The Science of Death, Part 1 of 2

At one time or another, each of us will ponder the question: What happens when we die? Previous beliefs assumed the brain ceased to function when the heart stopped, however, recent research highlights a surge of brain activity during the moments leading up to and after cardiac arrest, sometimes lasting up to an hour after the heartbeat flatlines. One of the most striking of these is an encounter with a Being or Beings of Light, whose profound, transcendent Love surpasses any known earthly feeling. Another frequently reported experience is the Life Review, where one revisits their life from multiple perspectives, giving a deeper understanding of their impact on others.

Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) has, on several occasions, has shed light on the profound journey of the soul after death. “At the time of death, normally we will be greeted and surrounded by enlightened beings, such as angels, past Masters, Christ, Buddha. […] But then, it depends on our consciousness at that time, our conscience also. […] We make this choice already while we are living by acting out what we want to be. If we want to be God-like, then we act like a loving person – compassionate, giving, understanding, forgiving and holy, etc. If we want to act on the contrary to God, then maybe we do not follow the Ten Commandments, we try to do everything that is contrary to the teachings of Jesus, for example. Then, at the time of death, the habitual thinking, that we would think in that way – and so this thinking will not allow us to go into a higher Heaven. And if by the way, we practice enlightenment, we see the Light of God every day, then, of course, we go where the Light goes.”

In 2023, Dr. Sam Parnia and colleagues published the AWARE-II study, the world’s largest and most comprehensive study to date, analyzing 567 people who experienced cardiac arrest across 25 hospitals. The research demonstrated the existence of near-death experiences, or what Dr. Parnia refers to as “Recalled Experiences of Death,” by providing scientific proof. “The study was able to show for the first time, that the experiences that people have been describing about having a lucid, hyperconscious experience, where they can re-evaluate their entire life, every memory, every thought, every intention, is real, and it’s different to hallucinations, it’s different to dreams, and it’s different to other imaginary experiences.” “Science does, at a minimum, suggest we do not seem to become annihilated when we cross over into death and into the great unknown. And that, perhaps, human actions, human thoughts, and intentions do matter.”