Most of us live life believing that life has a starting point called birth and a finishing line called death. We don't Realize the Truth that death is not the end. There is something beyond death. Because we live with this myth that life finishes at death, we don't prepare for the life beyond. We just believe in the lie, and we don't go on a quest to find out, 'Are we the ones who will die or whether we will just disappear into the sky?' What is the Truth?
What is the Truth and what is the myth? Death is certain – it is the Truth. No 'body' can escape death, but is it 'game over' at death? No! That's a myth. Just because I change from a red shirt to a blue shirt, it does not change who I am. So, when I change from one body to another body, I am still the same person. Death is leaving one body and departing. The Truth is that we don't depart into an unknown heaven, somewhere in the stars. The Truth is that we carry our Karma, our past actions and we return to earth.
What happens when the sun sets? Does the sun disappear? No! The Law of Cycles is at work. The sun remains as the earth rotates. It appears as a sunset somewhere, but it becomes a sunrise somewhere else. So also, death of one body becomes the birth of another. We leave one body, and it seems to be game over. But in reality, we have to settle all our deeds and after our death, we return in a new body, to settle our actions, our Karma.
The body is destroyed. There is no possibility of the body going anywhere. We ourselves cremate or bury the body, and we are sure it returns to dust. We do this because we are sure that the one who was alive was no more. But where did the deceased go? The deceased returns to earth in a new body, in a new birth. Therefore, death is not 'game over'. It is just the end of one chapter in the book of life. It continues, as the next chapter in a new body, and it goes on and on.
Having said that, we can escape from rebirth. The only way to be liberated from rebirth is through Enlightenment, realization of the truth. Realization of the truth leads to Liberation from suffering and unification with the Divine. We transcend all Karma. We realize we are not the body that does the Karma, nor the mind that directs it. We are the Soul, the Atman, a part of God. We live as an instrument of the Divine Will. With Enlightenment, we are liberated from all misery and suffering while alive and in the moment of death, we are liberated from the Karmic cycle of death and rebirth. We become one with the Divine, with the Supreme Immortal Power we call God.
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