Hello, and  thanks for accepting me on this board!  I am a long-time lurker,  but finally joined today, (prompted by a recent  second TIA attack I had!) I have been out of the body in the astral & etheric states many times, with less much control than I would like, but my experiences have all been positive & exhilarating. Yet since the attack  a month ago I have not been able to project out of my house, although I did get as far as the rafters in the ceiling once. . .wonder why that could be? ( In the out -of- body state I usually feel strong, very aware, have no real shape or form, & have an almost anarchistic sense of freedom; although once I appeared to myself as a ball of purplish light as I headed out into space)

However, my main question here is this : how can I ensure a good, positive & conscious death experience?  I feel I came so perilously close, & despite absolutely knowing that death is merely a "formality", as I lay paralysed on the ground my concentration was so weak, that I could barely think of any mantras or higher thoughts at all - this thing-that-says-I just seemed to just "fade" with my weakening body responses, which I find disquieting & disappointing.  My main concern was that I did not want to die in the kitchen!

On the one hand I suppose it is to be expected, if the lower self/personality is just a transient conglomerate. . I have been Buddhist all my life, which has no doubt influenced my perceptions.

I am very wary of forming a definite conception of after-life conditions, as I do not want to be pulled into one of my own projected fantasies; so I suppose my final formulation of the question is:  is there any Unchanging Reality which will not be affected by my expectations? :-/

I have been taken to a "Great Light" on request, where I was "told" that the only question that was relevant to us was whether we have loved enough . . & I most certainly fall short.  I don't know how relevant to this post it would be to mention that I've also experienced several "waking downloads" of data,  that included phrases such as "chords of time" that can be "changed by diminishing or augmenting" them (I studied music!) & which could alter events as we see them, & even replay them. . . . .

I would really appreciate advice & coments from the Adepts on this Forum!

Namaste all!

Greetings kirolak,

Indeed you are welcome!

I'm wondering if your answers aren't already in your question.

You said you don't believe you have ''loved enough.'' And you have been given some information in your chosen language  :) regarding chords
" that can be "changed by diminishing or augmenting"
them (I studied music!) & which could alter events as
we see them, & even replay them. . . . ."

I'm relating your situation now to an earlier thread-- which may even have been written by an adept. :D   He said that we can repeat/replay our life events in our minds and edit in our changes,  interjecting our more loving process. ("replay them.")
Perhaps the chord/theme/act will then come to a more satisfying conclusion that you create/imagine.  It may even take on a life of its own and act out its own surprising developments. It may even move from your editing board/ imagination into the physical realm involving incarnate persons.  :)
You are after all creating life's essence, love.

Start with the easy ones, a minor misunderstanding, gaff, etc until you feel how your heart and body take to this.  ;)

You do seem to have been grounded  :) by the TIAs. If you focus now on adjusting your 'chords' instead of encouraging OBEs, you'll be putting your energy into your heart chakra, thus avoiding the upward whoosh that might be too powerful for your crown area right now.

:D :D I slipped and fell in the kitchen once. My head fell six feet to the floor and took the impact of the forced big blood rush from my 'belly-flopper' dive with great surprise! It took a day to get it back to normal functioning, during which time I considered how it would be to die on the kitchen floor. After some consideration I decided it would be kind of funny!  ;) I cartooned the fall for my doctor and he thought it was kind of funny too  :)

Bets

Hi Kirolak,

it seems a short period of unconsciousness is normal when we switch permanently to the nonphysical. In some near-death-reports I've found notes about a brief blackout, before the person became conscious again outside the body. I don't know if it's something to worry about. Sleep and narcosis are states which include unconsciousness. It's not likely we're non-existent for a moment, only to become existent again a moment later, it's just we can't think/remember on our physical level for a timespan.

Regarding an unchanging reality as a "safe place" to focus on: What do you think about the light you once met? Wouldn't it be such a reliable reality you seek?

And about having loved too less, well, it's always too less, isn't it. But I think everyone does what he/she can. In some NDE reports I've read that some were surprised when they had their life-review as the really important good events in their lives were those which they haven't paid much attention to, having forgotten them. So I'd say we shouldn't too much judge our lives while we're still involved in it, from a greater/outside perspective, or the blending of both perspectives it might all look different. Like you could see your life in a diminished, or augmented manner, in major or minor, as you know :-) .

Spooky

P.S. OBE reports are interesting I find, so if you have some time...

Hi Kirolak. Welcome aboard. I can't quite claim to be 'Buddhist' per se, but have received quite a lot of teaching and read fairly widely on the topic. Maybe more importantly i credit the resulting view with having been the way or the means of my returning to a relatively joyful existence following illness and related life issues. I'm so grateful to the tradition.

Serious illness really does have a grounding effect, doesn't it? It can  produce great opening when our inconsequential concerns fall away - provided we're not overwhelmed by fear.

A 'good death' i suspect as taught is a lot to do with the last - that is our state of mind at the time of transition. This can be influenced by the circumstances too, although it's probably only the reality that shows us where we really are on the topic - what our state of being truly is. Loving support from others is taught (i'm sure correctly) as being important too.

For what it's worth I share your caution about getting fixed on beliefs about the nature of the after death experience too - for the same reasons. Also because i'm quite sceptical  that most of us can truly access the after death states from life. (probably one dimension of the initial after death state yes, but not usually i think the subsequent dissolution and transition)

That said i've had very convincing contact from several people i had close relationships with when they were alive (both directly, and via a third party), to the point where it's for me quite clear it doesn't end with death.

Some writers i've gained a lot from are Sogyal Rinpoche of Rigpa (who focuses a lot on the issue of transition), the Tibetan Book of the Dead which is arguably the definitive statement (there are some excellent translations with commentaries out now), a book called 'How we Die' by Sherwin B Nuland which describes some of the problems of modern medical treatments in terms of the way they often add enormous cost and suffering to the process, and Elisabeth Kubler Ross' writings on the same topics. (she did so much to raise consciousness of the need to humanise the process in hospitals, although there's still a long way to go...)

My experience has been that my (limited) abilities tend to decline when my body is stressed....

Hi

I agree with what's been said.
However, in practice many of us did have to practice going to realms or focus levels that had themes or beliefs  before we were able  to go higher/further/faster into the realms of Light.
Maybe a point to remember is just not to get caught up/interested in any scenarios you see on your way to the Light.  :)

Bets

Quote (Kirolak):

" ...is there any Unchanging Reality which will not be affected by my expectations?"

Possibly, what is unchanging is your freedom to be.

Freedom to be whole, freedom to be healed, freedom to be complete, just as you are.

Thank you all for your insights!

Hello Kirolak:

I believe there are three key factors: 1) grow in love as much as you can; 2) don't have any addictions; and 3) don't have a limiting belief system (especially not one that is based upon fear).