Life and Death
And death is just as complex. From the order above, we either spend an eternity in heaven or hell, we are lifeless on our last breath, or we return to higher dimensions to continue our existence as spirit until the time we are again ready to reincarnate.
Now, as has always been, the mysteries of Life and Death challenge our beliefs.
You can put it most simply... Birth, Life, Death.
But the truth is more miraculous than that. Lets look at life first.
The following has samples taken from Wikipedia.
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have self-sustaining biological processes from those which do not - either because such functions have ceased (death), or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate.
In biology, the science that studies living organisms, 'life' is the condition which distinguishes active organisms from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, functional activity and the continual change preceding death.
A diverse array of living organisms can be found in the biosphere on Earth, and properties common to these organisms—plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria — are a carbon- and water-based cellular form with complex organization and heritable genetic information.
Living organisms undergo metabolism, maintain homeostasis, possess a capacity to grow, respond to stimuli, reproduce and, through natural selection, adapt to their environment in successive generations.
More complex living organisms can communicate through various means.
In philosophy and religion, the conception and nature of life varies, and offer interpretations in the frameworks of existence and consciousness, and touch on many other related issues.
Death is the permanent termination of all vital functions or life processes in an organism or cell.
After death, the remains of an organism become part of the biogeochemical cycle. Organisms may be consumed by a predator or a scavenger and leftover organic material may then be further decomposed by detritivores, organisms which recycle detritus, returning it to the environment for reuse in the food chain.
One of the challenges in defining death is in distinguishing it from life.
Death would seem to refer to either the moment at which life ends, or when the state that follows life begins.
The nature of death has for millennia been a central concern of the world's religious traditions and of philosophical enquiry. Many religions maintain faith in either some kind of afterlife or reincarnation.
The human body is an amazing construction. We can live for weeks without food, days without water, and just minutes without air. The air we breathe is a perfect balance for our function. Earth orbits the Sun and if only a few degrees of course and the planet would freeze or fry. We do unbelievable things to our body, and yet, life is so precious and fragile.
Im a fan of this Blog. Life Before Death.
Felicia Gilljam explores our existance with simple and personal commentry. I include it here in an attempt to highlight the little things. When looking at your spiritual journey, and reincarnation, the scale is massive. Some of the revelations and concepts literally blow your mind with the enormity of their scope.
We must remember, there is beauty in each breath, and in something small that makes you laugh. Truth be known, Felicia doesn't even believe in an afterlife, but I don't hold that against her :)
Other articles I have written on meditation and spiritual growth are;
Who were you in a Previous Life?
Improve your life from the inside out
Kahuna Massage
The exert below is taken from Reincarnation - The Vedanta Philosophy and gives insight into the Christian belief.
"But what about those who believe in the one-birth theory?
Those who believe we come here for the first and last time do not understand that the acquirement of wisdom and experience is the purpose of human life; nor can they explain why children who die young should come into existence and pass away without getting the opportunity to learn anything. What purpose is served by their coming thus for a few days, remaining in utter ignorance and then passing away without gaining anything whatever?
The Christian dogma, based on the one-birth theory, tells us that a child which dies soon after its birth is sure to be saved and will enjoy eternal life and everlasting happiness in Heaven. The Christians who really believe in this dogma ought to pray to their heavenly Father for the death of their children immediately after their birth and ought to thank the merciful Father when the grave closes over their little forms.
Thus the one-birth theory of Christian theology does not remove any difficulty.
The followers of the one-birth theory shut their eyes to the absurdity and unreasonableness of Reincarnation. They are happy to believe that human souls are created out of nothing at the time of the birth of their bodies and that they continue to exist throughout eternity either to suffer or enjoy because of the deeds performed during the short period of their earthly existence.
Here the question arises why should a man be held responsible throughout eternity for the works which he was forced or predestined to perform by the will of the Lord of the universe?
The theory of predestination and grace, instead of explaining the difficulty, makes God impartial and unjust. If the omnipotent personal God created human souls out of nothing, could He not make all souls equally good and happy? Why does He make one to enjoy all the blessings of life and another to suffer all miseries throughout eternity? Why is one born with good tendencies and another with evil ones? Why is one man virtuous throughout his life and another bestial? Why is one born intelligent and another idiotic? If God out of His own will made all these inequalities, or, in other words, if God created one man to suffer and another to enjoy, then how partial and unjust must He be!"