Page 37 - All India Magazine Dec-2024

solution that the physical consciousness dreads. And yet the form is
constantly changing and in essence there is nothing to prevent this
change from being progressive. Only this progressive change could
make death no longer inevitable, but it is very difficult to achieve
and demands conditions that very few people are able to fulfil. Thus
the method to be followed in order to overcome the fear of death
will differ according to the nature of the case and the state of the
consciousness. These methods can be classified into four principal
kinds, although each one includes a large number of varieties; in
fact, each individual must develop his own system. The first method
appeals to the reason. One can say that in the present state of the
world, death is inevitable; a body that has taken birth will necessar-
ily die one day or another, and in almost every case death comes
when it must: one can neither hasten nor delay its hour. Someone
who craves for it may have to wait very long to obtain it and some-
one who dreads it may suddenly be struck down in spite of all the
precautions he has taken. The hour of death seems therefore to
be inexorably fixed, except for a very few individuals who possess
powers that the human race in general does not command. Reason
teaches us that it is absurd to fear something that one cannot avoid.
The only thing to do is to accept the idea of death and quietly do the
best one can from day to day, from hour to hour, without worrying
about what is going to happen. This process is very effective when it
is used by intellectuals who are accustomed to act according to the
laws of reason; but it would be less successful for emotional people
who live in their feelings and let themselves be ruled by them. No
doubt, these people should have recourse to the second method,
the method of inner seeking. Beyond all the emotions, in the silent
and tranquil depths of our being, there is a light shining constantly,
the light of the psychic consciousness. Go in search of this light,
concentrate on it; it is within you. With a persevering will you are
sure to find it and as soon as you enter into it, you awake to the
sense of immortality. You have always lived, you will always live;

All India Magazine, December 2024 37