Human beings consist of two basic parts, namely, the eternal part and the
temporary part.
The eternal part is the soul. It is eternal because it already exists before a
human being is born here on earth. It will remain within them during their lifetime
on earth and will continue to exist after they die.
The temporary part consists of their worldly life organs, namely, their physical
organs and their mental life organs, such as the will, the mind, the passions
and emotions. Although the mental life organs are immaterial, they are only of a
temporary nature. They will disintegrate when a person dies. These mental life
organs may even start to disintegrate before a person dies, as in the case of
senility in old people.
There are three possibilities that may happen to people after they die.
The first possibility is the case of people, who during their lifetime here on
earth, led a normal human life. However, they were not fortunate enough to
receive enlightenment in the form of a direct contact with the Light of God. Hence
their soul did not get a chance to grow, as only through such a contact could a
soul begin to grow and develop. When such persons die, their body will disintegrate.
Their soul which is still in the form of an undeveloped seed will be released
from its former container and return to its place of origin. Such a soul may
be sucked again into this world through an act of sexual union. When this happens
it is called reincarnation.
The second possibility is in the case of people, who during their lifetime
here on earth, led a very strong passionate life. For instance people who were
carried away by the passion of greed. No matter how rich they became, they
could never be satisfied. No matter how powerful they became, they still wanted
more power. In order to reach their goals they work very hard, exercising their
minds, their passions and will power to the limits. As a result, their mental life
organs become very strong. When such persons die before receiving spiritual
enlightenment, their bodies will disintegrate. But their mental life organs may
have crystallized to such a degree that they will not disintegrate. Their soul, still
in the form of an undeveloped seed, will be trapped within their mental life organs
and thus unable to return to their place of origin. The souls of such persons
will still be hanging around in this world after they die, contained or imprisoned
by their mental life organs. In popular language, such a soul is called a spirit.
(My note: these spirits might be what we think of as "ghosts")
The third possibility in life after death is the case of persons who during
their lifetime were fortunate enough to receive enlightenment or the contact with
the Light of God. This is, of course, the most ideal situation.
As a result of receiving the contact with the Light of God, the seed of the
soul will start to develop and grow. From a small seed of a soul, it will grow and
develop into a bigger soul and eventually outgrow its container, namely the mental
life organs as well as the physical body. In the process of this growth and development,
the physical body, as well as the mental life organs, undergoes a purification.
As a result of this, the physical body will become healthier and stronger
and the person will also become mentally calmer, more patient and brighter.
When such persons die, their physical bodies will disintegrate. However, their
purified, their purified mental life organs will remain intact, enveloped by the
soul.
As the soul is an eternal element, it will continue to live forever and the
purified mental life organs will also remain within the soul forever. It is the purified
mental life organs which still remember and have the inclination to help their
descendants.
The teachings of the great religions such as Islam, Christianity and Judaism
only speak of the ideal state of man's life after death. People who achieve
this ideal state will not reincarnate.
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