Fear Of Death (The Soul's Journey To Freedom)

Sri Ramakrishna

oi-Staff

By Staff

Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 11:22

The soul's three basic desires, immortality, unrestricted awareness, and unbounded joy are attained only when it discovers its true identity, the all-embracing Self. In search of its identity, the soul changes bodies and places, and finally, knowing the limitations of all pleasures and realizing that everything finite is shadowed by death, it practises detachment and desirelessness and realizes its immortal Self.

Immortality is the return of the prodigal son to his all-loving father. It is the return of the reflection of the sun to the sun. It is the river of individual consciousness meeting the infinite ocean of Pure Consciousness. It is the realization that we are like leaves of a tree and that our true identity is the tree. It is our separative existence joining the infinite existence of absolute freedom. So the Upanishad says: 'There is one Supreme Ruler, the inmost Self of all beings, who makes His one form manifold. Eternal happiness belongs to the wise, who perceive Him within themselves—not to others.'

The journey to this final freedom is a solitary one alone a person is born, alone he suffers, and alone he dies. By realizing his true Self he becomes united with all beings and things and attains to final freedom. Only then comes the end of all sorrow, all fear, all anxiety. The doctrine of rebirth is the most plausible theory to help us understand the meaning of life and the diversities of existence.

Each person is born with a blueprint of his or her mind that carries the impressions of past lives. Death seems fearful because we died many, many times before. Although we do not remember the incidents, the effects of those experiences remain stored in the conscious mind in a minute form. Sri Krishna tells Arjuna (Bhagavad Gita), 'Many a birth have I passed through, O Arjuna, and so have you. I know them all, but you know them not, O Scorcher of Foes.' In the Bible, Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the prophet Elias reborn. 'If ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.'

About the author

Swami Adiswarananda

Swami Adiswarananda, the Minister-in-charge of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre, New York, USA, is a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order. He is a well-known thinker and contributes articles to various journals.

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