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Originally Posted by MarcBee
No, I have not read the Tibetan Book of The Dead. But since you bumped the question, I just now read the Wiki page about it.
Have you read Mary Baker Eddy's, Science and Health With Key to The Scriptures ?
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I haven't read the whole thing but I have perused it.
Another interesting read is 'The Urantia Book'.
I mentioned the Tibetan Book of the Dead because it is describes the 'after-death state'. It is supposedly a guide for people to the 'after-death state' so they won't be so surprised with what they find there. In any event, the descriptions of the after-death state are exactly what one would find to be consistent with Tibetan buddhist thought. Of course, one may ask 'which came first?', the teachings in the Tibetan Book of the Dead or the Buddhist beliefs on the 'intermediate state'? Ie, was the book written because they expected to experience certain things based on their beliefs? Or were their beliefs shaped by experiences which came to be codified in the Book of the Dead?
The book is essentially a meditation manual designed to recreate a near-death experience.
I find it fascinating that people who experience NDE's generally experience what they expect to experience, more or less.
Which is further support (in my mind) that NDE's are biologically caused, and happen within the brain. Not to mention the fact that there are ketamine-induced NDEs, as well as neuro-electrical stimulation induced NDEs (I believe several neurosurgeons conducted some experiments on that, back in the 70s, showing that inserting electrodes into the brain at various points and aplying small electrical currents will create out of body experiences, NDEs, etc).
Which I find fascinating, as that seems to be what the Bible describes in regard to the 'after death state' - ie, 'the dead know nothing' etc etc.
I don't know of any other ancient religious text which describes the psychology of the after-death experience in a way consistent with discoveries in neuroscience (ie thought is based in the brain, not some ephemeral non-material ether called 'the soul' as postulated by Platonic and catholic metaphysics).