| THE DANCE OF LIFE AND DEATH |
Stevan Orescan
It is every devout Hindu’s wish to die in Banaras, and be cremated on the banks of the holy
Ganges River, thus insuring mokshaas or enlightenment, and hopefully a more fortunate rebirth the
next time around. It is estimated that between 30,000 to 60,000 bodies are cremated in this sacred
city every year, the burning of those departed souls being shared between two ancient cremation
grounds and one modern electric crematorium for those too poor to afford the price for the 250
kilos of wood that it takes to completely burn a body. The fires burn around the clock, 365 days a
year, and have done so for thousands of years. In a busy season the bodies can often be seen
stacked five high in the narrow lanes leading down to the ghats, the massive stone stairs that lead
down to the water, and the acrid stench of burning flesh can fill the nostrils for miles around as it
mingles with the flowers and incense that bereaved families bring to accompany their prayers for the
deceased.
the dying person maneuver through the labyrinth of bardos on the way to rebirth. As long as our
karma requires us to return to earthly existence, it behooves us to learn the best way to traverse
those intermediate states and to direct our consciousness in the most favorable way. The best of
these would result in enlightenment in one’s lifetime but it requires great skill in meditation. If
enlightenment is not accomplished in this lifetime, death itself offers an opportunity to attain
enlightenment, but once again, specific preparation in certain meditative practices are needed and
an accomplished guide to lead one in order not to be caught by fear or surprise, or take a wrong
turn as one pass through the bardos, those intermediate, transitional states between the old life and
the new life. Buddhists and Hindus regard an understanding of death and dying to be of primary
importance, and there are many inspirational accounts of the deaths of saints and yogis and the
different methods they used to facilitate the transfer of consciousness at the time of their death.
During the sixties, when people were experiencing what can only be called Cosmic Consciousness,
and thus ego death as a result of the use of psychedelic substances, an English language guide
based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead was often used by psychologists and other facilitators to
guide their subjects over the strange and often terrifying territory of the bardos, for it was quickly
realized that the ego death, the death of the personality or that individual “I” that we carry with us
throughout our lifetime, very much resembled the death of the body and our ordinary, everyday
consciousness. One person expressed it:
“……..my consciousness left my body and the fire of my mind, which I perceived as
fundamentally electricity and the real me, continued down a velvet tunnel exploring side chambers
that appeared on the way. I would enter one and be confronted with my father with whom I would
have a deep conversation, then leave and enter into another where beautiful people were making
love. I watched for awhile, found no attraction, returned to the main tunnel and down to a room full
of food. This again held no appeal so I continued out again and into a room full of ideas where I got
trapped for awhile but managed eventually to extricate myself, then into another chamber of my
ancestors and familiar looking beings which I realized were different incarnations that I had passed
through, different lives, personalities I had assumed and the costumes I had worn in those many
past life experiences; monk, pirate, slave, beggar, prince etc., all the while seeing many wonderful
lights, colors and sounds, some frightening, others joyous, but I had no fear and knew I would
eventually find my new life. Prior teachings prepared me for this journey into death and rebirth and I
could almost see and determine what kind of body and personality I would acquire on the way
back onto the world stage. It was apparent to me that my consciousness would remain the same
whether in a physical incarnation or out of it, and was not dependant on my brain consciousness
which was but a small aspect of consciousness as a whole, a small part of Mind-at-Large which
was the primordial ground of being, which was everything, which was me, which was God. ”
This was a psychedelic experience led by a modern, relatively inexperienced facilitator in the art of
death, bardo travel and rebirth, who was stumbling too while learning the procedures and intricacies
of the after life experience. But the yogis and monks of Asia have been doing these practices for
thousands of years and the ordinary people often structure their whole lives around the meditations
and issues of death and dying, karma and rebirth, that are the foundations for both Hinduism and
Buddhism.
We are all dying; life is the beginning of death and if we prepare for it with right thinking and sane
anticipation the easier it will be when it arrives, for we will know what to expect without dread and
even with a happy expectancy. It is God’s Lila, his dance, and as the sages say, the curtain will rise
again on a whole new drama and the dance will begin again.
There are modern day geneticists that claim getting old and dying are engineering problems and that
the ageing process can be reversed and with proper maintenance we can live for a thousand years
or even forever, that the laws of nature can be amended by drugs, inserting coded messages into
the DNA, and other forms of molecular or digital artistry. After all, houses are not built to last
forever but can remain livable for hundreds of years with the proper care and maintenance. Science
now has many of the same techniques available for the repair of the human body and this is an area
still in its infancy. It goes without saying that the world will quickly become more overcrowded than
it already is if no one dies and reproduction continues at the normal rate.
The ancient wisdoms however say we do live forever, that it is only the body, the outer shell that
drops off like old clothing when no longer usable, that the real you, the life force, continues on in
another vehicle of expression.
The occultists and initiates of these higher, esoteric wisdoms have delineated the stages of these
processes of withdrawal and reentering, the sequence of events that happen during the dying
process, and, as fantastic and unverifiable as they might seem to some, they are worth pondering as
one gets closer to the end. How much, if any, is true, we do not know; we can only guess, hope,
believe, trust or toss them all out as wish fulfilling fantasies that gives comfort to the frightened or
confused. However, in one’s travels to the holy places and power spots of the world it is apparent
that most people think deeply about their impending death and attempt to form some kind of idea
and agenda as their time approaches, whether they consider themselves believers or not.
An ancient occult truism states that consciousness is dependent upon its vehicle for expression, and
both upon life and energy for existence, and that it remains the same whether in or out of physical
incarnation. It is almost impossible for any of us to conceive of ourselves outside of the sphere of
our planetary influence, or that our earth, that tiny speck spinning in endless space, is the Great
Illusion that one day we will awaken from.
Ganges River, thus insuring mokshaas or enlightenment, and hopefully a more fortunate rebirth the
next time around. It is estimated that between 30,000 to 60,000 bodies are cremated in this sacred
city every year, the burning of those departed souls being shared between two ancient cremation
grounds and one modern electric crematorium for those too poor to afford the price for the 250
kilos of wood that it takes to completely burn a body. The fires burn around the clock, 365 days a
year, and have done so for thousands of years. In a busy season the bodies can often be seen
stacked five high in the narrow lanes leading down to the ghats, the massive stone stairs that lead
down to the water, and the acrid stench of burning flesh can fill the nostrils for miles around as it
mingles with the flowers and incense that bereaved families bring to accompany their prayers for the
deceased.
the dying person maneuver through the labyrinth of bardos on the way to rebirth. As long as our
karma requires us to return to earthly existence, it behooves us to learn the best way to traverse
those intermediate states and to direct our consciousness in the most favorable way. The best of
these would result in enlightenment in one’s lifetime but it requires great skill in meditation. If
enlightenment is not accomplished in this lifetime, death itself offers an opportunity to attain
enlightenment, but once again, specific preparation in certain meditative practices are needed and
an accomplished guide to lead one in order not to be caught by fear or surprise, or take a wrong
turn as one pass through the bardos, those intermediate, transitional states between the old life and
the new life. Buddhists and Hindus regard an understanding of death and dying to be of primary
importance, and there are many inspirational accounts of the deaths of saints and yogis and the
different methods they used to facilitate the transfer of consciousness at the time of their death.
During the sixties, when people were experiencing what can only be called Cosmic Consciousness,
and thus ego death as a result of the use of psychedelic substances, an English language guide
based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead was often used by psychologists and other facilitators to
guide their subjects over the strange and often terrifying territory of the bardos, for it was quickly
realized that the ego death, the death of the personality or that individual “I” that we carry with us
throughout our lifetime, very much resembled the death of the body and our ordinary, everyday
consciousness. One person expressed it:
“……..my consciousness left my body and the fire of my mind, which I perceived as
fundamentally electricity and the real me, continued down a velvet tunnel exploring side chambers
that appeared on the way. I would enter one and be confronted with my father with whom I would
have a deep conversation, then leave and enter into another where beautiful people were making
love. I watched for awhile, found no attraction, returned to the main tunnel and down to a room full
of food. This again held no appeal so I continued out again and into a room full of ideas where I got
trapped for awhile but managed eventually to extricate myself, then into another chamber of my
ancestors and familiar looking beings which I realized were different incarnations that I had passed
through, different lives, personalities I had assumed and the costumes I had worn in those many
past life experiences; monk, pirate, slave, beggar, prince etc., all the while seeing many wonderful
lights, colors and sounds, some frightening, others joyous, but I had no fear and knew I would
eventually find my new life. Prior teachings prepared me for this journey into death and rebirth and I
could almost see and determine what kind of body and personality I would acquire on the way
back onto the world stage. It was apparent to me that my consciousness would remain the same
whether in a physical incarnation or out of it, and was not dependant on my brain consciousness
which was but a small aspect of consciousness as a whole, a small part of Mind-at-Large which
was the primordial ground of being, which was everything, which was me, which was God. ”
This was a psychedelic experience led by a modern, relatively inexperienced facilitator in the art of
death, bardo travel and rebirth, who was stumbling too while learning the procedures and intricacies
of the after life experience. But the yogis and monks of Asia have been doing these practices for
thousands of years and the ordinary people often structure their whole lives around the meditations
and issues of death and dying, karma and rebirth, that are the foundations for both Hinduism and
Buddhism.
We are all dying; life is the beginning of death and if we prepare for it with right thinking and sane
anticipation the easier it will be when it arrives, for we will know what to expect without dread and
even with a happy expectancy. It is God’s Lila, his dance, and as the sages say, the curtain will rise
again on a whole new drama and the dance will begin again.
There are modern day geneticists that claim getting old and dying are engineering problems and that
the ageing process can be reversed and with proper maintenance we can live for a thousand years
or even forever, that the laws of nature can be amended by drugs, inserting coded messages into
the DNA, and other forms of molecular or digital artistry. After all, houses are not built to last
forever but can remain livable for hundreds of years with the proper care and maintenance. Science
now has many of the same techniques available for the repair of the human body and this is an area
still in its infancy. It goes without saying that the world will quickly become more overcrowded than
it already is if no one dies and reproduction continues at the normal rate.
The ancient wisdoms however say we do live forever, that it is only the body, the outer shell that
drops off like old clothing when no longer usable, that the real you, the life force, continues on in
another vehicle of expression.
The occultists and initiates of these higher, esoteric wisdoms have delineated the stages of these
processes of withdrawal and reentering, the sequence of events that happen during the dying
process, and, as fantastic and unverifiable as they might seem to some, they are worth pondering as
one gets closer to the end. How much, if any, is true, we do not know; we can only guess, hope,
believe, trust or toss them all out as wish fulfilling fantasies that gives comfort to the frightened or
confused. However, in one’s travels to the holy places and power spots of the world it is apparent
that most people think deeply about their impending death and attempt to form some kind of idea
and agenda as their time approaches, whether they consider themselves believers or not.
An ancient occult truism states that consciousness is dependent upon its vehicle for expression, and
both upon life and energy for existence, and that it remains the same whether in or out of physical
incarnation. It is almost impossible for any of us to conceive of ourselves outside of the sphere of
our planetary influence, or that our earth, that tiny speck spinning in endless space, is the Great
Illusion that one day we will awaken from.
 | |  |
Death and dying are subjects that most people in the
West avoid, for they evoke such deep and disturbing
emotions that people tend to push them out of their
immediate consciousness, to live in complete denial.
Some even believe that though other people are dying
everywhere around them for some reason they are
special and the grim reaper will pass over them. Yet we
could die tomorrow completely unprepared, for though
the time and place of our death is uncertain the demise of
our physical body is inevitable; all who are born will
definitely die. However, moksha, nirvana, or
enlightenment, once attained, allows us to disengage
from the wheel of birth, sickness, old age, and death; of
samsara, the endless wheel of suffering we are all
subject to as a result of our ignorance.
Every culture and religion has a way to prepare for the
transformation of death. But in Buddhism and Hinduism
there are age-old techniques that were designed to help
West avoid, for they evoke such deep and disturbing
emotions that people tend to push them out of their
immediate consciousness, to live in complete denial.
Some even believe that though other people are dying
everywhere around them for some reason they are
special and the grim reaper will pass over them. Yet we
could die tomorrow completely unprepared, for though
the time and place of our death is uncertain the demise of
our physical body is inevitable; all who are born will
definitely die. However, moksha, nirvana, or
enlightenment, once attained, allows us to disengage
from the wheel of birth, sickness, old age, and death; of
samsara, the endless wheel of suffering we are all
subject to as a result of our ignorance.
Every culture and religion has a way to prepare for the
transformation of death. But in Buddhism and Hinduism
there are age-old techniques that were designed to help
