We don’t have to die! We are immortal spirits!

Here's a photo of Oti having fun!

My neighbor passed away. I loved him and I will miss him on my walks in the neighborhood. He gave my doggie Tippi treats every time we walked passed his house.  Sadly, she still runs over to his doorstep when we walk past, eager to get the treat she’s used to. 

Every time someone we love dies, we’re confronted with our perceived mortality but in reality, we don’t ever die at all! We’re made of two parts: body and spirit. Neither part “dies” because we’re made of energy and energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed. Our bodies get eaten up by worms and become fertilizer for flowers, and then the flower gets eaten up by a bird et cetera as we continue transforming to other stuff. So the notion that “life must end” is an erroneous concept.

We have choices!

Choice 1: You can stay in the same body for hundreds or thousands of years.  Examples of this being achieved include the eight Chinese immortals (they lived  for 1500+ years), Babaji (2000 years), Jesus (2012 years so far; remember that we last saw him alive! Not dead!), and many more saints, fairies and angels. Many people who are 150 or 200 years old walk quietly among us.  We’re stretching our understanding of how long we can live.

Choice 2: As I’ve said, we’re made of two parts: body and spirit. If we choose, we can let go of this body and take our spirit elsewhere.  We can become a cloud or go to another planet or dimension or reincarnate into another life-form on earth. Buddha and the Tibetans chose the latter method. The Dalai Lama is the 14th incarnation of the same person.

With all due respect, my neighbor was not living a very happy life. He died sitting in the chair he sat everyday (he never went anywhere), facing his desk, which was piled high with mountains of bills and bottles of pain killers. He was in physical pain from his illnesses and the spiritual pain of disillusionment. Really, I don’t blame him for ditching this body for another one.

Which brings me to my conclusion: if I want to keep this body for a long time then I better make sure that I’m happy!  The key to living a long life is keeping yourself happy and satisfied!

TLDR: make sure you enjoy your life or you’ll die too!