
Death: A Transition by Gary Hopkins
March, 2016
The way that I live and my outlook on life has changed significantly over the past 15 years or so, as I have spent a lot of that time in deep reflection and meditation. So much, that ‘state of being’ has become a big part of me rather than just an external spiritual practice when I first began. I started down this path mainly because I needed to gain some understanding of myself, of others, and of the world around me. As a result, I feel I have achieved a certain degree of balance for myself. I live simply and am happily content most of the time. Generally speaking I am a private person, so to whoever might be reading this and depending on how we interact with one another, this may or may not show on the surface to you.
In that time I have come to realize that the everyday existence for most of us is not what true reality seems to be or is even all that meaningful for most. From what I can tell the sentiment (of many philosophies) is correct in that, life is an illusion with an infinite number of layers, all to be peeled, pondered and sometimes forgotten over and over again as we navigate our way through what we perceive as life. Death, on the grand scale, is a very small fraction of that process. However, in our culture it is greatly feared and very heavily weighted to the meaning of our existence.
Many of these philosophies (in one way or another) describe death as a shift in frequency, merely a transition as life takes on another form. This transition is not to be feared, but celebrated. In my experience I believe this to be true down to my core. So much so that I feel compelled to write down my thoughts this evening as many of my family members are suffering at the moment. You see my stepbrother past away just a few hours ago. So, this is for them and for others who may be experiencing the same trauma.
Over time through my meditation practice and my profession I have learned how to feel the presence of just about everything and everyone around me. So, for me, it is difficult to be saddened at his passing in the same way others are, simply because my beliefs deeply reflect what I have written above. And for me, his presence is still felt. However for our friends and family members who have a different understanding, I can physically feel their pain, and the only way I know how to transmute that type of energy is through the understanding of what I have briefly described above.
The idea that life is an illusion and death is just a small transition within it, is something that has a very powerful effect over time. Everyone grieves differently, so some of you may understand this while others do not. All that I can say is that the pain will recede and the joy will return in time and I believe (without doubt) that everyone is strong enough to endure this process even when they might not think so.
March, 2016
The way that I live and my outlook on life has changed significantly over the past 15 years or so, as I have spent a lot of that time in deep reflection and meditation. So much, that ‘state of being’ has become a big part of me rather than just an external spiritual practice when I first began. I started down this path mainly because I needed to gain some understanding of myself, of others, and of the world around me. As a result, I feel I have achieved a certain degree of balance for myself. I live simply and am happily content most of the time. Generally speaking I am a private person, so to whoever might be reading this and depending on how we interact with one another, this may or may not show on the surface to you.
In that time I have come to realize that the everyday existence for most of us is not what true reality seems to be or is even all that meaningful for most. From what I can tell the sentiment (of many philosophies) is correct in that, life is an illusion with an infinite number of layers, all to be peeled, pondered and sometimes forgotten over and over again as we navigate our way through what we perceive as life. Death, on the grand scale, is a very small fraction of that process. However, in our culture it is greatly feared and very heavily weighted to the meaning of our existence.
Many of these philosophies (in one way or another) describe death as a shift in frequency, merely a transition as life takes on another form. This transition is not to be feared, but celebrated. In my experience I believe this to be true down to my core. So much so that I feel compelled to write down my thoughts this evening as many of my family members are suffering at the moment. You see my stepbrother past away just a few hours ago. So, this is for them and for others who may be experiencing the same trauma.
Over time through my meditation practice and my profession I have learned how to feel the presence of just about everything and everyone around me. So, for me, it is difficult to be saddened at his passing in the same way others are, simply because my beliefs deeply reflect what I have written above. And for me, his presence is still felt. However for our friends and family members who have a different understanding, I can physically feel their pain, and the only way I know how to transmute that type of energy is through the understanding of what I have briefly described above.
The idea that life is an illusion and death is just a small transition within it, is something that has a very powerful effect over time. Everyone grieves differently, so some of you may understand this while others do not. All that I can say is that the pain will recede and the joy will return in time and I believe (without doubt) that everyone is strong enough to endure this process even when they might not think so.