Do you think death is the vehicle that returns us to our source of being, or does it signify the end of?

Neither...There are many nebulous terms used by many people to substantiate their beliefs, desires, hopes, fears... Perhaps it would be in line with all things in our world to say we live and then we die, for this is so. We live and then we live no more in this physical form, we are dead. In fact from that point onward we begin to dissapate and return to the basic elements from which we are composed, minus life. The lifeless physical body itself ceases to have continued existence as it decomposes. What it once was is now departed. We sleep...until the day of reconing. Some say reincarnation...some say heaven (immediately or later) some say there is nothing afterwards. These all seem to be choices we make while living and as science has grown there are more and more alternatives to choose from. Multiple universes...etc. All the laws of nature flow through every living thing. The behavior of a human results in consequences...the behavior of an animal results in consequences. In the animal realm for predators there is prey, and a successful predator survives upon the demise of the prey. In the society of man there are predators as well. From the common criminal on a street, robbing, or stealing to financial wizards who profit from their actions financially. As ye sow, surely ye shall reap. Action & consequence... Law. Causality. This is apparent. There is no disputing this to an objective observer. But then enters the spititual and ALL changes inre: to perception & justification. Morality has no open reason for existence in nature... There is no mercy when an animal is killed by another, but then neither is there any condemnation. This is not so with man. With some men, killing another is a thought that will never enter the mind, no matter the reason. With other men, the elimination of an entire race, people, religion or civilization is justified. Innocent and guilty have perished together at times and others "get away" (so to speak) The reason I bring this into the reply to your question ? Every thought & belief has a continued line of consequence that results from action or choice. If one believes that which is true, and acts accordingly they are in harmony with law, and should see results that are in accordance with the laws scope. If not they will suffer the consequences. An example? Hmmm...OK, How about..."He must have "thought" the ice was thick enough to hold him...too bad that it was not..." Assumptions in the physical world have no basis for substantiation. The consequences are the same for those who presume...for presumption is the counterfeit of faith. A deception IS a deception because it "appears" to be true, but turns out to be "thin ice". What I am saying here is that choices and beliefs are the same as physical actions and lead us to places. They are a revelation of the content of the mind of the individual and fall within the context of a line of thought. A cohesive line of thought will not vary in content. People who believe in absolute non-violence do not throw rocks at passersby for fun. Italian seasoning does not go well with Chinese food. Chopsticks do not work with steak.(etc.) A good parent cannot turn a blind eye to a childs improper behavior. A just God cannot dismiss sin and ignore its consequences. Every belief must bear the scrutiny of the applied laws of that belief and the ultimate end, or destination, of those beliefs and laws. Reincarnation is in a sense, "another chance" based upon previous actions. To ultimately reach a higher plane of existence...(if you did it right?), or to go back and start all over again...(if you did it wrong!) Don`t we have enough chances in this life? Enough opportunity to try again when children, or adults? Are we eternal beings? Impossible for us to fail...like an eternal Groundhog Day? What if all people said..."Well, I`m going to be a jerk this lifetime and I win & you lose for now, but don`t worry...you`ll have another chance later too!" Then death starts the roulette wheel going round again? Karma? You get what you have sown..absolutely? What no mercy? Justice means getting what you deserve, mercy means getting something you have no entitlement to whatsoever...there is forgiveness in mercy, not justice. Yet the two must meet somewhere for they are both laws and principles, as is love. (but few think of love as a principle) Most beliefs are based upon man seeking God & appeasing him, and (or) working your way to a higher state of existence through, meditation, fasts, depriving the body, abstinence, rituals, ceremony. Only one has God looking for man and sacrificing his own life for him. This selflessness is the heart of the definition of love... Not for a return payment to justify entitlement to a higher realm, but a

For me this is not a matter of what I think or believe. This question would be like asking "Do you think yesterday happened?" or "Do you believe yesterday happened?" Of course we all know yesterday happened so the question is redundant.

The same could be asked "Do you believe tomorrow will happen?" or "Do you think tomorrow will happen?" There are those of us who have such uncertainties regarding even these questions that the answer could not be definite.

So to answer your question, my answer is that I KNOW that I am a spiritual being and therefore have both lived before and will live a new life when the current body I occupy outlives its use-by-date, whatever that may be.

The body is simply a vessel by which we can exist and communicate in that reality we call the physical universe.

Likewise there is no one person on Earth who can answer this question as fully for you as you can yourself. All that would be required would be to know absolutely through personal experience that you are either a.) a spiritual being b.) a piece of meat (only a body) or c.) something else in the infinite scope of possibilities.

Of course there are books available that may help direct you as to where to look for the right answer...if you pick up the right books!

~

death of a living sentient system,

such as we are~

is the catalyst which dis-integrates our (spirit) interface,

to which, the soul or spirit does not return to the Source,

~elan vital being the breath of life

releases or dissolves its conduit connection,

as the Source of being is all ways with us,

before and after our current configuration.

ending and beginning are always becoming.

~aloha

I believe when you die you cease to exist except in the memories of others. You have one life to live so enjoy it while it lasts, believing anything else is false hope and takes away from the reality we live in and can make us delusional. I like to think of death as an eternal peace nothing more. ;-)

Yes, i think death is the passport of our spirit to go back to our source of being. in death our physical self cease to exist and conscious of nothing at all and our spirit goes back to the creator.

There is no such thing as death if you believe Jesus is our savior and died to take on all of our sins. Death is merely a transformation from the flesh to a spirit.

Good question there. I don't trouble myself these days with thoughts about things that are unknowable but when I think about it the thought of ashes to ashes & dust to dust comes to mind. But then again our DNA continues on in our offspring and memories of loved ones flood back at times that you can almost feel their presence. Who can say but interesting nonetheless to ponder.

Depends on your beleifs!

I would like to think that we start from scratch after death and we cannot remember most things, it would explain Deja vus and other weird things in our world!

i believe in reincarnation so for me death is begining of new journey of soul .