The fear of death is as universal as death itself.
It’s the ultimate unknown, the final moment that makes even the bravest among us weak in the knees.
But here’s where it gets REALLY interesting…
Thousands of people have had a sneak peek at what might lie beyond, thanks to near-death experiences (sometimes also called NDEs).
That’s pretty amazing, right?
But what’s even MORE amazing is that despite their cultural backgrounds, language or beliefs, their experiences are REMARKABLY similar…
So, what ARE near-death experiences?
Are they really the gateway to the afterlife?
And what do we mean by ‘the afterlife’?
Is it the end of the line, or is there life AFTER ‘the afterlife’?
Confused? Good.
Let’s get stuck in!
Near-Death Experiences: Just a Trippy Hallucination?
Near-death experiences often occur during cardiac arrest or other life-threatening situations, such as severe accidents, combat injuries, drug overdoses, or drowning incidents.
Many who say they’ve experienced them directly will tell you they’re not just some random brain glitch as you’re knocking on death’s door.
They’ll tell you it’s a deeply life-changing experience, one that creates a sense of peace and leads to a spiritual transformation that lingers long after they’ve cheated the Grim Reaper.
So, whether you’re a believer or a doubter, these bizarre brushes with the beyond continue to fascinate scientists, philosophers, and anyone who’s ever wondered what happens when we shuffle off this mortal coil.
Buddhists have their own way of explaining what happens next — but before we get to that let’s have a look at the shared experience and the most commonly reported accounts of the classic ‘NDE’.
The Blind Men and the Elephant… of Death
I’m not sure whether you know the Buddhist parable about the blind men and the elephant?
Here it is:
A group of blind men (or men in the dark) heard that a strange animal called an elephant had been brought to their town. None of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they decided to inspect it by touch.
The first man touched the elephant’s trunk and concluded, “An elephant is like a thick snake.” The second man felt the elephant’s tusk and described it as, “An elephant is like a spear.” The third man touched the elephant’s leg and said, “An elephant is like a tree trunk.” The fourth man felt the elephant’s ear and thought, “An elephant is like a hand fan.” The fifth man touched the elephant’s belly and declared, “An elephant is like a wall.” The sixth man felt the elephant’s tail and insisted, “An elephant is like a rope.”
They began to argue about the elephant and each of them insisted that he was right. A wise man passing by heard them quarrelling and stopped to ask what the problem was. They told him about their disagreement, and the wise man explained:
“You are all correct, and you are all wrong. Each of you touched a different part of the elephant, and so each of you had a different experience. The elephant is all of these things, but it is also much more. If you put all your experiences together, you might begin to have an idea of what an elephant is really like.”
The Reality of Reality
The parable is often used to illustrate the principle of relativism or the limited nature of truth when based only on one perspective.
It suggests that reality may be viewed differently depending upon one’s perspective, and that these partial truths may all be true simultaneously.
So, you’ve probably guessed how the parable is related to our discussion of near-death experiences.
Imagine that elephant is actually the afterlife, and the blind men are people from different cultures having near-death experiences.
Although they think they’re experiencing different things, they’re all experiencing the SAME phenomenon, but their descriptions might vary based on their cultural filters.
How’s that possible?
Because we all inhabit the same universe, the same 31 dimensions.
The light at the end of the tunnel, the life review, the beings we meet?
They’re all part of the SAME cosmic lobby we each pass through on our way to the next life.
Think of it this way: It’s like we’re all visiting the same theme park, but we’re dressing up the mascots in culturally appropriate costumes.
The DNA of an Near-Death Experience
It’s true that not ALL account of near-death experiences follow the same pattern, but the amount that do is pretty overwhelming.
In a few moments, we’ll discuss how the Buddhist idea might differ slightly.
But for now, let’s have a quick look at what can be considered the essential elements:
- Out-of-body experience: People report floating above themselves, observing medical staff working on their bodies with an unusual detachment.
- The tunnel: A journey through darkness towards a bright light. This isn’t just a cliché; it’s a commonly reported phenomenon.
- Encountering entities: Some describe meeting religious figures or deceased loved ones. It’s often portrayed as an unexpected reunion of sorts.
- Life review: A comprehensive replay of one’s life, often described as more vivid and detailed than ordinary memory.
- Profound peace: An overwhelming sense of calm and tranquility that surpasses any earthly experience of serenity.
- A Return-to-Earth Option: Some people are offered the chance to return to Earth if they wish; others are told they’re heading back, even if it’s against their wishes.
Obviously, we don’t know what happens to the guys who don’t get the offer in number 6 on our list because, well… they don’t come back!
Near-Death Experiences: The Scientific Angle
Alright, let’s talk about what the lab coat crew has to say about NDEs.
Scientists, being the spiritual buzzkills they sometimes are, have some explanations for these wild near-death experiences.
The neuroscience folks argue that what feels like a journey to the great beyond is actually just your brain throwing a farewell party.
They suggest that as your grey matter loses oxygen, it goes into overdrive, causing all sorts of strange and ‘spiritual’ or ‘supernatural’ sensations.
This last hurrah of brain activity may explain the whole “life flashing before your eyes” bit and that overwhelming feeling of peace.
It’s possible, I suppose.
Physiological factors get a shout-out too.
Some researchers think the tunnel and bright light could be your visual cortex simply calling it quits.
And the meeting loved ones bit?
Well, that can easily be explained as simple memory projections.
So, while it might FEEL like a profoundly spiritual experience to those who’ve had a near-death experience, science is suggesting it’s more about atoms than the afterlife…
Near-Death Experiences: The Buddhist Angle
So, what do the Buddhists say?
Well, it’s complicated, so let’s just go for a very simple bite-sized
Let’s start with the timeline.
Most people couch the idea of an near-death experience as part of a two-process:
You live this life, then you either go to Heaven or Hell and stay there for the rest of eternity.
Buddhists beg to differ.
They’ll suggest that any experiences like this AND the ‘afterlife’ experience that might continue after them is merely another stop along the potentially infinite train track of Samsara.
It’s a continuous cycle of existence beyond what we typically consider “life” and “death.”
They’ll also tell you that the transitions from one life or realm to another aren’t always as simple as the classic near-death experience.
Sometimes, spirits get stuck.
And that’s where ‘merit’ comes in.
The Magic of Merit
In Thailand, we have a spiritual practice called “tam boon”, or “making merit’, which is deeply woven into the cultural fabric, and
In simple terms: It’s all about doing good deeds and creating good karma.
There are various ‘everyday’ ways in which Thai people make merit.
For example, they might start their day by offering food to monks.
They might visit the temple to light incense, offer flowers, or make donations; the might sponsor the ordination of new monks, free caged birds or release fish into rivers.
They also might donate to charitable causes or volunteer their time to help those in need.
Even simple acts like taking care of the elderly or sharing food with the less fortunate can count.
Making merit is a bit like adding positive deposits into a spiritual savings account, where every good deed contributes to a better future, both in this life and the next.
It’s less about grand gestures and more about the daily, intentional acts of kindness and respect.
The more merit you make for yourself, the more likely you are to have a favorable rebirth when the end of this chapter comes.
But there’s also a way of making merit and sending it on to SOMEONE ELSE.
When we’re talking about death and spirits who are stuck and unable to move on (I guess in the West we’d say ‘cross over into the light’ or something like that), that’s the one we want.
Tam Boon: The Spiritual Care Package
In certain cases, “tam boon” can be thought of as more than simply making merit.
As I have already said, it can also include a degree of education or counselling — counselling to both the living AND the dead.
Think of it as a spiritual send-off package for all concerned.
It’s part grief counselling, part Buddhist teaching, and part metaphysical guidance system for spirits who can’t make it to the next step.
Here’s the thing:
When someone passes away — especially if it is sudden or gruesome — their spirit doesn’t always get the memo right away.
They don’t realized what has happened…
They don’t know they’re dead…
So they’re caught in a cosmic limbo and still attached to their life on earth.
And that’s where the more formal, ceremonial side of “tam boon” comes in.
The Process
The aim of these bigger ‘tam boon’ ceremonies is to help the spirit continue as peacefully as possible on the next leg of their journey through the potentially unending cycle of life, death and rebirth.
It’s a cycle where, essentially, EVERY life is an ‘afterlife’.
The most important is the initial funeral.
In Thailand, we do the funeral as soon as possible, sometimes even on the day of passing, if possible. Then we have follow-up ceremonies at 50 and 100 days post-mortem.
During each of these events, family and friends gather at the temple and monks chant the Buddhist scriptures, which both help the spirit to understand they need to move on.
They also help to teach the family and friends present about the ‘dharma’ — the reality of the way things are in the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Second to the funeral, the 100-day ceremony is particularly significant (some people skip the 50-day ceremony). Why? Because it’s believed to coincide with when the spirit’s ‘judgement day’ with an entity called Yompabahn (the serious looking guy in the image above).
(Incidentally, timelines are different between dimensions, so 100 ‘earth years’ is a much shorter amount of time in the realm in which the spirit resides).
Not everyone meets Yompabahn, as many of us will just move on with the process and end up living our next life automatically.
Who Is Yompabahn?
Yompabahn isn’t some kind of Devil figure or something evil or negative.
However, if we’re confused or we’ve led a particularly negative life, we’ll find that we’re face to face with him and will need all the help we can get.
He’s not guarding the gates of Hell.
He’s offering you time to think back on your life and remember the merit you created.
It’s this merit (along with the merit being sent to you by those involved in the “tam boon” ceremony taking place on earth) that will help you move on.
You can think of Yompabahn as a sort of celestial helper, urging you to review your karmic balance sheet and offering you an opportunity to remember the merit you made when you were alive, so you have the best chance of a favorable rebirth.
The potential problem is that if you’ve not done much merit making in your life, you’ll struggle to remember it amid all the stress and confusion and are much more likely to remember the negative stuff you’ve done.
And that’ll likely lead to a less than happy rebirth on one of the lower levels of Samsara…
Just as it is in life, in death it’s up to YOU to decide your future.
It a case of cause and effect.
So, What Does It All Mean?
The idea of life after death has been around since… well, probably since the first human realized that death was a thing!
But documented reports of thousands of near-death experiences from across the globe have given this age-old question a new twist.
They suggest clearly that consciousness might continue even when the brain has checked out for good.
They teach us that physical death is NOT the end.
Look, I’m not here to tell you what to believe about life and death.
Maybe near-death experiences are a glimpse into the first few steps of ‘the afterlife’.
Or maybe they’re just our brains throwing one last epic party before the lights go out.
You can weigh the evidence and make that conclusion for yourself.
At the very least, they suggest that there might be more to our consciousness than we currently understand.
Rest In Peace?
“Rest in Peace,” is a nice thing to say.
The idea that we float of into the light and are reunited with all our loved ones before enjoying an amazing life in a sun-filled heaven for the rest of eternity is certainly comforting.
But it’s not necessarily accurate…
Remember: The next life — whatever it is; however wonderful it is; however horrible it is — is just temporary…
0 Comments