The White Light

[thinkandmull]

I remember seeing the *Concert for George (Harrison) *many years ago, and how my mom said that when he was dying he had “gurus” helping him through the “death process”. Stephen Prothero has a book in which he mentions the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Having never read the book, he relies on a friend’s account of what it says. Anyway, Mr. Prothero says that in this Tibetan Buddhist classic a person is instructed to accept the “white light” as part of himself. If he cannot do this, many Buddhas will appear to him, sometimes frighteningly scary. If he is unable to accept these Buddhas as himself, he will have a vision of animals mating and humans having ciotis, and he will be absorbed into the scene and then reincarnated as either an animal or another new human.

I have two questions:

1. Does this book really saw this?
2. How are Christians to think, and when the time comes, react to the “white light”

 

[Aloysium]

Put on “All Things Must Pass” for inspiration.

:twocents:

The “Tibetan Book of the Dead” is a manual for meditation.
The death is spiritual.
The image of oneself in the world that reflects the relationship that is our daily experience, is silenced, surrendered or even broken, freeing the soul from its golden prison of the intellect.
The white light would represent that highest of spiritual states wherein one is in blissful communion with all creation and ultimately its Creator.
Meditation in eastern religions is that process by which one strives to become spiritually higher.
Going higher results in falling as part of an ongoing process of purification, where one’s desires and ego cause the person to return to lower levels of relation with what is.
The monk having achieved a state of Oneness, reflects back on himself or clings to some aspect of the beauty, and drifts imperceptibly into that which defines his normal experience of reality. As this happens, one encounters the underlying realities of thought, feeling, perception and identity which constitute the basis of our existence.
Ultimately, one may meet the passions that constitute our baser instincts, bringing one further down into sin.
I personally see no need for anything outside that which our Church provides. A sort of one-stop shopping for all your spiritual needs.
Jesus and all the saints will be there to greet us.

 

[Mary_Estelle]

A lot of Christians have also reported this near death experience. We can not say if it is real or not, but it has been helpful for many in changing their lives for the better. I have not read the book so I can’t give much of an opinion, but others may be able to respond, but I think the dying often “see” something and die a peaceful death. Peace.

 

[GEddie]

We don’t know that everybody even sees a white light; not even all near-deathers do. (And even then, it could be something physiological, caused by the visual field contracting as blood drains from the head.)

There is no reason **a priori **to equate this phenomenon, should it occur, with anything Buddhist.

And, in any case, as Christians we reject the teaching of reincarnation, full stop. One soul per body and vice versa. Unto eternity.

ICXC NIKA.

 

[Bonnie]

We don’t know that everybody even sees a white light; not even all near-deathers do. (And even then, it could be something physiological, caused by the visual field contracting as blood drains from the head.)

When I came very close to death I saw no white light & believe me, I was not at peace. I thought I was in hell. But I do believe it’s a physical experience, not spiritual.

 

[7_Sorrows]

The night before my mother pased she spoke of seeing a light or lights.
The room was dark. By the look on her face she definitely was witnessing something very beautiful.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

When I came very close to death I saw no white light & believe me, I was not at peace. I thought I was in hell. But I do believe it’s a physical experience, not spiritual.

After working with the dying for years, I agree with you. The experience of a “white light” is usually physical, or physiological, not spiritual. And we do have to keep in mind that those were near-death experiences, not death experiences.

I believe people die in the way they need to die, spiritually. Some deaths that seem violent are not really violent at all. They dying body can fool those who are keeping watch. And, some dying people may see a white light. We don’t really know what they see. No one has come back and told us.

 

[Bonnie]

And we do have to keep in mind that those were near-death experiences, not death experiences.

That’s a very good point.

 

[thinkandmull]

If Professor Stephen Prothero’s description of the Tibetan Book of the Dead is correct, I think I understand what it is saying about accepting the white light as yourself. But if you don’t pass through the white light, you will never know what is on the other side, even if you do have some eternal “nirvana” on this side of the rainbow

 

[rossum]

The White Light

This post is about biology, not about religion.

We are a diurnal animal, so we get a lot of light in our eyes when we are awake. For that reason the default state for the cells of our retina is “I can see light” which is indicated by a 0 signal – no current in the nerve. If the cell is not receiving light, then the cell sends a current, a 1 signal. This saves energy, since most of the time our cells are sending a 0 signal. Nocturnal animals have their retinas wired the opposite way.

When a cell sends a signal, a 1, it needs a short time to recharge, and the recharge burns oxygen. A 0 signal does not need a recharge since it expends no energy.

If a person is dying, or is close to death, then oxygen supply may be disrupted and recharge slow or impossible. That means that the cell can send a single 1 signal (=dark) and from then on can only send 0 (=light) signals until the oxygen supply is restored. With all the colour detecting cells sending a 0 (=light) signal then the brain will perceive it as full-spectrum white light.

The white light effect is real. It’s spiritual significance can be debated.

HTH

rossum

 

[GEddie]

This post is about biology, not about religion.

We are a diurnal animal, so we get a lot of light in our eyes when we are awake. For that reason the default state for the cells of our retina is “I can see light” which is indicated by a 0 signal – no current in the nerve. If the cell is not receiving light, then the cell sends a current, a 1 signal. This saves energy, since most of the time our cells are sending a 0 signal. Nocturnal animals have their retinas wired the opposite way.

When a cell sends a signal, a 1, it needs a short time to recharge, and the recharge burns oxygen. A 0 signal does not need a recharge since it expends no energy.

If a person is dying, or is close to death, then oxygen supply may be disrupted and recharge slow or impossible. That means that the cell can send a single 1 signal (=dark) and from then on can only send 0 (=light) signals until the oxygen supply is restored. With all the colour detecting cells sending a 0 (=light) signal then the brain will perceive it as full-spectrum white light.

The white light effect is real. It’s spiritual significance can be debated.

HTH

rossum

Source?

If it happened as you describe, we would all see flashes of light behind our eyes after being asleep.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Aloysium]

:twocents:

Being brings light to all we see, sound to all we hear, touch to what we feel.
I would think the white light is an image of an experience deeper than the senses.
The soul, relational in nature, can under certain circumstances become freed from its adherence through the senses to the world of objects; as it does so, it knows itself as the foundation of experience.
It is a white light, visually, because white contains all colours. It is joyous and of infinite beauty because it realizes itself in relation to God, the Source of all being.
Something like that.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

This post is about biology, not about religion.

We are a diurnal animal, so we get a lot of light in our eyes when we are awake. For that reason the default state for the cells of our retina is “I can see light” which is indicated by a 0 signal – no current in the nerve. If the cell is not receiving light, then the cell sends a current, a 1 signal. This saves energy, since most of the time our cells are sending a 0 signal. Nocturnal animals have their retinas wired the opposite way.

When a cell sends a signal, a 1, it needs a short time to recharge, and the recharge burns oxygen. A 0 signal does not need a recharge since it expends no energy.

If a person is dying, or is close to death, then oxygen supply may be disrupted and recharge slow or impossible. That means that the cell can send a single 1 signal (=dark) and from then on can only send 0 (=light) signals until the oxygen supply is restored. With all the colour detecting cells sending a 0 (=light) signal then the brain will perceive it as full-spectrum white light.

The white light effect is real. It’s spiritual significance can be debated.

HTH

rossum

Thank you for the explanation. I’ve always thought the white light was a biological manifestation rather than a spiritual one. I LOVE biology. Unfortunately, with a theology major and a psychology minor, I’ve only been able to study the basics of biology and haven’t been able to delve into it deeply. One does have to make choices.

Thanks again. I appreciate it.

 

[Lily_Bernans]

Source?

If it happened as you describe, we would all see flashes of light behind our eyes after being asleep.

ICXC NIKA

Actually, I sometimes DO see flashes of white light. I kind of worry that I might be headed for a detached retina. I hope not! Though I know they can be reattached easily enough with lasers these days. I’ve always been nearsighted and the shape of the eye makes nearsighted people more prone to detached retinas.