Difference between dream body and astral body

[ChielV]

Hi,

Can anyone explain to me if we go on, after death, in our dream body or do we use another body then? Because in my dreams I can pull my finger, and even break it of. Is this also possible when you you have died?

I also heard stories about people who did not know they died. What kind of consciousness is this? Why don't people understand that they are living in a different world where obviously not all people are around you as when you did not die....

Please help me out, any light on these thing is very much appreciated!

Chiel Varkevisser
Netherlands

[Psan]

ChielV,
The question of what happens after the death is much more complicated then it seems. It depends on how conscious the person was during the death, situation at that time, his beliefs, his spiritual status etc. Although I'm not an expert on this stuff, my guesses are -

1. The person enters a sleeplike state and after some time, wakes up in non-physical surrounded by other spirits, that assure him.
2. The person remains conscious, sees his dead body, realizes the situation and proceeds either on his own or is helped by spirits. He may wander in rtz for few days possibly.
3. The person may become non-lucid and start creating the dream environment, and may forget what has happened.(we are so familiar with this thing). He gets 'trapped' in the dreams because now his body is no more capable of calling him back.
4. The person, if he had enough spiritual training, leaves the body as usual and heads straight for his business, freed from the physical at last.
5. The person, if less intelligent/developed, can refuse the truth of dying, repress it and go partially mad. His desires overtake him and he becomes earthbound ghost, eternally confused.
6. The person can enter a belief territory, fully realizing that he is dead. Sometimes without realizing that he is dead but fully lucid.
7. There can be more situations, of which I dont know.

[ChielV]

Psan,

The dream part you mention seems to make sense to me. As I understand, when we dream in our physical body we do not use our left side of the brain. This is why we think pink elephants are ok . How does this work after death? Are we still lacking our left-sided logical thinking? If this is so, the lucidity will stay pretty low and all the scenarios you mention are possible....

Regards,
Chiel.

[Psan]

Well Chiel, when I'm dead, I'm buried in mud and bugs are happily feeding on both left and right parts of my brain. So no question of using so and so part of the brain here

Now no one knows how one can think without a brain after death. One way to describe away this is to assume that we think in our mind not brain and there are no left and right in mind. Brain acts as a transducer for those thoughts and when body goes beyond repair, mind gives up, it withdraws and you are brain-dead.

But just because there is no brain, logical abilities and rational thinking does not disappear. Check the NDE accounts of brain-dead guys. They report full awareness and rational thought.

Having said that, I feel its possible to think according to any logic in non-physical. Logic does not hold its logic there. Check the accounts of lucid dreamers. They are in full fledged dreams, pure dreams, with all logical faculties functioning, but if they want a pink elephant, its there.....logic says yes it is, more real than real. If your logic says wings are missing on him, you see wings the next second. You know all things are possible there, so I wont conclude anything for now

[ChielV]

Ok, so the point here is: lucidity. Then I am wondering how it possible that lucidity after physical death can be decreased to such a minimum level that we do not know we have died. I also think the other way around is possible: like someone with Alzheimer who has died and gets a increased lucidity...

What is the source of this phenomenon and is there a way to predict ones own lucidity at time of death?

[Psan]

I dont know exactly, but AP practice and the experience gained by it will help to maintain lucidity after death. Thats what Tibetans strive for and many here on this forum wish to do the same, including me.