I read this book immediately after "Proof of Heaven" by Dr. Eben Alexander. I found that the two books complemented and supported each other's message beautifully. These are amazing books, for those with open hearts, and eyes to see. I rank them all the way up there with the best spiritual classics I have ever read, such as the amazing "Ramakrishna and his disciples".
What is the central message of each of these books? Learn to live in the Eternal "Now", which exists beyond our human conceptions of time and space. After all, "past" and future" have no intrinsic reality and are mere concepts in our consciousness. It is unnecessary to die or wait for a better life tomorrow, or after death. As Father Anthony De Mello SJ writes in his book "Awareness", it is always those who are most afraid to live right now who are most concerned with whether there is a life after this one. Nobody seems to understand the importance of: "Is there a life before death?"
It is pretty clear to me, from the deeply personal accounts of these two authors during and after their NDE's, that they both experienced a spiritual awakening which was the substance of their NDE's. This explains their profound post-NDE interest in living fully now, and their enhanced ability to do so, after their respective illnesses. Only someone who is unafraid of living fully now, loses their morbid interest in a life after this one.
They also provide interesting clues of how to do this: They echo each other in trying to convey how crucially important total self-acceptance is. This means no matter who you are, you must learn to accept yourself in totality, both the allegedly good as well as the allegedly evil parts. No matter how "bad" you think you are, or how "depraved", you need to learn to approve of yourself and to love yourself, including the "evil" bits, unconditionally. That opens the door and allows you to be healed. This, I think, is also the central message in the Bible: Despite being sinners, we can be saved. But a precondition is that we must stop judging ourselves and stop rejecting the parts of ourselves that we think are evil. As we succeed, we discover that only we were judging ourselves. The door to awakening is always an open door. Nobody, not God, nor any person, stands in the way of all this joy, the unconditional love and immutable bliss which can be ours right now, except our own unwise self-judgements.
Some readers on this website were very critical of the touted concepts of unconditional self-love and unconditional self-approval, suggesting that these are very dangerous doctrines. They seem to interpret this as meaning "do as you please". However, doing just what you like, presumably at the expense of others, does not lead to personal liberty, or direct access to the present. Just the opposite. Further, having unconditional love for the worst criminals, doesn't mean that they should not be contained or restrained. As the great Ramakrishna is quoted as saying in his wonderful book "The Gospel of Ramakrishna" (also available from Amazon), "being love" doesn't mean you should not hiss like a snake. It only means not to inject your venom in your "victims". In other words, this world would be so much a better place if only we stopped being afraid, stopped judging, stopped our hatred, stopped worrying so much!
Dr Alexander postulates that consciousness is a field that pervades all of space-time, and is in fact the very fabric of space-time. The human body is a filter or valve that limits that experience and confines it to a bodily experience, both authors write. Both authors however make it quite clear, based on their own direct experience of life in the Here and Now, that it is quite possible to experience the unity and non-duality of consciousness, pervading the entire Universe, right now. This experience is accessible to every person, saint and sinner alike. To begin accessing it directly only means that you must learn to get out of your own way. Well-established ways of doing so is through prayer, by awakening faith, and / or daily meditative practice.
Besides the human body acting as a filter or a valve which restricts consciousness, language is the only other filter. We can't do anything about the former, but we can vastly expand our own direct experience and understanding of life, and its true meaning for each of us, by gaining insights into the terribly restrictive and distorting filter which language creates in each of us. The only barrier between us and our direct appreciation of the Eternal Now is our own language. The purpose of language is obviously to communicate, but we misuse and abuse it by killing ourselves, our neighbours and earth. How? Through self-judgement. By the same yardstick by which we measure ourselves, we unconsciously mete out judgement and our version of what we imagine to be "justice" on others and in fact our entire world. Therefore our journey to true freedom, if that is what we really want, must begin and end with ourselves.
Insight into the afore-said is not an intellectual process. No traction can be gained by simply reading about this, although this can be an important first step. This is also the message we find in these two amazing auto-biographical books. In this regard, many readers were incredibly disappointed, and sceptical, because they found the accounts of each of the NDE's to be so brief, sketchy, and seemingly lacking in cohesion. However, what these two writers learnt directly, is that reality, instead of the distortion most people experience as reality, is unfathomable and inconceivable. It is beyond telling. No words can ever approach the Almighty. In Genesis in the Bible we find in the centre of the Garden of Eden the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the Tree of Life. The former is the man-made ego, developed from an early age using language as the means, and the latter is our eternal selves, to which we should make wise efforts to awaken to. As we succeed, we realize we were always in Eden, from the very beginning, always are, and always will be.
How specifically is language a filter? Consciousness is an impartial mirror, which reflects anything and everything that appears within it. There is no "me" in that mirror. The mirror is the entire Universe. But we artificially create the "me" by picking from the mirroring what we like, and pushing away what we dislike. The only tool for doing so is our learnt language. Therefore, when we look at a tree, or a beautiful sunset, we don't simply see a tree or a sunset. Our thoughts, which includes our worries and fears, are superimposed on our perception, killing our joy and all that beauty that is ours, right here and now.
So I think the true message of each of these books is not an attempt to convince the reader about a nicer life after this one. The true message for each of us is to do the necessary work, on ourselves, and in our lives, here and now, to awaken here and now. To the extent that we succeed, and know this immeasurable and unknowable Unity directly, we gain all the "Proof of Heaven" that we need to have. No scientist and no sceptic can ever take away that personal certainty.
JP
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: 
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more
Frequently bought together
This item: Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing
$18.99
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
+
$29.99
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
+
$18.47
Sold by Prime Goods Outlet and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Popular titles by this author
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
- The Highly Sensitive Person By Elaine N. Aron, Sensitive Is the New Strong By Anita Moorjani 2 Books Collection SetElaine N. AronPaperbackFREE Shipping by AmazonOnly 3 left in stock - order soon.
About the author
I like the concurrence of my own beliefs that heaven isn't ...
I like the concurrence of my own beliefs that heaven isn't a place we "fly to," but rather a state. A state of Mind - Mind being a synonym of whatever we choose to call God.
Top reviews from other countries
Reen
A brilliant, heartwarming story of transformation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 29, 2024
