I have absolutely no fear of death. From my near-death research and my personal experiences, death is, in my judgment, simply a transition into another kind of reality.
Raymond MoodyRead
People into hard sciences, neurophysiology, often ignore a core philosophical question: 'What is the relationship between our unique, inner experience of conscious awareness and material substance?' The answer is: We don't know, and some people are so terrified to say, 'I don't know.'
Interpretation
The quote highlights the uncertainty surrounding the relationship between consciousness and the physical world.
Raymond Moody encourages reflection on the profound question of how our subjective experience of consciousness relates to the material aspects of existence. He points out that while those in the hard sciences might seek concrete answers, there remains a significant philosophical gap regarding our understanding of consciousness, and some individuals are hesitant to acknowledge this uncertainty.
In practice
In a lecture on consciousness studies, one might quote Moody to illustrate the limits of scientific understanding.
I have absolutely no fear of death. From my near-death research and my personal experiences, death is, in my judgment, simply a transition into another kind of reality.
No doubt many people have the feeling that to talk about death at all is, in effect, to conjure it up mentally, to bring it closer in such a way that one has to face up to the inevitability of one's own eventual demise. So, to spare ourselves this psychological trauma, we decide just to try to avoid the topic as much as possible.
The subject of death is taboo. We feel, perhaps only subconsciously, that to be in contact with death in any way, even indirectly, somehow confronts us with the prospect of our own deaths, draws our own deaths closer and makes them more real and thinkable.
The Utopians feel that slaughtering our fellow creatures gradually destroys the sense of compassion, which is the finest sentiment of which our human nature is capable.
Like an ethereal presence_x000D_ You hang out everywhere._x000D_ Not a naughty or scary goblin,_x000D_ Rather, an inquisitive observer,_x000D_ A concerned, caring custodian,_x000D_ Visiting every niche and closet_x000D_ Where we stuff the undesired_x000D_ Of our messy, blemished lives,_x000D_ You haunt territories we ignore,_x000D_ Hoping we will find you there.
It doesn't take much insight to realize that wars have been getting worse every time - worse from the point of view of the civilian, more and more destructive, more and more total.
I know there is a God because in Rwanda I shook hands with the devil. I have seen him, I have smelled him and I have touched him. I know the devil exists and therefore I know there is a God.
Go deep into meditation. and be meditation I mean silence, awareness, witnessing. You can meditate any time of the day, you can meditate working, walking, doing things. Meditation is not something separate from life; it should not be separate, otherwise it remains a little artificial. Meditation should be spread all over life. You should walk in meditation, you should sit in meditation; that means silently, fully aware. Slowly slowly it becomes your very flavour, then the bridge is created.
The challenge today is to convince people of the value of truth, honesty, compassion and a concern for others.
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