Life Beyond Death

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Are we eventually reborn again in a physical body after death? Does the soul pass on into another body after leaving the physical body? Is there any connection between Self realisation and rebirth? There are many questions in relation to reincarnation which need to be understood logically and rationally, before the doctrine of reincarnation can take hold and become part of a person's life.

The ability to commune with the Self is in all humans, but its degree of existence is not the same in everyone. This difference is reasonably understood and explained if one accepts the theory of reincarnation. The peculiar nature and the attributes which characterise rebirth prevent anyone from proving it completely, if one uses normal thinking and sense perception. However, its acceptance helps us to understand our evolution, history, capacity, inequalities of characteristics, our habits and also find a reasonable answer to the question why we are here on Earth. Sri Ramana Maharshi once stated 'This body has birth and death and when this body falls another body arises which is called reincarnation. But are you the body? If you find that you are not this body but the spirit, you will be free from gross or subtle bodies, and then there will be no limitations.'

Dating back to 11 November 1938 Mr. Ranganatha Ayyar, a devotee of fourteen years standing, on a visit to Ramana Ashraman asked the Maharshi 'How long is the interval between one's death and reincarnation?' The Maharshi replied 'It may be long or short. But a Jnani (one who has realised the Self) does not have any such changes; he merges into the universal Being, so says the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Some say that those who after death pass into the path of light are not reborn, whereas those who after death take the path of darkness are reborn after they have enjoyed the fruits of karma in their subtle bodies. If one's merits and demerits are equal, they are directly reborn here. Merits outweighing demerits, the subtle bodies go to heavens and are then reborn here; demerits outweighing merits, they go to hells and are afterwards reborn here. A yogabrashta (one who has slipped from the yoga) is said to fare in the same manner. All these are described in the sastras (scriptures). But in fact, there is neither birth nor death. One remains only as what one really is. This is the only Truth.'

The author of this book Sri Anil Sharma was born in Ambala, a small town in north India in March 1958. He graduated as an electrical engineer in 1980 from Delhi University, after which he travelled for a period of three years throughout the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent, in search of wisdom, in search of truth, reflections of which can be seen in this book.

In December 1993 he experienced the dramatic rising of cosmic currents (also known as the phenomena of Kundalini in ancient Hindu scriptures) in his body, as a consequence of which his own spiritual search for reality intensified, as a result for the next seven years he experienced the various states of higher consciousness. This book is the outcome of his spiritual experiences, and the guidance received from sages and spiritual masters during altered states of consciousness and deep states of meditation. During these seven years he read more than nine hundred books written and referred to by great spiritual masters, attained various siddhis (supernatural attainments), toured many countries around the world, gave lectures, wrote books and helped many spiritual aspirants both at the material and spiritual level. However, in spite of experiencing the rising of cosmic currents in his body, having attained a heightened awareness of reality, and achieving many tasks in spirituality, like writing books and genuinely helping many aspirants in the path of spirituality, his own quest of knowing and gaining personal experience of self realisation remained unfulfilled. In the year 2000 the cosmic currents gradually settled down, also in the same year he came across the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, in whom he found all the answers to his spiritual quest and took him as his Sat-guru.

The author currently resides in Australia and works in his profession, but will continue to serve humanity in the form of such books and writings. He runs a small centre in Sydney called Sage Sri Ramana Maharshi Centre of Learning Sydney. If you wish to correspond with the author or know more about the teaching of Sri Ramana Maharshi visit the website -

Sage Sri Ramana Maharishi taught that an essential aspect for knowing and experiencing our reality of self-awareness is the necessity for the ego to subside. We then become aware of our reality which is always shining forth. An important aspect of subsidence of this personal feeling of `me' in us is to gain an understanding of why this feeling of `me' exists in us and its function. Once one knows and fully understands a particular phenomenon, like the individual feeling of `me' in us, it is an effort in the right direction; it'll no longer continue to trouble us anymore.

Sri Anil Sharma is a devoted follower of Sage Sri Ramana Maharishi, who undertook an in depth study and also personally experienced through meditation the life of the 'ego' at the physical and other planes of phenomenal existence, as mentioned by Sri Ramana Maharishi while answering the many questions about reincarnation and rebirth put to him by his followers in search of reality. He came across the teachings of the Sage Sri Ramana Maharishi in the year 2000, and since has gained knowledge and experience of our reality as Self-awareness.

I am happy to recommend this book for reading and general knowledge in relation to the life of the ego on the physical plane and beyond, written by him just prior to coming across the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi and taking him on as his Sat-Guru.

Life does not end with sleep, but continues when one is awake. So life too does not end with death, but continues into the regions beyond death. Nothing really dies though everything experiences a change of form and activity. This book gives an overview of the superphysical regions that are entered at the time of death, and assists to formulate a kind of mapping of the route which one follows upon leaving the physical world at death.

As the great Sage Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi stated `...pramada (forgetfulness of Self) ... is the cause of birth and death... the impure mind which functions as thinking and forgetting, alone is samsara (the state of mundane activity or worldly existence), which is the cycle of birth and death... The ego is described as having three bodies, the gross, the subtle and the causal, but that is only for the purpose of analytical exposition... The ego's phenomenal existence is transcended when you dive into the source from where the 'I'-thought rises.'