforts to write. They simply took the advantage of
access to cosmic consciousness. This observable fact
leads us to assume that consciousness is not the creation
of the brain. It‘s an independent existing entity. Human
consciousness seems to evolve on a preset track under
the un-coded cosmic laws. A scientific study in this
direction is worthwhile.
According to Vedic traditions, universe perceived by
humans, is not independent of human perception, in

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addition, human perception does not differ from the

human perceiver. Therefore, the universe is nothing else
but a creation of human perception by a human
perceiver, which means, humans are the paragon of all
knowing truth about the universe. Aren‘t we going
overboard? In fact, the universe is different then what we
see. Equally too, the reality of mystical experiences
cannot be established rationally, unless it is within the
ambit of universal consciousness. Paradoxically,
consciousness nullifies duality by oneness.
There are three basic energies [1] Physical energy,
everything that can be seen, felt or measured falls in this
category, like solar energy, gravity, magnetism, atomic
energy, electricity, stream and so on. [2] Psychic energy,
are subtle energies that dominate physical energy,
humans being can consciously use, call it the soul,
lifeforce or breath. [3] Primal energy, this energy is
described as the building blocks of the universe. It is the
unified energy in the atom, which can also turn it into an
atomic explosion causing huge destruction. It is
everywhere. It interpenetrates substance and gives
momentum to the leaf to grow and the star to explode.
Evidence is based on trustworthiness. Mystical
experience is a transgression of the laws of nature by an
invisible agent like soul of the dead. Law of nature is
validated by reality. It is real that man must die. This
reality is vouched. But if a clinically dead man comes to
life. Is it a breach of the laws of nature? True, exceptions
don‘t prove the rule, but they do call for further
expansion and enrichment of human knowledge, before
rejecting, no matter what, outrightly.

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To substantiate any mystical experience there are no

witnesses to verify it. Since it has a strong element of
wonder and excitement, people take it at an emotional
level. Some give false evidence to promote religious
beliefs. Besides each culture has its own story to tell,
creating a backdrop for people to believe in it. All this
has trivialized the whole issue as a coverup maneuver, to
prove the genuineness of a mystical experience. This is
not good.
We, have not catalogued the laws of nature, at one place,
so far. Then how can we have a statute book of all the
laws of nature governing the cosmos? Scientists are still
struggling to discover them. Even today, Neuroscience
doesn‘t know the function of the whole brain, then how
are we supposed to arrive at a conclusion, on matters
concerning consciousness.
We need to recognize, the fact, that mystical
experiences, are different, from the laws of nature, we
know, and not from the laws of nature, we don‘t know,
yet. People, who let go their ego surrender and open up
to unconditional change find cosmic energies rushing in,
that‘s when a change takes place. Spiritual experiences
at mental level are invented by the God man, who make
a living out of it. It is like selling a ware, which lacks the
attributes they advertise. We don‘t require a library to
rebut, its easily discernable, by those who know.
One thing is certain. We need to discard the relevance of
religious beliefs. A pivotal piece of evidence is
important to establish the claim of a mystical experience,
because its occurrence is not repeated, nor does it appear

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with consistent regularity, resisting an objective logical

analyze. Mystical experience takes place accidently, or
with a larger cosmic purpose, we do not know, but they
do fascinate us immensely, indeed.
Transpersonal psychology and parapsychology are not
same. Transpersonal psychology focuses on the spiritual
side of human nature, while parapsychology is
concerned with psychic phenomena. Transpersonal
experiences are examined as experiences in which sense
of identity or self extends beyond the individual or
personal covering wider aspects of human beings,
consciousness and cosmos.
Psychology of religion consists of psychological
methods, interpretive frameworks to religious traditions,
to both religious and irreligious individuals. The science
attempts to describe the details, origins, and uses of
religious beliefs and behaviors. Continued dialogue
between psychology and theology may foster greater
understanding and benefit both fields.
Medical materialism calls vision an epileptic stuff. It
snuffs out Saints as hysteric or hereditary degenerates,
treats spiritual veracity as a symptom of a disordered
colon. This is how medical materialism undermines
spiritual experiences on the grounds of physiological
malfunction.
The dependence of mental states upon bodily conditions
is absolutely correct but consciousness is not a mental
state. Consciousness, the life-force, the element of
creation called the soul, is like a seer-er, witnessing all
states of consciousness. When the body sleeps

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consciousness does not sleep, which means that

consciousness is not affected by physiological functions,
in any manner, at all. The splendor of all spiritual
experiences occurs at this level and not at the mental
level as medical materialism would like to analyze it.
Mystical experiences are experienced with open eyes
and not in sleep. When an experiencer narrates his
experience with manmade words, incomprehensibility
arises. So, the intervention of the mind becomes
necessary to bridge the existing gap between mind and
consciousness. With the involvement of the mind and
language, the meaning being conveyed by the mind
tends to differ, from what was actually experienced by
the experiencer. We know that words are gross and
feelings are subtle, yet this travesty of truth is hard to
overcome. Further if mind cannot decide the meaning
and we consider mystical experience as a revelation of
spiritual philosophy, that too could be incorrect.
Religious are full of stories about intuition and
supernatural revelation through visions, hearing, intense
feelings and a sense of being directly possessed by
higher spirits, who utter prophecies and warnings. This
paranormal inventory constitutes the stock and barrel of
religious truth. All these experiences are linked to
consciousness and not to a reasonable mind.
Higher state of contemplation ‗Samadhi‘ defies all
reasonable explanations. In this domain everything
stops. It is the end of all ideas and perceptions. There
exists nothing. The subject becomes the object. What is
left is pure existence, the presence of an everlasting life.

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This certainly affirms consciousness the culmination of

full awareness. This has nothing to do with intelligence,
reasoning and insanity. So mystical experiences are
difficult to describe, senses provide feelings but lack the
content that defies expression.
Mystical experience is a vision. It does not last long, nor
shows up again, but it certainly changes the mindset.
There is no pre-event preparation, it occurs
spontaneously. Leaving behind an event, which is not
normal, from the events, we are conditioned to believe
in. Such experiences come in sensations rather by
abstract thoughts. Thoughts stray and contrast
unfavorably with sensation. Mystery makes it vast and
vague and even unreasonable. No study can grasp a
mystical experience, it is incommunicable. Its directly
experienced, and the truth about it remains with the
experiencer. This is the way it is. This is how one
accepts it. Therefore, before an argument or accusation,
we should be modest enough to recognize that even our
viewpoint is not infallible.
A Guru in Punjab, India, had a large following. His
devotees claimed seeing his form appear while
meditating. However, the Guru denied any knowledge
about this phenomenon. He wrote, ―People say that my
form manifests to them and helps them in solving their
worldly as well as mental problems, but I do not go
anywhere, nor do I know about such miraculous
instances‖.
And, the Guru asked himself. What about the vision that
appears to me? Is this the creation of my own mind?

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Does he who comes in my vision know about his

appearance to me? The Guru realized the truth and
wrote. All manifestations, visions and forms are
imagined creations. These visions are projections of
one‘s own mind and cannot be subjected to reality
check. This phenomenon was termed as the 'Chandian
Effect'.
Dreams are a way for the body to release images
accumulated daily. The images and thoughts are released
by the brain and converted back into energy dispersed by
the body. Impressions from such dreams may be retained
or forgotten. Dreams are simply a way for the mind to
rid itself of excesses so it is not overloaded. Is a mystical
experience the download of this overload?
An event or perception is said to be paranormal, if, it
involves forces or agencies that are beyond scientific
explanation. Paranormal events are said to be
experienced by only those with psychic powers, such as
extrasensory perception.
In Vedic philosophy ‗Turiya‘ literally means the fourth
dimension that is pure consciousness. Turiya is the
background that underlies and pervades the three
common states of consciousness, namely the waking
state, the dreaming state, and the dreamless deep sleep.
The practitioner of meditation brings all the three stages
of human consciousness into conscious mind, one
experiences ‗Ananta‘ the eternal endless infinity. In this
situation, bumping into, other unknown cosmic
dimensions, is likely. No wonder, a mystical experience
can happen.

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India is the land of mystics with amazing spiritual

powers. They could perform incredible supernatural acts.
They were known as ‗Siddhas‘. They could levitate, had
clairvoyance at their command, could become invisible,
change the form of their body, materialize things, fulfill
their desires, even walk on water and recall the
memories of past lives.
Despite an element of exaggeration in the feats of these
superhuman claims, we know about the state of such
mystical powers called ‗Siddhis‘ from old scriptures,
eyewitness accounts and spiritual masters. Even
Patanjali‘s Yoga sutras explain the powers of ‗Siddhis‘.
These higher psychic powers could be achieved by
Vedic Mantras, Yogic Postures and Meditation Mudras.
The ‗Siddhas‘ held that mystical powers were not meant
for public display except for the promotion of personal
spiritual growth. This was an important stage to
experience mystical powers before attaining spiritual
wisdom. These powers came naturally to those who
evolved on the path of spirituality. The desire for
psychic power was considered as bondage, for that
reason, it never appealed the truth seekers, in the quest
of liberation.
There are various accounts of mystical experiences given
by saints, poets, writers, philosophers and even by
scientist, medical practitioners and neurosurgeons. All
agree in principle that it is not an ordinary experience
but something extraordinary. An extra-sensorial
phenomenon.

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Mystical experiences are held as a spiritual revelation.

Seclusion, renunciation, submission to divine-will,
intense unconditional love, and complete devotion to a
deity, are considered indispensable preconditions to
achieve success in uplifting the pious pursuit of
spirituality to pinnacle. However, mystical experiences
have been experienced, even by ordinary people, who
are leading normal life, and are devoted to worldly
pursuits, without following the prescribed prerequisites.
Since mystical experiences have fascinated the human
mind, they have become a part of every religion. The
founders of religions had recognized this fact and started
claiming with immunity that what they preach was
revealed to them by God, or by an Angel, or through
Divine dispensation, or by an enlightened state of mind.
Ever since than the human mind is occupied and
engaged with mysticism and how to prove what cannot
be proved.
Later, wily machinations of charlatans and cunning
maneuvering of priests turned religions into an
institution of power, by marketing the mystical
experiences of the founder of religions, weaving myths
around their persona, attributing superhuman qualities to
them, with the aura magic of air of miracles. By doing so
they exerted a tremendous influence over the minds of
the people, in almost all parts of the world, it worked
beyond their own expectations and still moving fully
geared.
Even today, the Godman of India employ the same
methods to mislead simple and trusting people. Knowing

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the level of understanding is at variance between each

person, so It‘s difficult for human mind to configure the
correct state of consistent understanding. This gap gives
ample scope to the Godman to misuse it. Humanity has
reached the stage where breakthrough in knowledge is
imminent. World is realizing spiritual and not religious
impulse is genetically present in human beings.
If we decide to examine mystical experiences then we
are setting the stage for rationality and religions, science
and spirituality, to come closer and work together.
Science too is realizing that spiritual evolution is the
goal of human life. But the age of technology is ignoring
the spiritual aspirations of human beings. Therefore, we
are witnessing perverted thinking, use of drugs,
promiscuity, escapism, discontentment, violence and
crime, with intense fire and fury in our society.
Factually, mystics who have a real spiritual experience
prefer privacy, and do not talk about in public. But the
conman called Godman in today‘s spiritual market,
invents a story about his spiritual experience, and claims
to possess supernatural powers with foxlike intend to
deceive people. Godman promote superstitions to extract
money from trusting people to live a luxurious king-
sized life.
The present materialistic world lacks knowledge and
impact of a paranormal phenomenon, because people all
over the world are busy gathering material possessions
and hoarding money. The outer world for them is more
important than the inner world. Consciousness is beyond

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logical scrutiny, since it‘s not a manifestation of brain so

our knowledge about consciousness is speculative.
The world lacks full knowledge of the brain. Our idea of
the universe is based on human assessment that world is
made of transitory composition of particles. It is a tug-
of-war between knowing the ultimate natural laws that
form the real world and the human minds observational
interpretation of the world. We perceive, assess and
measure the world with relative knowledge. That‘s why,
our theories are constantly changing and replaced
repeatedly, for the main reason that, we are still groping
in the dark, struggling to know, what absolute truth
actually is.
From where does this insight come? Why does it come
in piecemeal? Why not completely? The caveman saw
the same world, we see from the skyscrapers now. Was
it their generosity to leave the laws of nature for Newton
and Einstein to discover? This gap possibly establishes
the evolutionary link between human consciousness and
cosmic consciousness. The laws of nature are eternal and
fully functional but discovered gradually by people
whose brains are capable of altering and expanding the
state of perception. Countless laws of nature exist, which
are yet to be discovered. The same rule applies to
spiritual experiences. The ideas of God, Soul and the
Hereafter arise from the unfathomable depths of cosmic
consciousness. They are not brain-child of the mind. The
tangible laws of nature are scientific and the intangible
laws of nature are unscientific. The time to reinvent the
old schools of thought has come. The pendulum of time

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is swinging in that direction. Experts accept that spiritual

perception is worth examining now.
Cosmic consciousness gives a glimpse of a more
extensive and inclusive world. In this vision all
conventional notions are dropped, now there is no
difference between the natural or the supernatural, all
differences have become meaningless. Not all things are
perceptible in the universe, even scientific instruments
and human senses fail to detect them. The marvels of the
microscopic world and the possibility of alien life in
space give us the clue how vast, complex, and unsolved
riddle, creation really is.
What makes a mystical experience ecstatic is the
incredible fact that both the sensory and supersensory
worlds are perceived simultaneously. Unconscious mind
is used as a device by the psychologist to explain
whatever is unexplainable or unintelligible in the realm
of the mind. The eternal, the immortal, the soul, rebirth
and God stem from intuition, not from normal thinking
process.
The human mind is mercurial, vacillating and
changeable entity, it flows like a river and flickers like a
flame. When it changes, the whole picture of the world,
perceived by it also changes. After all, world exists
because the mind exists. Mind is always changing; it
creates variations that affect the perception of the
phenomena observed by the mind. This suggests what
we observe, judge and decide with intellect is the
creation of the mind, which can easily change in other
dimensions of consciousness. All worldly knowledge is

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relative there is nothing as absolute. What is observed in

one dimension is deceptive in another dimensions.
Human vision and versions vary so nothing is static.
Only the laws of nature which control the cosmos and
they are static and everlasting.
Spiritual wisdom is seen to emerge from the deep depths
of our consciousness. Life is not an objective reality, it is
a creation of our own mind, a paradox, the more we try
to understand, the more elusive it becomes. Mystical
experiences bring awareness of divinity. Our aim is to
explore this 'wonder'. This is the message of the mystics.
This is the message science does not heed. It is true that
there is mystery in the spirit and not in matter. It is true
that there is mystery in the mystic and not in the skeptic.
All we know is that there is no escape from mystery. The
matter does not end there with a full stop. Life after all
has an element of uncertainty embedded in it so mystery
is a part of life. There is no reason to overlook it.
Mystical experiences add more meaning to the ordinary
state of consciousness. There is a new expression, a new
meaning to life that senses have held too long. It is the
rationalistic who denies and not the experiencer. The
state of mystical mindfulness must remain an open
question, through which, the mind looks on a more
extensive and inclusive world.
Science should not contradict the experience of the
mystic but explore the nature of the invisible dimensions
of human perception. Everything in the physical world is
seen by the eyes and evaluated by the mind. More or less
its human mental progression, which shape the physical

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world. So, we cannot stick to the idea that mind and

matter are separate. The distinction between mind and
matter is an illusion. We see the world both as a physical
and mental construct. It is difficult to say whether the
mind is a by-product of matter or matter is a by-product
of mind. Consciousness and objects in the cosmos
continue to exist, even if, they are not being perceived
by the human mind, being in different dimensions.
Humans have a limited a three-dimensional view,
whereas the cosmos is multi-dimensional, and an
unmapped beginningless and endless intergalactic
region.
Mind-body is indispensable. Consciousness can go
beyond human limitations without affecting
conventional thinking, by entering into the spirit world.
The pressing call here is, to unfold the mystery, of
physical and non-physical world. Scientific experiments
cannot ascertain it. But mystical experiences suggest that
matter is a by-product of cosmic consciousness the
universal mind. Skepticism, doubt and disbelief are
essential to push and penetrate the impenetrable, the time
to examine the spirit world scientifically has come.
To believe the universe of matter and energy is fully
perceptible by human senses is totally incorrect. The
chance of superior level of life in other parts of the
cosmos is not ruled out. In fact, what our senses perceive
and our mind thinks that exists. This mindset changes
when a person has a mystical experience and he doesn‘t
know how to handle it. It is, as if, waking up from a
dream, in a state of ecstasy and wonder. Is this a dream
or vision engineered by the subconscious mind or

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hallucination triggered by pathological conditions of the

brain or by an extrasensory mental state? These are
conjecture with no evidence to prove.
If, philosophy, science and spirituality is put together it
can add something new to existing knowledge and
expand awareness. Nature has its own way to produce
the prototype of a future human being. The flight of
human thought determines the phenomena of mind so
does transcendental consciousness bring an extra-
sensory perception. Human consciousness is not just
feelings and thoughts. It is something beyond it. It has an
element of immensity, which surges to synchronize itself
with the infinity of cosmic consciousness we know
nothing about.
Psychologists see mystical experiences as an activity of
the subconscious mind, which is, after all, a part of the
whole mind, which, at given moments, can be conscious,
unconscious or superconscious. If we know how the
unconscious mind works, will the whole mind work the
same way. I do not know.
Mystical experience helps in transforming human
understanding to a spiritual level, revealing the realities
of different dimensions. Thoughts are not separated from
the brain, but drugs, loss of sleep, electric shock or
injury to the brain, stimulating specific areas of the
brain, can change the pattern of our thinking. We need to
isolate mystical experience from the brain and see the
phenomenon as a brief unification of human
consciousness with cosmic consciousness. Since every
human being is a self-contained unit of consciousness.

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Someone else mystical experience cannot be understood

by others. Why a mystic experience is a secret, how can
we disclose this secret.
In past, man has created innumerable gods and
goddesses as divine or demonic, in the image of humans,
animals, birds, reptiles, fish etc. commanding worship
and prayers with rituals and sacrifice. Overlooking our
religious zeal and dark side of religion from primitive
phases of human culture, its barbarous features, forced
conversions, ruthless persecution, bloody wars,
massacres, loot, rape and horrors of the Inquisition, how
can history forgive and forget.
Paradoxically, several spiritual seekers leave home, live
in solitude, practice austerity, penance and self-
discipline, meditate and pray day and night, yet they fail
to summon a mystical experience. While a householder
without making any effort finds himself involved in a
mystical experience. There is no methodology or skill to
invoke a mystical experience. It happens, only then, the
experiencer know it has happened. How it happened he
does not know.
Unconscious mind is linked to dreams, inspiration,
hysteria, insanity, obsessions and fixations. Even to
extrasensory perception and the paranormal. Some call it
a bottomless pit. It is difficult to understand the sudden
storming of a subtle supernatural sensory skill.
Compartmentalizing the brain to explain its various
functions is acceptable. To assume each part of the brain
functions independently as separate entities is hard to
digest because mind is, after all, not a brain.

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Difficulty in explaining a mystical experience is due to

our inability to visualize a state of consciousness which
is at a higher level than ours. Even though, the
progression of consciousness is endless like the sky, and
deep like the ocean, still, we have failed to invented the
mechanism to check consciousness, nor can we look into
the mind of a person, as to where it is, then how can we
know, what cosmic intelligence is. As long this scenario
exists, the phenomena of mystical experience and
extrasensory perception will continue to be a riddle.
In Vedic philosophy, lifeforce or breath is known as
‗Pran‘. It is present as smallest particle difficult to
detect, as the architect of all organic life on earth. The
power to create existence is known as Shakti, capable of
producing any substance, all conceivable or
inconceivable worlds, universes, galaxies, cosmic
energies, space, timelessness, emptiness and cosmic
chaos. Adding, the amazing superstructures, matter and
energy, the all forms of life and unbelievable planes of
existence, it has created or will create, we can never
know. The dreamlike manifestation of non-living things
and living being in various forms create Maya. Indian
sages say that mystical incidents are experienced in the
state of Turiya or Samadhi, where subtle states of mind,
Prana (lifeforce), Prakriti (nature), Shakti (energy) and
Maya(illusion) unfolds itself to reveal.
The longing for mystical or spiritual experience is kept
alive by the curious mind because of its sense of
insufficiency before the immensity of infinite knowledge
of creation, cosmos and cosmic chaos. Generally,
mystical experiences are fleeting not permanent. When

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mystical experiences are recurrent, then that person,

becomes a Jivanmukta, a liberated sage. Mankind is
moving to a new dimension of consciousness. Mystical
experiences are the indicators, which occur naturally. So
is the power of ‗Kundalini‘ capable of taking a person of
ordinary awareness to extraordinary state of
consciousness.
Higher knowledge comes when a person is connected
with cosmic consciousness, called the superconscious
state of mind. Then why paranormal phenomena are not
considered normal. Godman as fraud Baba, fake swamy,
false guru and the pseudo psychics, who make a living,
by selling paranormal wares, have sullied its
genuineness. We need to re-look. How the highbrows
respond, I cannot say. But seeing change in human
mindset, suggest human beings would become more
sensitive to collective consciousness, ushering a new
way of life and living.
Science and technology have created a changed
environment and social order. Old order has been
discarded, which is necessary for evolutionary growth.
Rules of evolution are hard to discard so change is
immanent. If we are not adaptable to change, the chances
of annihilating each other impulsively or being wiped
out by natural calamities is not ruled out. When we
reject our scriptural bearings, only then universal
consciousness is activated in our consciousness, leading
us to a higher dimension of perception, beyond our
current level of understanding.

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Intuition without any rationale justification is capable to

tap the right pulse of a mystical experience. There is
enough evidence to show how intuition works during
impending calamities. The more we evolve the more we
are open to grasp the happening of paranormal
phenomena in our life.
Misgivings about mystical experience is a natural
consequence because of the absence of proof to
substantiate it. Psychologists need to find methods for
objective verification of the paranormal phenomenon. Or
else even a genuine experiencer will disbelieve his own
senses and mind as evidence to validate his personal
mystical experience as authentic. There is lack of clarity
of biological factors and bio-energy responsible for
mystical experiences. If, there are laws of nature
governing the physical world, there ought to be psychic
laws of nature leading human consciousness to cosmic
consciousness, physicists should explore this aspect
because consciousness is the basic reality of material
manifestation.
Many writers have revealed, to have received the basic
matter to write a book or poem fed to them, by an
indescribable cosmic intelligence. Similarly, we have
prophets and psychics too, who claimed to have received
innovative ideas from an intelligent driving force. The
difficulty is, we assume consciousness is, the product of
our brain. Actually, consciousness is an energy, which
is, a part of the energy, constituting cosmic
consciousness. Alternatively, the source of psychic
powers lies within us. This source can be activated with
certain physical and mental disciplines, a method

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evolved by Indian mystics to awaken kundalini, this

should also come under scientific scrutiny.
The human race is moving towards a predestined
direction, under the laws of collective human and cosmic
consciousness, which requires the wherewithal and time
of both science and spirituality to understand it
comprehensively. Till such time. Do we really need to
deliberate on it? Why shouldn‘t we flow directly in the
unknown realms and experience the unplumbed
unwaveringly.
Objects are perceived as a stream of consciousness, there
is no separate processes at work, it‘s a process-less
process. We all know perceiving is not an independent
process, nor can we perceive anything without
perception so perceiving isn‘t free of perception and
perception isn‘t different from the perceiver,
consequently the definition and meaning of the world is
nothing else but the perception of the human perceiver.
Is the universe different from what we perceive? Even
animals and birds see it differently from what human
being see. Then how can we say, what we see, is the
ultimate truth.
Experiencer of a mystical experience makes utmost
effort to justify his experience was real, to expect public
acceptance, fearing its rejection. This is wrong. There
are no two different phases of an experience and the
experiencer. Our effort should be to bridge the two. Then
there is no maker of effort or the objective for which
efforts are being made. Those who believe, cherish the
experience, those who do not believe question. In this

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turmoil of thinking the mystical wonder does not

diminish, when drunk in a blissful ecstasy or lost in the
wilderness of ecstasy.
Mystical experiences come and go. Experiencer obtains
paranormal information, is acquainted with the
unknown, and sees mysteries of the universe unfold, all
this is the work of consciousness. Because all
phenomena are superimposed on consciousness and is
not imbibed by the mind, so it doesn‘t look real stuff. If,
manifestation of a mystical experience is not
hallucination, but a cosmic illusion hiding its real form.
Then all mystical experiences are a glimpse of that
reality. The mystical experience, the author had
glimpsed, possibly, falls in this category.
‗Sunya‘ is a free-zone of no-thing, where matter and
energy do not exist. This is the highest state of cognizing
consciousness, a universal reality revealing that
everything else is non-existent except consciousness.
Visualizing ‗Sunya‘ enables us to know that the state of
being is real and the state of becoming is unreal. The
causeless ‗Sunya‘ is the cause of all causes, and Maya,
the cosmic illusionist is the consequence-less
consequence of all consequences. Creation of universe is
an idea of cosmic consciousness, starting with the
actualization of the gross form, manifested by Prakriti,
the natural energies, and by illusions created by Maya.
The physical body is impermanent. Consequently, its
elements are dissolved. The non-physical subtle body, as
a drop of consciousness merges in the eternal river of
cosmic consciousness. This happens after its temporary

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abode the physical body is eradicated by death.

Consciousness is the key building block of life.
Consciousness moves, from subtle invisible atmosphere,
pervading the universe to gross physical life on earth,
and returns back, in an endless cycle. This to some
extent explains the theory of transmigration and rebirth
of consciousness that reincarnates from one gross
physical life to another, the same rule applies to non-
physical entities as well.
We see ‗Time‘ as a measure, just as we visualize ‗Space‘
as a container of matter and energy. Space is an
extension of physical entities, while solar time, sidereal
time, lunar time, and clocks, picture aging the
occurrence and duration of events as a manmade
measure. Space-Time continuum is the four-dimensional
method, using coordinates to take a position. It is a
system of assumptions, serving as a frame of reference.
Eternity is timeless. It is the endless ‗Now‘, the place
where consciousness dwells. There is nothing before it
and nothing after it, whereas past, and future belong to
manmade time that cheats the human mind.
Human intellect cannot perceive the entire space, nor can
it unfold the full reality of the infinite space. Appearance
of things are just patterns on the fabric of space. Even
these illusions are obliterated and end in nothingness.
Time measures the duration of events, it‘s a continuum
that lacks spatial dimensions.
We indulge in fanciful envisioning of motions of time in
terms of finite physical entities. Rebirth is also a process
of a continuous renewal of human activities or

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movements in different bodies. If science can invent

time to investigate space. Why can‘t it conceive rebirth
to investigate the all-pervading consciousness, hidden in
the invisible recesses of space, a region undetectable by
physical senses, nor is it like matter nested in the regions
of space.
Science considers time as the fourth dimension. Why
can‘t science consider consciousness as the fifth
dimension? Nothing comes under the ambit of one
reality. Therefore, its normal that different viewing
platforms interpret reality differently. When infinite
invisible planes of reality are not visible except the
visible material planes. Then how can we brag we know
the reality, why can‘t we regard it as ‗Sunya‘ a state of
nothingness, beyond human comprehension.
To know, we create logic and make sense out of the
nonsense around us. Why are we so incoherent on no-
sense of nothingness and infinity? Cyclic appearance of
seasons, waxing and waning of moon, sunrise and sunset
are repetitive patterns created by nature so is life on
earth. Since cosmos is meaningless, it has no sense so
we have structured commonsense, even if, we know that
no sense persists. The un-founded laws of nature govern
the universe. Despite this undeniable law of nature, a
degree of order to maintain a perfect balance, harmony
in the universe endures forever. The intelligence of
balance, doesn‘t make sense, it just happens no one
makes it happen so its cause is inconceivable.
Conception would be imaginary and far from reality,
symbolically its nothingness.

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Everything in space is in a state of Interdependence,

nothing exists in isolation. The whole cosmos is in a
state of rhythmic balance. This unity of everything forms
a cosmic super-net, where everything is in a relative
dynamic equilibrium. The entire superstructure in space
is a seamless whole. It doesn‘t work as separate units but
as a single unified unit, which is consistent and
organized. This web of interdependence supports
existence. Harmony is the natural field of existence,
which supports sustainability. A chain of cause and
effect, aberrations and self-corrections is a continuous
feature that strives to reach the level of sustainable
survival of existence. This is the foundation of the
fundamental laws of nature.
Human consciousness exists in two different frames
bewitched between physical and mental state. The
interpretation of the universe as we know it is not in its
real sense, it‘s the manifestation of human mind as a
figment of imagination. Or else, if there is emptiness in
space with no matter or energy contained therein then
space loses its substantiality. It is true that in one sense
the universe is seen and discriminated by the senses as
an object, but in another sense, in absence, of
characteristic marks of mastery over self and
transcending the limitations of nature. In one sense its
graspable, in another sense, it‘s not graspable.
We use ideas and theories to understand. However, we
have to keep in mind the unreality of ideas and theories,
like a raft is of use, only to cross a river. It is of no
further use, after the river is crossed. Then it is
discarded. Similarly, ideas and theories should be given

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up with fresh and new evidences. Scientific sense of

perception gives the information of external world as a
physical reality, rest all is grasped by science thru
speculative means. Therefore, our ideas of physical
reality can never be final, they change continuously,
from time to time. Updating means how far we are from
truth.
We are to a certain degree governed by our emotions.
Psychic centers produce mental activity in the form of
subtle vibratory energy. This energy dominates and uses
physical energy, only humans can consciously use it. We
can increase this energy by controlled breath, and use
this powerhouse of energy discreetly. Besides, a hunch is
not based upon conscious facts, it‘s the inner, instinctive
urgings of the subconscious mind. We often mistake
wishful thinking as an instinctive psychic urge. A fine
line divides hunch from wishful thinking. Moreover, the
gut is where all of our non-physical and body energies
combine. It‘s the point where our psychic energy,
reaction and feeling is strong. The more we recognize all
these qualities, the more we can work consciously on it,
to understand ourselves better.
To know what we actually are, we need to de-learn what
we have learnt and discover we are not the body,
feelings thoughts, time, space, this, that, and nothing
concrete or abstract perceived can be we. The very act of
perceiving shows that we are not what we perceive and
realize that we are the limitless being the soul. In fact,
the real world is beyond our mind.

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Too often a question arises whether universe is subject

to the laws of causation or does universe exist and
function outside the law of causation. Everything in
cosmos arises and disappears for no specific reason, it‘s
a combination of various unborn ever-existent cosmic
forces at work producing an unintended outcome.
Causation produces an effect in time and space.
Considering this, a specific cause as the source of
universe, isn‘t reasonable. Even, universe is not sure of
its content, potentialities and infiniteness so a specific
source is not a cause and no cause is also not a source.
We can track and trace how things in universe happen,
but we don‘t know, why a thing happens the way it
happens. A thing is, as it is, because the universe is, as it
is. consciousness is fundamental. It‘s the original state,
unborn, beginningless, endless, uncaused and
changeless. The presence of consciousness cannot be felt
without human awareness, but there can be human
awareness without consciousness. This is the matrix of
magic and mystery.
There is human awareness in every state of
consciousness. So, being conscious of consciousness is
highest human awareness. Consciousness is not a new
state awareness. It is the original foundation of life. The
universe and mind are states of being. Cosmic
consciousness pervades all states of being, it is beyond
time and space, mind and matter. From highest point of
view the universe has no cause. Even, the theory of
oneness is not without its drawbacks.

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A picture is in the mind of the painter, during drawing

painter is in the picture, which means painter can
transcend, suggesting, transcendental dimensions are not
a silly or strange phenomena. Now, we see the picture in
the mind is transferred on the picture frame, then we
visualize a chain of observer‘s witnessing it. It is like
standing between two mirrors and wondering about the
picture and the crowd. Between the two mirrors, there
are countless possibilities. Does someone know what is
real and what is unreal.

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Soul Dictation

ne suddenly finds himself in the midst of a

conversation with the soul of the dead, not
knowing how it starts. The main characteristic of
soul dictation is that, it prompts you to write. By the
time you lay hand on a piece of paper, many things said
are missed. The entangled person writes, as if, the words
are flowing uninterrupted forcefully, before they
abruptly stop, then he doesn‘t know what more to write
and there is a mood of elation. When it comes to poetry,
the experiencer is swayed in the joy of rhythm and
rhyming words, the voice is not his, it is the voice of the
dead, which comes from external source. It is a feeling
as if someone‘s presence is dictating. The beauty of this
incident that it was experienced with open eyes.
There is a belief that souls of the dead communicate with
the living. Writing is said to be produced by the soul of
the dead rather by the conscious intention of the writer
experiencer of the soul of the dead, without the
awareness of the content and its lingual nuance.
In India, it‘s a common religious practice to invoke
Goddess‘s Saraswati and Lord Ganesh before we start
writing, be it, in the form of a letter, or an invitation or
during school / college examinations. This is how
Hindus connect with a divine source, and believe it will
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help them in writing. Like a normal Hindu, this is

exactly what I do. Hindus are doing this since long time.
So, this is embedded in their psyche as DNA. In India, I
have nothing to worry, most Hindus would believe my
experience is true. But it‘s difficult for me to explain to
people belonging to other culture and creeds, who may
call it a hoax or a hallucination.
After death communication, in the form of dictation,
given by soul of the dead is a paranormal incident, is the
result of consciousness pulsating at different levels of
dimension coming in contact with a living person
causing and activating an experience, which is beyond
human understanding. Science needs to explore this
aspect and point of view.
Sages tell us, we have six senses to perceive a three-
dimensional physical world, and several astral senses to
perceive a multi-dimensional world. In everyday life, we
filter the external impressions we receive from
surroundings and environment in which we live so that
we can focus on matters of three-dimensional world.
But a person who has undergone a mystical experience,
feels the mystical experience was prompted from some
other dimension, difficult to decipher.
The null hypothesis is the proposition that implies no
effect or no relationship between phenomena. The null
hypothesis is popular because it can be tested and found
to be false, which then implies there is a relationship
between the observed data. The null hypothesis is never
proved or established, but is possibly disproved.
In this incident there was no channeling energy or
conversation with the spirit through a channeler, there

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was no calling of the ghost nor was a ghost speaking

through a medium, nor was an unseen entity
communicating his wisdom, nor automatic writing or
psychography. The soul dictation incident can be
possibly compared with the notion of divine dictation.
Out of the four major religions in the world, except
Buddhism, Hindus believe Vedas were composed by
Brahma and rishis wrote it. Christians believe in the
divine dictation theory and uphold God is the author of
all scriptures, and Holy Spirit involved human writers,
who inscribed the holy Bible. Likewise, Muslims believe
the holy Quran was verbally revealed by Allah to
prophet Muhammad, who recited the text, and the
scribes wrote down, what they heard.
Is it right to relate the current incident with the aforesaid
episodes? For sure, the message the dead father‘s soul
was trying to communicate to his living son, was to
guide him to write, and what to write, was certainly not
unclear but blurred. Gradually, over the years, the
message became clear to the experiencer, who conveyed
it, through his book ‗A Religionless world‘, raising the
demand for religious reforms and questioning people,
why religions should be rejected and why spirituality
should be accepted.
Human quest for reason and meaning of the known and
the unknown is timeless and universal. By cultivating
scientific temper, we can strengthen our intellectual
abilities, and people with an open mind can lead richer
lives.

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Concluding Remarks

uriosity leads the mind to comprehend the

external world around us and our internal being
within us also. The mind recognizes that it
cannot know fully. This not knowing implies human
limitations to understand everything wholly. Therefore,
we try to go beyond the mind, then we realize that our
perception is nothing more than a mystical musing. Alas,
this way of knowing more, too, ends in sheer
speculation. It seems that ‗Not Knowing‘ is the last
information the inadequate human perception can gather.
Then what lies beyond the limited possibility of human
perception is nothingness or is it something else.
Then whatsoever the author is writing is meaningless
and misleading. Only the un-scripted and the un-
deciphered consciousness can go beyond human
perception. When the human presence dissolves in the
stillness of silence to experience a mystical experience,
the experiencer disappears and a state of full
consciousness is achieved. Now, nothing remains except
consciousness and awareness of being aware, as the
scene and the seer-er of the scene has become one.
To explain a mystical experience is not easy. The reality
of the experience is far greater than what we can

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perceive. Mystical experiences are not accidental. They

are the result of nature‘s intention, to reveal a vision and
give a glimpse, of what lies beyond human perception.
Once human limitations are surpassed, all seeking stop
then there is nothing more to know. Since this state is
intuitively grasped and cannot be described logically
because the altered stage of consciousness tends to enter
in the abstract ethereal eternity or in the nucleus of
nothingness. Therefore, we cannot arrive at a conclusion
that is sensible.
Those who question the mystics and their mystical
experiences are ignorant about mysticism. The top secret
is that even the mystics do not know what exactly
mystical experience and mysticism is. Mystical
experiences show a well-marked predisposition to age-
old understanding and its interpretations not easy to
counter. The idea is not to put a question mark on any
mystical experience, over the years, culture and religion
has well-defined in distinct and definite terms the
mystical experiences, capturing the imagination of the
people.
We are connected to one source. Our thinking separates
us. The more we align ourselves with the mind, the
further we distance ourselves from the source. In ancient
India, Kundalini revealed the subtle potential of our
inner energies. Sages, advocated that only a silent mind
can awaken our inner energies. Therefore, we ought to
be less thought-oriented, align directly with the subtle
potential, and unfold the inner world, to experience the
mystical world. After all, veracity lies not in getting

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more answers but in fewer questions in the stillness of

silence.
Words create noise and silence subtle symphony of
stillness. Listen to the rhythm of this unstruck musical
note playing within. Listen to the melodious whispers of
the silence of soul. Listen to the divine music coming
from the deepest recesses of our spiritual presence. It is
the same melody that reverberates from the core of
cosmic stillness. Sages called it the Anahat-Naad.
Henceforward, let‘s hear, in the stillness of meditation,
the inner sound of silence that fills us, with spiritual
ecstasy, and swirls our soul to dance.
We live in conclusions, opinions and dogmas, they form
the philosophy of our life. Philosophy means a view of
life. Then we justify this view of life by logic and
sharpen our reasoning to prove that we are right. Be it
logic or opinion or beliefs or conclusions they are
nothing but words. We give our lives for these words,
words, therefore, are more real than our life, we have
made words valuable and living our life cheap, this is the
history of humanity, we often repeat. Word acquires a
meaning based on our perception, when the words word
become rigid, we lose the universal point of view. Every
sound is feeling (nada). When we go deeper, we find our
feelings exist in nothing. Be in this silence and
nothingness to find that our absence is our true presence.
Silence is the foundation of words. In silence meditation
begins. Language of silence emanates from feelings; it
has no alphabet or words. Why have we buried our
silence underneath the manmade words and manmade
languages?

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Be conscious, be watchful, be vigilant of universal

reality, cultivate an uncluttered mind. By doing so, we
can experience spiritual awakening, and become free
from illusions and limitations, then our true potential
emerges to lead us to endless possibilities. De-
conditioning of mind, allows our true nature to reveal its
colors. Next, we see new vistas and our impractical
ideas, wrong perceptions, thinking and behavior are
replaced by right understanding. Be prepared for
changes in life. When awakened we are not a different
person. We are the same person we formerly were.
Whatever changes occur in our life is a consequence of
our changing states of consciousness. Thinking is to
mind what exercise is to the body. when we focus on
something, we are calling that something into existence.
What is a credible answer to a mystical experience? We
have no option except to presume, the constantly
flowing cosmic energies and various other dimensions in
space are transmitting subtle signals in space, which an
open human mind as a receptacle when properly aligned,
can catch these signals and get connect with the cosmic
phenomenon. Those who are connected ‗experience‘ the
presence of these cosmic energies and dimensions.
Otherwise, the multidimensional cosmic consciousness
is totally an elusive revelation, which cannot be
expressed in words. When we dive in the ocean of
words, we either flow with words or drown in words.
The expression seems meaningful when words float.
Words form an integral part of our communication with
others. We use words to communicate our mystical
experience with others. We learn words to communicate

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with others. Words are not a simple combination of

sounds. Words have their own pattern and symmetry and
the meaning that may or may not truly reflect our
thoughts and feelings leaving a communication gap.
That‘s why we say ―think before you speak‖ as we are
not too sure, words will convey our true feeling and
thoughts.
I had conducted a public poll, which failed to give a
clear mandate, whether souls exist or not. Most of the
people I have come across do not believe in what I say
and probably think that I am crazy and so naïve that I
cannot make out the difference between imagination and
reality. Moreover, I too have explained the existence of
soul in a suggesting manner and have certainly failed to
establish its existence convincingly in a logical manner.
I recognize these drawbacks and have nothing more to
say. Finally on the basis of my self-knowledge and
experience, I have no hesitation in admit that it is hard to
say whether souls exist or not.
To me, the experience I had, means I cannot deny, the
existence of souls, ready to connect with those, who
eagerly seek them, when the alignments are right, then a
person can enter a totally different dimension and feel
the presence of invisible existence. We are hanging
between the worlds of the living and the spirit world of
the dead. The notion of soul needs to be redefined.
The search of soul is a great challenge so I am not
bothered whether my efforts in this direction is right or
wrong. I am just making a sincere effort to learn. Even
as I know my limited capacity, my efforts are certainly

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not small. We have to discover the soul. We have to

realize our spiritual state of being. Soon science will
catch up with the reality, after all, truth cannot be hidden
for long.
We see the magic of unexplainable mystical experiences
happening in unusual and usual situations. In today‘s
world, people want to understand this mystery, not
metaphorically, but in a language the world can
understand clearly. It is clear to us those things happen.
It is not clear to us how and why it happens. Do we
really need to know the split hair details of such
happenings?
The person who goes to school is another person who
goes to college. A baby grows into a boy, enters youth
and then becomes a man. The questioner is no longer the
same person who takes the answer. In the changing
phases of what was in past, what is present now, and
what will be in future, there is one thing unchanging in
this steadiness of existence, that is, the lifeforce soul.
Besides, human body is a combination of physical and
non-physical gross features and subtle influences. It is
by the process of evolution ‗Sanskaras‘ mental
impressions and recollections are formed, as a
consequence of our deeds, and wherever they are
impressed, they migrate there.
The mind has subtle layers of awareness, its intuitive
cognizance is in touch with universal information, its
rational observance analyses and categorizes and most
importantly the subconscious mind largely controls our
behavior, but then, this monopoly can be minimized

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through repeated and focused auto-suggestions. Let‘s

imagine the mind is a radio set and cosmic energies are
constantly flowing at various frequencies in space, once
we are aligned and fine-tuned, we connect ourselves
with cosmic consciousness and begin to have mystical
experiences.
All major religions believe consciousness in the form of
a soul survives after the death of the body.
Neuroscientists say consciousness is a physiological
activity, produced by the tissues of the brain. The
conspicuousness of consciousness is also an activity of
the brain. Consciousness can be manipulated by physical
and electrical stimulation, even by chemicals like
alcohol or LSD and anesthesia in surgery, can create an
indistinguishable reality, like a mystical experience.
The cosmos works on precise patterns in symmetrical
and asymmetrical forms. The former comes under
scientific scrutiny and latter under spiritual seeking. The
unknowable as long it is not knowable is a mystery,
because we don‘t know what it actually is fact or fiction.
Even scientific understanding is mired by this anomaly.
Science first develops an idea and then test it by
experiments to prove its genuineness. Similarly, the
unprovable unknown is also within the ambit of provable
possibility. When we go beyond ideas and thoughts we
come in touch with the higher worlds. Text and theories
stand nowhere before the ineffable. But our inner
landscape hides a mysterious territory, so dive deep
within to unravel and unfold it to define the indefinable.
Fantasizing cheats reality, avoid it.

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Perception of reality is vexing and elusive. Reality is not

consistent, it is not one man‘s view, nor two or many
people agreeing on one man‘s view. To assess reality,
we need to evaluate all conflicting views. Therefore,
following any ideology or belief system is false
knowledge. The reality of world‘s appearance is rooted
in our minds, despite the fact the world is unreal.
Howsoever well we explain, reality can be experienced
only by few people, if not, our thoughts are engaged in
sculpting invisible forms in space and time. Since deceit
has been institutionalized, we have created an imaginary
world around us.
During meditation or when deprived of sleep, a person
can see visions, which can shape the presence of a dead
man‘s soul. These visions are revealed with closed eyes,
they appear real and hard to differentiate from the
normal waking awareness. On rare occasions, when the
presence of spirits is felt consciously with open eyes, it
is called a mystical experience. This experience occurs
in isolation, where one may experience receiving
messages from external sources. Imagining things are
real that does not make it real.
If someone intensely focuses his attention on something
that something can talk to him as a vision or presence
and talk with him. This shows mystical experiences are
unreal and non-existent. We are living in a psychological
paradox where what we think we recognize as real,
which may merely be a mirror-reflection of our
thoughts. Since nothing can happen in the brain without
some external stimulus as the cause. Such experiences
appear to come from an external source.

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There are two views to reflect on, one is experiential and

another is the transcendental. Those who do not know
the distinction between these two views cannot
understand the secrecy of the soul and the mystery of the
consciousness. The transcended cannot be described. It
can only be suggested. Those who experience it, decline
to discuss such questions, they are unable to express it in
words. There is an old adage, that a person with mystic
wisdom seeks secrecy and shuns publicity.
There is a perceptible difference between reality and
signs of reality. For instance, the idea of lemon causes
salivation in the mouth of a person; even as there is no
lemon. Obviously, it happens due to a mind process that
occurs and the effects are clearly visible in physical
terms.
In the same way, religious notion of afterlife, soul and
immortality, are words bearing no significance, yet they
carry a meaning, to people, who live out life with them,
believing that such things actually exist. At times, they
are the one who experience strange things, influenced by
auto-suggestions or as a result of beliefs.
Scientific temper is the yardstick to understand, we
cannot expect science to answer all metaphysical
questions. We need to rationalize and look beyond the
scope of science. Often, our belief system clouds our
ability to rationalize and be objective. Any new
information received is filtered through this belief
system and then we decide whether to accept or reject
the information as true or false. This results in a biased
view.

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Science does not know how the mind works. There is no

mechanism to know how the brain generates thoughts
and how consciousness functions. Consciousness exists
as something separate from the brain. Attempts to
understand consciousness through quantum mechanics
are being made. It is possible that consciousness
behaves the same way as the non-locality of quantum
particles that once connected always stay connected and
influence one another, no matter how far apart. This is
still relatively at the hypothesis level.
What is mysticism? Is it a call of the beyond? Mysticism
is purest form of inner self wherein consciousness is not
aware of its existence. Mysticism is a non-physical
connectivity with cosmic intelligence. The most
beautiful experience has been that of the mysterious.
Mysticism is a spontaneous revelation. It is a solo silent
transformation not achieved by proxy. We interpret an
event on the basis of cause-and-effect theory. But for the
mystic, a mysterious law is working, which has nothing
to do, with our theories or knowledges, human mind has
evolved.
Everything in the universe is in the form of a compound
or a combination of various elements and its attributes.
So, difference between a thing and its quality is real, just
like fire and heat are. Next, words are tools of
communication. Words are nothing but sound, sound is
sculpting silence, often the sound of words tends to
withdraw into silence. That‘s why verbal description of
reality frustrates us. Though mathematics can capture
reality thru symbols what words fail to describe.
Nevertheless, when all the above three parameters are

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synchronized, then description of the undescribed is

possible.
When words bear the beauty of clarity and the breadth of
knowledge, it captures the right linguistic expression of
words capable to reshape the current world‘s perception,
these are the moments of real philosophical wonder.
Nevertheless, there are situations where language
becomes inadequate to express our real feeling and
emotions, accordingly we need to be aware, about the
limitations of language and explore ways to enlarge, so
myths, tales, poetry and symbolism is used.
Consequently, loading our cognitive system with total
lies. Unconnectedly, we speak lies from childhood.
Considering this, how far can reason remain neutral to
settle the elusive reality of a mystical experience. The
realm of pure logic and analysis can never be consistent
or complete as it is flawed by incompleteness.
Surprisingly, till date we have no consensus about the
origin and the nature of existence of consciousness, the
window that allows us to perceive all amazing insights.
Is consciousness the fundamental reality intertwined
with creation and cosmos? The element of mystery will
persist longer till science comes to its rescue. So, the
mystic concept like Soul flourishes. But from time to
time this abstract concept needs to be fine-tuned to make
it plainly understandable.
Human race does not live-in natural environments as
other species do, it lives in manmade constructs like
nations, family, society, city, houses etc., and meet its
other necessities through mental concepts like language,

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education, technology, money etc. Our existence is

based purely on human ideas. In fact, our whole life and
living is structured on human perceptions. It‘s totally
mind marshaled and manmade, even religion, God and
Soul are just suppositions. Paradoxically, if we reject
one manmade concept then we contradict all other
manmade concepts too. This is the grand illusion of
Maya, which works in the unreal world we live in.
Who knows whether universe is random or controlled?
We have given meaning to the universe. Nature does not
produce the script of the universe, but the human mind
invents its own theories about the universe. Science
defines brain, mind and consciousness, and spirituality
defines God, soul and rebirth. Who will assess science or
spirituality is right or wrong? We do not know. If nature
is random or controlled, obviously its meaning would be
random or controlled. If we reject random or controlled
idea of the universe, then we opt for an inter-connected
universe. We can hardly find a proper explanation on
speculations.
The mental eye interprets the invisible. We cannot see
unseen cosmic energies with naked eyes, so we bring the
invisible as a presence. In this dilemma our explanations
become ambiguous and awareness incomplete. There is
no subject summary of the invisible. Conceptual
exclusiveness has value, when everything is inter-
dependent and inter-connected in space.
Truth is eternal. The description of truth is lost in the
limitations of languages. Truth is one, it is in the same
form, at all times, and at all places. But one truth has

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many perspectives, at that point. Is truth real or

imaginary? Only partial truth is revealed, mistaken as
the whole truth. The whole truth is hard to express, only
a part of the whole truth can be put in words. All
languages have a limited scope of expression. Then the
description of eternal truth cannot be straightforward. At
the same time, we cannot close the doors to the quest for
ultimate truth.
The Universe we see is not a continuous entity, it
appears to be continuous, just like a film on the cinema
screen appears continuous. In fact, the film is moving in
frames creating the illusion of continuity. Therefore, in
the observer object observation, the universe exists,
because human beings, as observers observe it, as an
object, which means, we exist, therefore, the universe
exist. If human observer is replaced by other species or
aliens as observer, the whole scenario and meaning of
the universe created by human beings will change. Then
how far reconciling the conflicting logical or illogical
versions is right. We need to accept that one truth has
many points of views, there is no process to simplify.
The quest to know the ultimate truth is a tedious path.
Consciousness pervades everything, from the smallest
particle to the largest super structures in space, and in the
living beings and the non-living thing. Consciousnesses
unifies the entire cosmos. Both mind and matter are the
byproduct of an underlying field of consciousness. The
individual mind is the consciousness of the spiritual
soul, whereas, external matter-energy constitutes cosmic
consciousness. Individual consciousness and cosmic
consciousness are issues concerning human being,

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whether it concerns other species on earth or aliens on

other planetary realms, we do not know.
Nothing is linear everything is cyclic. A circle has no
starting point or any end point. Likewise, creation never
had a beginning. Just as night follows the day and the
day follows the night so does creation follows
dissolution, and dissolution follows creation. Dissolution
precedes creation and creation precedes dissolution. This
process has been eternally going on, it has neither a
beginning nor an end, like the flow of a river, is not
continuous, it dries up, disappears in summer, and
reappears in rainy season. We cannot step into the same
river twice.
Thoughts, memories and emotions govern the human
body. Sometimes we come face-to-face with our
emotional traumas, behavioral traumas and physiological
traumas. When thoughts, memories and emotions
attached to these traumas come to our awareness level it
can produce its effect, we call a mystical experience. We
retain memories of our lived life, our geographical
environment, our culture and our ancestral history.
Obviously, neurons in our brain, at times, can trigger a
phenomenal reliving memory, this can lead to a mystical
experience.
Scientific analysis is based on objective study of the
physical world and natural laws. Scientific tools collect
information, use microscopic / magnifying glass to see
things and use different scales to measure time, weight,
distance and temperature. Manmade alphabets, numbers,
arithmetic calculations are the foundation of these tools

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and scientific evidence depends on them. Manmade

science, with manmade scientific tools can produce only
a manmade proof for manmade understanding.
Cosmic reality is not manmade so how does science
reconcile, claiming scientific scrutiny is the ultimate
method to know truth. Assuming aliens exist, for sure,
they may be using different methodology than ours, in
spite of the fact, they live in the same physical universe.
So, science is also on a sticky wicket as religion and
spirituality are. Then who holds the monopoly on truth?
Science looks outwards, spirituality inwards so
comparing them is a trash talk. When the laws of nature
are comprehended only then the ultimate truth is
revealed.

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About The Author

Suresh Kumar Soni

he author, Suresh Kumar Soni was born in Delhi

on July 26, 1950. He did his Higher Secondary
schooling from Delhi, graduation B.A. (General)
from Delhi university and masters MA (Political
Science) from Jaipur, Rajasthan University.
He married Bindu Sehgal in 1980, both live in Delhi and
have two children Abhinav and Divya. He is an ex-

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banker, who worked in a nationalized Bank as officer

from 1975 and took voluntary retirement in 2001. Then,
he freelanced as a financial consultant till 2010.
Currently he is leading a retired life.
The author is the son of a renowned Urdu poet Mehr Lal
Soni Zia Fatehabadi. He belongs to Punjabi Khatri
family, who had migrated to Delhi from the invader
infested, conflict ridden war frontiers of north India. His
ancestors did not submit or convert to aggressor‘s
religion or any homemade religions. They followed
Vedic philosophy, which is not a religion but a way of
life so his elders often bragged they were faith followers
with no religion to follow.
Going back in antiquity, his gotra Kapila or lineage
reveals his forefathers are the descendants of Rishi
Kapila Muni, the founder of the Samkhya school of
Hindu philosophy, who lived some time between
sixth/seventh century BCE. Inspired by the patriarch of
his clan, who was praised by Lord Krishna as a great
sage, and whose teachings had inspired Lord Buddha
profoundly. Therefore, the author is passing on the
wisdom of his ancestors in its contemporary context onto
the readers.
Once during a visit to a bookstore, by chance, the author
came across a book, praising the Vedic tradition of
Vanaprastha, he was elated to find his credentials
matched with its criteria. Even as a sinner, who was
found of drinks and carnal indulgences, he resolved to
become a spiritual seeker in year 2011.

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Since then, he is in the pursuit of truth, and dabbles in

philosophy and spirituality. He is receptive to idealism
and pacifism. He claims to have read the Holy Books of
all religions. He is disillusioned by assumptions and
abstractions in religions, he feels religions have
exceeded its brief and has overstepped its limits so
religions have lost its original message, purpose and
goal, having failed to keep pace with time, he treats
religions as remnant of a redundant age but accepts the
religious idiom of God, Allah and Ishwar as a signet of
cosmic consciousness full of subtleties reason knows
nothing a source both of affection and rejection.
Seeing that a majority of people in the world are sedated
by religions. He believes reforms in religions are
imperative for world peace, freedom, equality, and
tolerance. Therefore, he considers Spirituality as the
mirror of truth and Religions a distortion of reality. He
assumes to break new ground by replacing all religions
by Satya Dharma, the epicenter of spiritual values, the
soul of all religions.
He is not a crusader with any fanatical cause or is
propagating any silly ideological agenda nor is he
debunking divinity. He is a renovator of religion who
wants to redefine and reshape religions struck in the turn
of time by envisioning a ‗Religionless World‘ moving
towards the Spiritualization of Mankind.
To convey this message. He started writing in 2011. At
first, he wished to write in Hindi he is fluent with but to
reach a global audience he opted to write in English.

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Defying naysayers he intensified the call for ‗Religious

Reforms‘ by launching the website
www.thereligionlessworld.com on Feb 21, 2013, free
from copyright laws so as to spread truth which is the
heritage of humanity. Surprisingly, after a lapse of six
years United p.c. a London based publisher offered to
print the book ‗A Religionless World‘ in 2019, making
him an author at the age of 69 years.
The controversial avantgarde role of the author is to
create a line of thought and build structures that bring
fulfillment to the highest spiritual aspirations of human
beings by introducing religious reforms, aiming to end
terrorism, promote universal brotherhood, bring peace
and social harmony among people, society and nations.
He is carrying out this campaign to create public
awareness thru social media. So far, he has written two
books mentioned as under:
A Religionless World – published by united p.c. (6 Feb.
2019) London UK
The Monk Who Gambled On The Game Of Life –
published by Clever Fox Publishing (27 December
2020) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
His second book is the biography of a householder who
became a Sadhu. It‘s a true-life story which conveys,
worldly life and spiritual life are not separate. Life is the
same. Spirituality is as important as family life is to us.
The book exposes the Godmen by raising pertinent
social issues in public domain, such as, India needs
stringent laws to prevent innocent people being tricked
into the trap of the Godman to restore the Sanatan
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Dharma‘s Sadhu Parampara, and next to enforce the rule

of law to stop drug abuse among Sadhus living in holy
cities of India.
His writings are the work of voluntary service, rendered
by an elder citizen of the society to ensure the errors of
evil that often creep into the field of faith with the
passage of time are corrected and updated, like a gem is
polished by rubbing and a man perfected by trials.

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