Expert: Aupmanyav - 8/8/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hello,

I've been reading your profile. You wrote you believe there is an after-life. Could you please explain this ?
I'm really curious to know. What makes you be so sure about the reality of life after death ?

Thank you for your time, looking forward for your response.

ANSWER: Dear R.I.,

This is very simple and uncomplicated, if you want the answer in one word, it is recycling. Many of us hindus believe in a universal substrate, 'Brahman', which is same as the relativistic energy/matter duo. We percieve that in various forms due to our faulty and limited perception. The faulty perception is known as 'Maya' in Hinduism (where there are atoms we percieve men, women, animals, vegetation, etc).

When a body is cremated 88% of the body goes into atmosphere as water vapour, 6% carbon changes into carbon-di-oxide, 3% calcium changes into lime, and the rest of elements also enter into new combinations. Something similar happens even in the case of christians, muslims, and buddhists.

Water vapour will precipitate some day, dew or rain, or soaked by vegetation, carbon-di-oxide will be breathed in by vegetation, lime and bones which will be thrown into rivers and form sediments (bones to to Haridwar in River Ganges, tradition, lovingly immersed by my son or grandson with chanting from scriptures, that is what I did to my father's ashes, and my father in his turn did to my grandfather's ashes nearly at the same place).

So, what constituted Aupmanyav came from various sources (though it was none else but 'Brahman'), when Aupmanyav is no more, it will go to various things, living and non-living. This is what is happening for the last 14 billion years and is likely to continue for a few more billion years.

This is 'Samsara', the percieved world, and the 'Maya Chakra' or the wheel of Maya. Sorry, if you are not satisfied with this scheme, because you have nobody to complain to, this is what it is. And 'Brahman' does not have human attributes like love and kindness, so it also cannot help you. In this short life of ours if we could help each other, we might have a heaven here itself on earth.

With best regards, I hope the answer satisfies you.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for your reply. But this is not exactly an after-life. Your consciousness cannot be preserved through recycling. Anyway, in your profile you've also written that "Brahman" (This is the equivalant of God as I understand)acts like a quantum field. I would be grateful if you could give me an explanation on this too.

Kind regards

Answer
You are most welcome, R.I. What works for me, may not work for you or anybody else.

You are right, my consciousness will not be preserved, but along with me it is a temporary thing. For me, Brahman is not an equivalent of God. It is no use worshiping an electric current or a ray of light. They cannot help us. They are neither bountiful nor merciful (Rehman-ur-Rahim). That is what Brahman is, and that is what we are. Why should I hanker after preservation of consciousness, when the whole me is indestructible. Brahman is nature, it can give food to our 6 billion, it could also wipe out all our 6 billion with a asteroid hit.