[Donlupedron]

Hi philosophia,

I have been through your discussion with Element and I have found it really interesting. For many years I studied and practiced a doctrine called Theosophy so I was was taught about after dead not as an experience of people in a operating room but as a systematic, coherent and rational system of events according to what Theosophy understands a human being is about. The issue about after death has always fascinated mankind and has always been an intriguing issue for human beings. Also as Cultural Anthropologist I have witnessed many different explanations about after death realms and it is clear that they are more about cultural fenders against the fear of facing nothingness after death because the idea of a solid self that "should" be everlasting.

The problem here is that the discussion is been set taken two different approaches:Tibetan Religion and the teachings of the historical Buddha. Different things. Tibetan Buddhism has its own perspective about after death and for them this is a very important aspect of their culture. In many ways it resembles to what Theosophy has stated at least with the orthodox teachings. But Tibetan Buddhism is not Buddhism at all; its a shamanic esoteric set of religious believes that are right in their own context.

Originally, the teachings of the historical Buddha given in the Pali Canon were not about after death explorations as has happened with Tibetan Religion when some of the teachings of the historical Buddha melted with the Bö religion. Also the teachings of the historical Buddha are not a religion. It is a set of methods so to understand unsatisfactoriness and its cessation. This teachings are to be practiced in the present moment and warns us not to go under further speculative argumentation so to keep mind in the here and now, aware of how it works and how it makes us get in trouble with ourselves and live issues. This neither confirm nor deny the possibility of after death realms. Simply that is not the issue.

To say that somebody is enlightened can lead to many mental entanglements about such idea. An enlightened being can be found waling down the street and you will never know about. To be enlightened is just to have developed a special understanding about the nature of things by contemplation of anatta, anicca and dukkha as an essential aspect of natural phenomena.

What the Buddha taught is to deeply understand the essential unsatisfactoriness of things so to prevent us to be attached to them otherwise we will experience such unsatisfactoriness.

The way the Buddha taught is to examine reality through contemplation which with practice will lead to stillness of mind. What has to be contemplated? Our mental formations and its impermanent nature.

When mind is relaxed, still, aware, focused, and concentrated in the here and now, we call it, in Soto Zen, "Shi-Kan". When mind works in "Shi-Kan" mode through Zazen, we experience a kind of blissful stillness where the need of further speculative ideas about things ceases and it is not further felt.

The experience is not to need anything else that just to be completely in the present moment. When mind looses this state, a bunch of speculative thoughts about this and that comes again and at the end this just adds tension and unsatisfactoriness to our live.

In Zen we are told to practice here and now and let the rest work by itself.