IS THERE LIFE AFTER DEATH?

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Today, I picked up a difficult topic for my blog on whether there is life after death. Right from the onset, I must confess, I am neither a science buff nor a spiritual master. Not even a serious practitioner but, someone who by the virtue of having been born in an inherited Buddhist society, believes that there is life after death. With time and maturity, this believe only becomes firmer with evidences around us.

I think science does not believe in reincarnation or that there is life after death. For centuries science always maintained that life ends after death. But, Buddhism I think maintains that death is not an end of life. That there is life after death and we have the potential to become enlightened or be born in any life form depending upon our present deeds and actions. Virtuous deeds lead to better rebirth and sinful and vice living leads to rebirth in lesser forms. For this reason, Buddhism advocates virtuous and ethical living to pave way for better rebirth that will entail less suffering.

I think centuries old Buddhist wisdom converges with modern scientific findings and discoveries on many issues. In most instances, what science today discovers, always had Buddhist answers and explanations too. This is truly amazing. What researchers are discovering and finding in laboratories, Buddhist masters have discovered and taught for hundreds of years from caves, hermitages and monasteries.

But on one issue, even with convincing evidences, science seems to be reluctant to admit to the existence of life after death and reincarnation which Buddhism believes firmly. Accomplished Buddhist masters reach a stage where they gain control over their mind and also their mortal beings. Highly accomplished Buddhist masters have reincarnated again and again to serve spiritual needs of people and liberate these people from ignorance and samaras.

The Dalai Lama is the 14^th reincarnation, the Karmapas are 17^th reincarnations, the late Shamarpa is 24^th, Gyalwang Drukpa is the 12^th reincarnation to cite few examples of reincarnation of accomplished masters.

The fact that there are convincing evidences of even ordinary people being reborn as human reinforce the fact that there is life after death and that life can be into higher realm or lower depending upon one’s conduct during their life time. It reaffirms the truth of cause and effect (ley jumdre).

As evidence, I would like to cite an example of an incidence in Bumthang that took place just a couple of years ago. A young boy behaved strangely from his childhood. He crawled on all fours and would often hit others with his head. As he grew up and began garbling few words he made sounds like a bovine and his bout of crying subsided when he was taken to a cow pen. Perplexed, the parents sought divination from some high lamas and it was found that in his past life he was mithun bull in a nieghbour’s house. As a child, he often disappeared from his home and he was always to be found in a cow shed. Strange, but it is a true story.

There are innumerable other stories of deceased people taking rebirth in neighbour and relative’s family. Some are even reborn in the same home. The evidences are identifying people and objects and recalling past life when the children were just able to speak few words.

Farther away, even in a society where reincarnation and life after death is not believed, a convincing case of life after death was reported recently from Israel-Syria border. A three-year-old boy said with accuracy of his previous home and that he was murdered in his past life. He took village elders to a spot where he said his former remains were buried. When the people dug up the place they found the remains of a human body. He then led people to a place where he said murder weapon, an axe was buried, and the search group also unearthed an axe. The boy had a birth mark on his forehead and he claimed it to be where he was hit in his past life. The skull had marks which bore the brunt of the axe on the same spot. What was even more baffling was that the boy led the group to the house of the murderer and identified him. The man confessed and was subsequently tried and sentenced. This incidence was recorded by a medical doctor.

I think these are ample evidences of life after death. Evidences of mind having potential to control physical remains are also amply documented over the centuries and even today accomplished masters leave us no room for doubting this belief. The most recent case was that of the mortal remains of Late His Holiness Geshe Geden Rinchen which failed to decompose and began shrinking baffling the scientific communities. The case of Hambo Lama Iteligov’s body still in lotus posture and without signs of decaying almost a century after his death in Russia have no scientific explanations whatsoever.

There are so many other stories of reincarnation that proves of life after death. I think scientific communities must acknowledge in the belief that there is indeed life after death. There are ample evidences the world over. There is no need for further scientific proof of something science cannot prove.

Gyembo Namgyal

February 26, 2015 11:58 PM