Near Death Experience
The
Near Death Experience (NDE) is a powerful argument for the existence of the
afterlife. As medical resuscitation techniques are being improved more and more
people are being brought back from the border of clinical death. A number of
them recount an intense profoundly meaningful experience in which they seem to
be alive and functioning outside their body. For many, a
near death experience is an extremely powerful emotional and
spiritual experience.
The evidence for the
NDE is consistent, overwhelming and
esoteric - experienced by the many. The
NDE experiential evidence is also consistent with other experiential
evidence for psychic phenomena - including the
OBE, with the information obtained from mental and physical mediums,
apparitions and survival. Although some closed minded skeptics refuse to
believe there is such a thing as a
near death experience, the more informed and the more formally educated
closed minded skeptics now acknowledge that there is no dispute at all about the
existence of the
NDE. The dispute now is narrowed to understanding what it means.
Psychics say that in a crisis situation, where death is almost inevitable or is
perceived to be inevitable, the
duplicate physical body, the
astral or etheric body, leaves the physical body and experiences the first
stages of the afterlife. When death does not occur, the duplicate body resumes
its place in the physical body. Skeptics say that there is no such thing as a
duplicate body and whatever one experiences has to do with the problems of the
physical body itself - it's all in the mind.
Studies have shown that NDE's occurred following illness, surgery, childbirth,
accident, heart attack and suicide attempt.
The pioneer in this area was a medical doctor and philosopher,
Dr Raymond Moody Jr, who began his work as a skeptic and is now totally
convinced of the reality of life after death. His first book
Life After Life in 1975 is considered the classic work which opened this
area to modern research was followed by two others in 1983 and 1988.
Since 1975 there have been many studies in many countries - so much so that
there are now several international associations and journals for the
investigation of near-death studies.
"Skeptic" vs. "Believer" debate
Religious groups and scientists are divided on the issue, of the
near death experience, and if it offers any evidence of life after death.
Most religious groups believe in life after death but only within the systematic
standard of doctrine. Some religious groups support the
near-death experience and others debunk it as the "work of Satan." Scientist
main argument is on the chemistry of the brain. The
near-death experience is as controversial as much as it is a mystery.
Science
- The science of quantum physics is beginning to help people understand what is happening in these mystical experiences. (NDE's)
- "Einstein felt that energy was the root principle of the universe and everything else manifested from that. But there are some paradoxes that cannot be explained if this is true."
- "They can be explained if you make intelligent consciousness the root principle from which matter and energy manifest, as a few people in the forefront of quantum physics now hypothesize."
- "This is exactly compatible with what yogis and mystics have been saying for thousands of years and it's compatible with all the great spiritual traditions which have said there is a super-intelligent consciousness behind the universe.''
Featured Book Practicing Conscious Living and Dying
An uplifting collection of spiritually illuminating texts and powerfully thought- provoking real life stories, showing death as an integral part of life. Modern medical advances have resulted in death and dying becoming a taboo, which leaves us feeling isolated when the inescapability of death touches our lives. These touching observations of closeness to someone else who is dying, and personal accounts of near death experiences and after-death communication, illustrate how coming to terms with the inevitability of death is actually a life-affirming experience. These emotionally powerful and inspirational experiences address timeless questions and help expand our limited awareness of the nature of consciousness. They show how each of the individuals concerned has come to understand that death teaches us that the preciousness of life must be lived with a sense of purpose and meaning, as a celebration of our existence.
Anthologies
An anthology, is a collection of literary works, originally of poems, but its usage has broadened to be applied to collections of short stories or biographies. The word derives from the Greek word for garland or "bouquet of flowers" which was the title of the earliest surviving anthology, assembled by Meleager of Gadara. Meleager's Garland became the seed that grew into the Greek Anthology. The term miscellany is also used, but was more common in the past. Within this page are links to people who have wrote several stories on near death experiences.
Journal of Near-Death Studies
IANDS is also responsible for the publishing of the Journal of Near-Death Studies, the only scholarly journal in the field. It is cross-disciplinary and published quarterly. Between the years of 1997-2003 the journal was published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, but this arrangement was discontinued upon completion of Volume 21. Since 2003 the Journal is published by The International Association for Near-Death Studies, printed and distributed by Allen Press. IANDS also publishes the newsletter Vital Signs and maintains an archive of near-death case histories for research and study.
