Theos-Talk Archives (June 2007 Message tt00083)

Daniel,

Referring to your excellent list of "wide variety of views out there on
what happens to a human being after death:" I would like to add another, which I glean through theosophy and HPB:

There are those who tell you that there is
a ceaseless round of births, deaths and rebirths
for each of us but that we will be trapped
in these lower worlds UNTIL "we find a path
to enlightenment and release through good works
and good thoughts" OR we find a true
physical guru who can help us to escape this suffering
round of births and deaths. (my addition in quotation marks)

I think we should label each of the belief systems/paragraphs you listed to we know what we--and they--are talking about.

However, I was disappointed to learn that Theosophy does posit the "group soul" scenario for animals and pets.

For humans, it all just seems to come down to the Noble Eightfold Path. I agree with the Dalai Lama and think that the general tenets of Buddhism are the best answer to life's questions.

Best Regards,
Scribe

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: danielhcaldwell 
  To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2007 1:59 PM
  Subject: Theos-World Conflicting Claims & Beliefs: What happens after death?


  Are Theosophists/Theosophical students
  totally inclusive and non-judgmental when
  it comes to various teachings, for example,
  about life after death?

  Do any of the Theosophical groups promote
  fully inclusive discussions and study of
  ALL the following views about life after
  death? Or do these groups actually "promote" 
  ONLY some of these views?

  Do Theosphists and Theosophical groups 
  (by featuring only one or two views)
  in fact promote exclusive and judgmental views
  about life after death?

  See BELOW the wide variety of views out there on
  what happens to a human being after death:

  ------------------------------------------------

  What happens to you, your loved ones,
  your friends at death?....

  There are persons who tell you
  that you have only one life to live and after
  that, you go either to heaven or hell, to enjoy
  heavenly delights for all eternity or
  to suffer forever in hell.

  There are those who tell you that you
  have only one life to live and after that,
  you will enter either the kingdom of God which will
  be this physical world reborn or you will
  be (as a soul) utterly destroyed and annihilated
  in Gehenna.

  There are those who tell you that science
  shows that there is no life after death.
  Once our physical body is dead, our psychological
  life also ceases. We are merely material physical
  entities and the concept of a soul is sheer nonsense.

  There are those who tell you that this is
  the first life of many "lives", but that our
  future lives with all be in higher non-physical realms.

  There are those who tell you that we live
  many lives besides this life, but that many
  of these lives are actually on other planets
  in our solar system or even on other star systems.

  There are those who tell you that there is
  a ceaseless round of births, deaths and rebirths
  for each of us but that we will be trapped
  in these lower worlds UNTIL we find a true
  physical guru who can help us to escape this suffering
  round of births and deaths.

  There are those who tell you that we don't
  need to reincarnate after death in another
  physical body in this world, but that we
  can choose any kind of life we want. We need
  only to believe it's true and it is!

  There are those who tell you that we belong
  to different group souls and that we will NOT
  necessarily exist after the death of our physical
  body as a separate entity but will be absorbed
  back into the group soul. The essence
  of our being will merge with the group soul.

  And the list goes on....

  Even in Theosophical literature, there are many
  conflicting and contradictory ideas and teachings
  depending on the Theosophical book you happen to read.

  Where lies the "truth" in this morass of beliefs, claims
  and counterclaims?

  Daniel
  http://hpb.cc



   

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