Dying… it never goes out of fashion. We all do it, and for those of us who believe in the Eastern concept of reincarnation, we do it over and over and over again. I often cogitate – Why is it so scary? Why is death the ultimate threat if we do it all the time?
We know we are a limited species, GMO’d in fact. Initially our ancestors programmed us to survive. Then genetic possibilities that could help us to raise the quality of our lives arose. Lifetimes that were once shorter and filled with violence and the fight or flight mentality merged with other more peaceful ways of living. This created a community awareness that gave way to a more agrarian society with housing, villages, towns, and countries. The power to survive sometimes became the power to control resources that we didn’t want to share.
Lifetimes of scrabbling through the ruckus of civilizations taught us bits and pieces en route to realizing ourselves. The fight for resources and the cultivation of ourselves is an odd, if not fascinating dance of ambition to attain a state of peaceful self-realization, and gain access to our wild infinite eternal being.
As we popped off the planet over and over again, different religions have developed through us, through our cultures, and through our lineages. They came through visitations, visions, and our rapport with unseen beings from other dimensions. Apparently we were instructed on right and wrong though history by Caine and Abel, our first famous set of wrangling brothers. Caine killed Abel over resources (or so says the legend) and by doing so the lesson of right and wrong were apparently texted into our DNA forever. Seeds of dissonance such as this are widely sewn through ancient tomes like the Bible.
The Bhagavad Gita, a teaching spiritual epic, puts integrity and spiritual balance at the helm. It is not about life and death, it is about whether we live out our dharma, or personal soul purpose, and whether or not we can feel love no matter how many of the seven deadly sins we are experiencing. Can we feel love? Can we find happiness? Can we develop compassion?
I often re-listen to an interview I conducted with Jack Hawley way back in March of 2011 (recently available on my podcast) where we discussed his book The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners and the rich studies of the Bhagavad Gita – an 8,000 (ish) year old spiritual teaching tool. The interview lifts me every time I hear it, presenting the challenges that come along with facing life and death, and living for justice, for love, for the greater good. It’s the stuff we take with us when we all go through that mortal portal.