Ask: What remains of the specific "me" after death?
“Thanks for this
article (On Life After Death and Level Confusion http://acimmentor.blogspot.com/2017/07/on-life-after-death-and-level-confusion.html); a very complex subject, but you've
provided some clarity. It opens up questions concerning 'reincarnation'. If the
micro split-mind (body and personality) dissolves at 'death' then what (if
anything) remains of the specific ‘me’ (soul?) that ‘rolls over’ into another
worldly experience? Much of what we read on this subject implies that the
spiritual ‘progress’ (Undoing/ Healing) we make in this life will lighten the
burden in our 'future' lifetimes. On the other hand I've come to understand
that there is no 'specific me’, there is no ‘world’...only the Macro split-mind
projecting itself as billions of micro-minds. So, when this particular ‘Parenthesis
in Eternity’ (J. Goldsmith) closes do we say that only Awareness remains, and
it is no longer identified with a specific entity?
I've always been
curious about the difference between the ego saying that if we return to the
Mind we will be ‘obliterated’, and the Course saying we ‘disappear into the Heart of God’. My personal analogy
is a drop of water on a dock that someone wipes up with a towel and discards
versus someone lifting the drop (individual 'self') and returning it to the
Ocean. The Awareness that was the essence of the drop experiences Itself as the
All. Does that sound roughly correct? (I'm trying to keep it simple as this
could go on and on as an academic exercise)!” – RB
The
point I was trying to make with that article was that one reason that beliefs
like reincarnation persist is because of level confusion. A micro split-mind’s
experience of individuality is confused with the macro split-mind’s projection
of billions of individual forms of itself. A seeming-individual ends in the story
but the story continues on without it. No part of that seeming-individual “goes
on”. It has only one “lifetime”. But the macro split-mind has billions of
lifetimes. In other words, there is no re-incarnation
just billions of incarnations of the macro split-mind. Some micro split-minds
are able to tap into those other micro stories and they feel that they lived
them themselves individually but really they just tapped into the macro
split-mind. (This is why so many people claim to be the reincarnation of the
same famous person).
There
is nothing specific about your experience as an individual that goes on after
death, in time or into Eternity (Timelessness). That experience is the false
that falls away. So there is no “soul” or individual spirit. But there is
Something Universal in your mind That is Eternal. The Truth in your mind is
completely apart from time and It is universal because the Truth in your mind
is the same Truth in every seemingly-individual split-mind. And you don’t have
to wait for the death of the self to experience It. You can practice the Holy
Instant at any moment and experience Truth now. And when you do, you will never
experience time the same way again. This is why the Holy Instant is so central
to the practice of A Course in Miracles.
And this is why ACIM’s teaching is so radically different from most spiritual
teachings. It does not aim you toward the future for relief from the false. It
asks you to be open to Truth right now to be relieved right now.
The
ego (personal thought system) says that “you” will be obliterated if you return
your mind to Truth because it will
disappear. The ego speaks only for itself. You feel its fears as your own only
as long as you identify with it. In this process of undoing, you will learn
that you are mind and that the ego is only a thought system in your mind that
tells you, falsely, that the self (body/personality/ego) is you.
Awareness
(or consciousness or perception) is the experience of the split-mind (both
macro and micro – there’s really no distinction between the two). A split-mind
can be aware of either illusion or Truth. The highest level of awareness in
ACIM is called Christ Consciousness or the Holy Spirit. In this awareness one
is aware that only the Truth is true and recognizes that the universe of form
is an illusion. No part of awareness “goes on” to Truth. It is the false
experience. But this highest form of awareness is necessary to prepare one for
the experience of Truth. When the illusion falls away only Truth is left in a
mind and it slips easily from the Awareness of Truth (Christ/ Holy Spirit) to
Knowledge of Truth. It’s like the awareness
of Truth is seeing Truth through a veil and Knowledge
of Truth is when there is no veil. All boundaries are gone. (I’m not sure if
this is what you were talking about with “the essence of Awareness”).
Here’s
another way to think of it:
Imagine
a piece of white paper. This represents the Mind of Truth. (Unlike paper, Truth
has no boundaries, but, hey, gotta work with what we got…). Now imagine a circle
on the paper. This is the part of the Mind of Truth where the idea of not-Truth
occurs. Color in that circle with a pencil. Now the circle represents the
split-mind (macro or micro, it doesn’t matter; same thing) because the paper,
representing Truth, is still there under the penciling, which represents
not-Truth. As you advance in your awareness of Truth, it is like erasing the
penciling. More and more of the white paper, Truth, shows through until finally
you are left with the white paper both inside and outside the circle. This is
the highest awareness a split-mind can have. It knows that only the Truth is
true – or only the white paper is true. It’s hardly even split-off anymore so
the circle, the boundary, is easily erased (in ACIM this is described as “God takes the last step”
because only God is left in mind and Mind).
So
this process of undoing reveals That Which is already right here. There is no
“returning” because nothing real “left”. It was just “covered over”. And as
each micro split-mind erases the false, that much is erased from the macro
split-mind, just as each little erasure reveals the paper beneath the penciling.
And, again, this is not done through death. Focusing on what happens when you
die (what part of your mind does that, do you think?) can be a way of avoiding
being present to Truth.
(The
passage you quoted from ACIM, “disappear
into the Heart of God” (W-pII. 14.5), is referring to a split-mind in its
“purified” – how ACIM describes the “erasing” – state. It refers to the boundary
as a “gate” rather than a veil or circle as I did here. ACIM speaks to “you” not
as a person but as a split-mind, only the Truth in which is true).
>>>>>
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Comments
Of course if the macro split mind projects billions of selves first AND THEN those selves are imagined to exist in a world, then, in that case individual selves will still seem to exist even though the body is seen to die. Presumably the macro split mind will once again imagine each apparent individual self to find a new body.
This would entail the possibility that selves might exist across many apparent physical bodies, and we are back to reincarnation. Does your understanding rule out this possibility? and if so, please explain. I am not certain that your explanation rules out this possibility. For myself, I have no desire to live another life, so this idea no longer attracts me, at least in my awareness.
Then also if we assume, as you do (and you believe that ACIM does) that awareness and perception and consciousness (as ACIM speaks of it) are all the same, then clearly there is no experience in Truth, because experience entails awareness. In our worldly experience we imagine that a rock has no awareness and thus has no experience. This is part of the context as to our use of the word experience and awareness. Ken Wapnick's definition of perception in his Glossary-Index certainly does not entail equivalence of awareness and perception.
I am not making any argument here. I tried that in the last posting. I rest that effort. But I am just pointing out the implications that seem logical based on our culture's use of the word 'experience'. Clearly, if there is no awareness, there is no experience. If my logic is off, I stand corrected.
It may be that we cannot even fathom the experience of God. But, oh wait. God does not experience, right? So no need to even begin to fathom.
T-18.VI.11. Everyone has experienced what he would call a sense of being transported beyond himself. 2 This feeling of liberation far exceeds the dream of freedom sometimes hoped for in special relationships. 3 It is a sense of actual escape from limitations. 4 If you will consider what this "transportation" really entails, you will realize that it is a sudden unawareness of the body, and a joining of yourself and something else in which your mind enlarges to encompass it. 5 It becomes part of you, as you unite with it. 6 And both become whole, as neither is perceived as separate. 7 What really happens is that you have given up the illusion of a limited awareness, and lost your fear of union. 8 The love that instantly replaces it extends to what has freed you, and unites with it. 9 And while this lasts you are not uncertain of your Identity, and would not limit It. 10 You have escaped from fear to peace, asking no questions of reality, but merely accepting it. 11 You have accepted this instead of the body, and have let yourself be one with something beyond it, simply by not letting your mind be limited by it.
I believe that once we've "died" we will come into some experience such as this. At this point we will decide along with spiritual guides as none of this is ever done alone, which untrue thoughts are still in need of healing and will set about "scripting" a new life designed to best allow us to transform them through forgiveness.
As we know through the course all unloving thoughts have no foundation in Heaven and are therefore equally untrue. Beyond judgment you will have transcended your awareness of the unloving thoughts you have through existence in this world to the awareness of only the unconditional loving thoughts you would have with God in Oneness.
Namaste!
Your argument about the possibility for reincarnation I will not refute. I have only my own experience of both the nothingness of the whole experience of not-Truth and the vision I've been given of not-Truth. And if you (and others, because I've had this argued before) cannot accept it, that is okay with me. I put things out there and what people do with it is between them and the HS.
You are correct that there is no experience in Truth because there is no experience and experiencer. Or maybe it's that they are the same thing so there is nothing to distinguish. But I have yet to find a better word than "experience" to discuss it. It's like the use of the word "I". It doesn't really apply but it's hard to discuss all of this without it.
And it seems to me that, in any case, concerning ourselves about this question is a distraction to what we truly want and what you know to be true; reincarnation is not Truth. For my part I want to put the question aside; it holds nothing for me.
And as for my arguments about the terms awareness and experience; I am ready also to put this aside as well. I can see that it is fruitless to ponder intellectually and make philosophical arguments. Nothing comes of it. The Course and your pointers lead in quite a different direction. My resistance to that direction is my resistance to Truth. Putting aside the concern and questions (and arguments!) is part of putting aside the resistance.
Thank you again, Liz.
I think, Liz, that this is THE explanation the Course gives - I totally agree...
Love and peace...
liz, i often end up feeling condescending or like a know-it-all or like im proving a point in conversation, which is so disturbing to my peace. i recognise the guilt in my mind around feeling im getting something wrong and being disrespectful of another, but id still love to have open discussions where i still stated my view without feeling the way i described above.. presently the only way i avoid that feeling is when i just listen and discuss the others view without giving my view as well if it differs. youre saying that this difficulty in open conversation will disappear when i truly dont need to be right, right? ;) what im wondering is, how did the need to be right release within your mind? with letting go of codependency and believing in/feeling the need to help? or did it not go til you were no longer strongly identified with a personal self? or just recognising the dynamic and turning back inward to your real goal, as jeremy described? hmm, or did those things all happen together-ish? or am i on the wrong track altogether? talking with jeremy highlighted this within me, and id really like to converse, not preach or condescend in another way by feeling im not participating honestly.
When it came to "helping" others or "fixing" their situation - that took longer because my identity was wrapped up in that and I believed it was my "god-given" role. But in the end it was the same - I realized people just want to be heard and understood so what I was giving wasn't even wanted. I was making it about me when it wasn't about me - not for them, anyway!
the answer has led to another question as well as things to practise. do you enjoy the sharing of ideas? is it possible that my ideas around enjoying that an ego dynamic to hide the desire to simply be heard myself? there is a blog you wrote where you shared aspects of a discussion with your wife, where it sounded like you were having a deep and enjoyable conversation, yet you didnt need to share all the thoughts you had out of respect for where she was intellectually and emotionally. i imagine enjoyment in that scenario, that sharing of ideas without the urge to change someones mind. i am noticing a loosening around the urge to be right as my own inner conversation grows clearer and calmer.