As we move through life we’re absorbed in our “moment to moment” concerns, with little thought of our creation or our demise.
Though, as we age, we become more aware that some day we’ll run out of these “moments” to be concerned with.
What, if anything, comes next? When my time ends… when my breath stops… Is that it? Is there anything beyond this life… a spiritual existence of sorts?
My mind that articulates this question… what happens to it when my body stops functioning? Does it die with me and just stop existing?
The answer doesn’t really matter because I have no control over what, if anything, lies after my death; there’s no sense worrying about something beyond my control.
I remember visiting a Buddhist temple in Thailand, watching the worshipers totally encompassed in their devotion, much like our pilgrimage to Israel where some members of our group were totally absorbed, almost trance-like while dipping a foot into the Sea of Galilee or the Jordan River.
We do go deep within ourselves at times like these to open ourselves to our God, whatever our authentic religious practice.
Does this deep spiritual meditative state require a context in organized religion? Is it a form of self-delusion fostered by organized religions?
I don’t believe that this deep introspection needs grounding in an authentic religion. Nor, do I feel that we deceive ourselves through spiritual meditative practices whether they grow out of an organized religion or are sui generis.
“What, if anything, comes next?” is a question without an answer. There is a whole regimen of spiritual and religious belief and conjecture that try to fill this unfathomable void of infinite proportion.
Yet, in the last analysis the best we can do is to travel inward and to make our spiritual peace, this very moment, with the force of both our creation… and our demise, however we conceive that phenomenon.
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