People are baffled by the concept of rebirth. Is it a myth? Is rebirth a reality? What is the Truth? If we reflect, contemplating death, birth and Karma, we will realize that rebirth is a reality. There are people in this world who have memories of their previous lives. Therefore, we must not dismiss rebirth as a mere myth.
What happens at death? Let us try to understand. If a certain Mr. Kumar died, then, is the game of life over for Mr. Kumar, or does it still continue? Mr. Kumar was somebody's son, somebody's father, may have been a doctor or a lawyer, an Indian or an American. What happens at death? Obviously, it seems that the game is over. When Mr. Kumar’s life ends, not only is his body destroyed but his ID card, his driving license, his credit cards and bank accounts, everything is terminated. Because we believe it is 'game over' at death, we do not learn to live our life the right way.
What happened to Mr. Kumar at death? Where did he go? As long as Kumar was alive, we called his physical presence Kumar. But at his death, we change – we say, 'This is Kumar's dead body.' We also say, 'Kumar has passed away.' If he actually passed away, then, where did he go? And if he left the body, then, is it 'game over' for him, or only for the body that he left?
Most of us live life believing that life has a starting point called birth and a finishing line called death. We believe in this myth, and we live and die. We don't Realize the Truth that death is not the end. Death is a bend to transcend. 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 about life?
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 about 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. This is rebirth.
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, in a rebirth to settle our actions, our Karma.
At death, 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, a rebirth. 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.
We think of heaven and hell as distant places in the sky. The Truth is that we experience heaven and hell right here on earth when we are reborn. Good deeds manifest as happy events and circumstances, as heaven, while bad deeds manifest as challenges, suffering, as hell. It is our own Karma that determines our rebirth. That explains why someone is born with some disability and why someone is born in a loving family, in happy circumstances.
If we are enlightened with the truth, we will realize that it is possible to escape from the Karmic cycle of death and rebirth. If we attain Enlightenment, not only do we live with joy and peace when alive but at death, we become one with the Divine and are liberated from being born again.
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