In this session from the course "The Post-Coronavirus Era" (May 14, 2020), the kabbalist Michael Laitman answers a series of questions that explore the origins and nature of life and death.

Key points include:

• Origin of Life: Life is presented as a special form of consciousness that arose from an initial desire. Over time, this desire became self-aware and underwent various transformations.
• Nature of Death: Death is described as the absence of fulfilled desire. It is not an absolute end but a transition to another state of consciousness, much like water changing its form.
• Role of Spiritual and Natural Forces: Drawing on Kabbalistic teachings, the talk explains that light creates and continuously transforms desire, suggesting that life and death are interconnected processes governed by natural laws.
• Perception and Impact: The existence of death forces humans to reflect on the meaning of life, influences ethical and legal systems (including views on punishment and correction), and shapes our cultural attitudes.
• Afterlife and Transformation: The discussion touches on the possibility of life continuing after physical death and emphasizes that preparing for life after death—rather than for death itself—is key.
• Practical and Psychological Considerations: The speaker also offers guidance on how to talk to children about death, the nature of clinical death, and rapid-fire answers addressing common questions on topics like suicide, cremation, and longevity.

Life and Death

Course “The Post-Coronavirus Era”
May 14, 2020

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How did life come into being?

Question:
“Biology, translated from Greek, means ‘the study of life.’ However, this science does not address the question of where life originated on Earth. Do you know how life began and what it truly is?”

Answer:
“Life is a special form of consciousness. It emerged from an originally created desire. Gradually, this force of desire evolved to such an extent that it began to perceive itself as existing, developing, and partially dying through various metamorphoses.”

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Question:
“So, there is some force that created the desire for life. Then, where did death come from?”

Answer:
“A desire that is not fulfilled or cannot be fulfilled perceives itself as dying. In other words, death is the absence of a fulfilled desire. Conversely, if the desire feels fulfilled, it experiences life.”

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Question:
“As explained in the science of Kabbalah, the force of light created desire and continues to fill it. Under the influence of light, desire is in a constant state of change. Light is primary, while desire is secondary. In principle, can all of this be studied?”

Answer:
“Of course, there are no secrets here.”

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Life and Death: The Cycle of Desire in Nature

Question:
“Is it correct to understand that death exists so that a person reflects on the meaning of life?”

Answer:
“In general, yes. If there were some other forms of life continuation instead of death, of course, a person would feel completely different. The presence of death defines our entire worldview.”

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Question:
“What can you say about clinical death? Are the processes that a person experiences an illusion? And why are the visions and sensations during clinical death similar for many people?”

Answer:
“This is natural, as we exist in animal-like bodies; therefore, the processes that occur within us when certain biological systems begin to fail are similar and yield identical manifestations.”

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Question:
“Is clinical death an illusion?”

Answer:
“Partly. Because the desire to die itself cannot exist. Only the form of that desire, known as the body, disappears.”

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Question:
“Just as water, by changing its form, can exist as a gas, liquid, or solid, does a person similarly change the form of their existence?”

Answer:
“The point is that the process of life and death is relative to a person. In reality, nothing actually happens. It is merely that, relative to humans, desire undergoes forms of transformation—giving the impression that it lives, dies, is reborn, and so on. It is the cycle of desire in nature.”

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Can One Change Their Attitude Towards Death?

Question:
“Why is such a natural phenomenon as death perceived so painfully by people?”

Answer:
“Because it is a final state, after which we can offer nothing. And what comes after? Nothingness. Non-existence. Something simply vanishes. A person moved, spoke, reacted—we interacted with them—and suddenly, instead of them remains a dead biological body, and the person is gone. Here, two parameters vanish: the spirit with which we communicated and the body—the force that once animated that flesh.”

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Question:
“Do you agree with the statement that death is not an absolute end to human existence, but that life or the stream of consciousness continues to exist in some form after the physical body dies?”

Answer:
“Undoubtedly.”

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Question:
“Who determines the nature of a person’s death?”

Answer:
“It is determined by the system in which a person exists—not the system of society or any particular leadership or government, but the overall, integrated system.”

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Question:
“Can this be changed in any way?”

Answer:
“Certainly. If a person is connected by benevolent forces to the surrounding society, then they can change their attitude towards death.”

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Life After Death

Question:
“If a person knew the day of their death, could they live their life better?”

Answer:
“It depends on the person. It is said that Wolf Messing knew the day and hour of his death and approached it calmly. Others fear it. And there are people who believe so strongly in the continuation of life that, on the contrary, consider death desirable.”

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Question:
“Should one prepare for death every day?”

Answer:
“No. One should prepare for life after death, so as to continue one’s existence in the proper form and direction.”

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Question:
“Is it possible to educate a person in such a way that they are not afraid of death?”

Answer:
“Certainly. Firstly, all religions deal with this. Try stopping a suicide—someone voluntarily going to death—and he will only become angrier with you for not allowing him to enter paradise, where beautiful houris await him. But there are still few of those. Mostly, even religious people fear death.”

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Question:
“In your opinion, what is the proper attitude towards death?”

Answer:
“A person’s biological cycle ends, and they enter another state—essentially continuing the spiritual work that they may have begun while still living in the body.”

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Punishment or Correction?

Question:
“For what transgression, in your opinion, should a person be subjected to the death penalty?”

Answer:
“For the deliberate murder of an innocent person. That is what is stated in the Torah, and I agree with it. Such a transgression, of course, is a major problem.”

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Question:
“And what if the murderer repented?”

Answer:
“There are many ‘buts’ involved here related to the examination of connections between souls, so I cannot comment on that.”

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Question:
“So, in the future, could there be professionals who, based on a person’s qualities, determine their punishment?”

Answer:
“In nature, there is no such thing as punishment. There is correction. The legal system, labor camps, prisons—these are all part of what is called the correctional system. It is not a system of punishment, but rather a system of correction. Therefore, we must reform it to be precisely that.”

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Death – A Transition to Another State

Question:
“I understand the process of aging that ends in death. But what is the meaning of sudden death?”

Answer:
“The fact is, we do not really know what causes any person’s death. Therefore, it is very difficult for us to analyze such matters. After all, death is not a consequence of life; it is a transition to another state.”

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Question:
“What is the reason for a short life—which may last a few days, months, or years? Why would nature bring an organism into being only for it to end its life shortly after?”

Answer:
“Nature does not judge a person by the number of years lived. In nature, we all exist as parts of one comprehensive, integrated system. Depending on how we interact within that system, we possess a greater or lesser need. Based on this, we go through our lives and eventually conclude them.”

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Question:
“You say that death is a transition to a higher level of awareness of reality. Nature carries this out for us. But can a person consciously do this themselves?”

Answer:
“Yes. It is said: ‘See your world while still alive.’ You can change your nature by rising above egoism and becoming so connected to the supreme force of nature that material life essentially ceases to be important, central, or defining for you. In other words, even before the physical body dies, a person will already be in the next state of consciousness.”

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When You Are Remembered…

Question:
“There are people who die and are never remembered, and there are people who are studied, remembered, and whose birth and death dates are noted. Is there any meaning to this?”

Answer:
“No. I wouldn’t say that it’s better to be remembered. Who remembers? Little egoists? Perhaps famous scientists or writers did something for humanity, but nothing for the correction of souls.”

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Question:
“But people constantly talk about them, and they are studied.”

Answer:
“So what? Do the modern people who study them feel any better because of it? Does it correct nature and themselves? That’s the point. And what they write are just pure stories.”

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Children and Questions About Death

Question:
“How would you advise responding to children’s questions about death? At what age should one begin discussing such topics with children? Should a child be taken to a funeral?”

Answer:
“I would not recommend discussing death with children or taking them to a cemetery until they are at least 15 years old.”

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Question:
“And if they ask such questions on their own? It is said that children begin to show interest in these matters around 10 or 11 years old.”

Answer:
“Naturally, they do. But I would not recommend engaging too deeply. It is better to distract them from these thoughts. Do not overload a child’s psyche with such matters; let them focus on learning.”

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Question:
“Do people believe in death because they are taught to, or because human consciousness associates life with the functioning of internal organs? Everything we see cannot exist without our consciousness. According to the theory of biocentrism, death—as we understand it—is an illusion created by our consciousness. Do you agree with this statement?”

Answer:
“I do not agree with that theory at all. Naturally, death occurs in our consciousness. Naturally, in a sense, it is an illusion. But everything else that is said in this theory is complete nonsense. Bring me any biocentrist and let’s conduct an experiment with him.”

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To Correct Oneself in Time

Question:
“Would you invest money in developing a vaccine against death?”

Answer:
“No. I believe that death, on the contrary, is a blessing. And what is good in this life? A person goes through a certain stage of development here and, within certain limits, corrects their soul. And that is enough. I believe that what Nature/The Creator does to us is an absolute blessing, an absolute truth, and nothing should be changed.”

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Question:
“In your opinion, how long should a person live?”

Answer:
“Just long enough to correct oneself. Not a minute more. But ideally, long enough to accomplish it.”

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Question:
“What would you like to wish people in life?”

Answer:
“‘If death comes, let it be instantaneous; if there are wounds, let them be minor.’ What can one wish for a person? That they think about how fortunate they are to have received the opportunity to learn that there is a science that speaks of their purpose, of life and death—in such a way that they can rise above it, comprehend it, draw the most accurate conclusions, and achieve a perfect result.”

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Rapid-Fire Answers from the Kabbalist

Question:
“Why does someone else’s death attract so much attention? We see that when an accident occurs, many bystanders gather around. Why does this spark such interest?”

Answer:
“This is pure psychology: something unknown, perplexing, that touches everyone, and therefore attracts attention.”

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Question:
“Can it be considered a weakness if a person thinks about or fears death?”

Answer:
“No. It is a natural state for a person.”

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Question:
“What is your attitude towards suicide?”

Answer:
“Negative. But I understand those people who choose this path.”

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Question:
“Do you believe that the medicine of the future will be able to prevent death?”

Answer:
“No. Never.”

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Question:
“What, in your opinion, is the ideal form of death?”

Answer:
“When a person corrects themselves to the utmost degree, even in the very last moment of life.”

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Question:
“Do you consider a tragic death a punishment for not conforming to the laws of nature?”

Answer:
“That is too simplistic.”

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Question:
“Is there life after the death of the physical body?”

Answer:
“Certainly. It is existence in another form.”

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Question:
“Do you believe that life was brought from space?”

Answer:
“No. I do not believe that there is life in space.”

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Question:
“Can a person live for several hundred years in a biological body?”

Answer:
“Yes, that is possible. But to what end?”

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Question:
“In your opinion, is cremation acceptable?”

Answer:
“This is a personal matter for each individual. Essentially, from the perspective of a person’s spiritual development, it does not matter what happens to the body.”