Nick the Pilot
Well-Known Member
Well, no. It is a hierarchy of higher and lower co-existing selves. We are presently co-existing in our physical bodies, our emotional bodies (also called astral bodies), our mental bodies, and our nirvanic bodies. When we dream at night, sometimes we leave our physical bodies and do astral travel, then return to our physical bodies when we wake up in the morning. This is why dreams can be quite confusing, because life on the astral plane is quite different than on the physical plane, and trying to translate our activities on the astral plane at night into memories on the physical plane in the morning oftentimes does not work.
But we also have other, higher selves. The next higher self is our nirvanic self. Our nirvanic self co-exists along with our physical, astral, and mental selves. But we are presently unable to become conscious in our nirvanic bodies. Our nirvanic body is there, but it is only in an unconscious, slumbering state.
In the reincarnation wherein we achieve enlightenment, we finally raise our consciousness up to the nirvanic level and we become able to be conscious on the nirvanic level. At that moment, we become simultaneously conscious at the physical, astral, mental, and nirvanic levels. When we die from that incarnation, if we choose to do so, we discard the physical, astral, and mental bodies forever, exist only within our nirvanic body, and become fully conscious on the nirvanic level. (This is what entering nirvana is all about.) Bodhisattvas, on the other hand, choose to continue to have physical reincarnations, but they are now able to be fully conscious in their physical, astral, mental, and nirvanic bodies simultaneously.
No. Enlightenment is an initiation, it is a test, and it is a very harsh test. During this test, basically we are tempted with all kinds of things, drugs, sex, alcohol, you name it. It is only when we show no interest in these things that we are ‘allowed’ to become conscious on the nirvanic level. If we were allowed to become conscious on the nirvanic while we still had interest in things of the physical world, it would be a disaster. Or perhaps another way to put it is, it would just be impossible. Failure of this initiation throws the person into a terrible depression, and they suffer from this for the next several incarnations.
If you are interested, here is a book about a woman who failed this initiation back in Ancient Egypt. It is a fascinating read.
Initiation by Elisabeth Haich
https://www.amazon.com/Initiation-Elisabeth-Haich/dp/0943358507
Amazon has used copies for as little as four dollars.
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