[Smittoh]

Merging with the Source and attaining the spirit body are two things for the Daoists. Merging is the ultimate goal, a quest within and beyond the body. What the Immortals did and came back from (coming back is a choice according to the Taoists).

Everything is failsafe. If you don't attain the spirit body, you will reincarnate, your awareness manifesting into a new life with different aspects. The Taoists aren't too specific on that. Energy and consciousness don't get lost.

I don't know about that guru, but he should know what he meant. IMO, the astral is something like a frequency of your mind. How can you burn that off? Maybe he just meant something different, like cleansing all blockages from the emotional body to attain emotional detachment, which is indeed part of getting free of pain - the hurt of negative emotions.

Oliver