Twilight of Life and Death

Avail yourself of this rare opportunity to be present up close with a realized monk who is connected with the Sambhala teachings of Himalaya and Tibet. Experience Himalayan chanting, an erudite presentation and saintly grace at this public fellowship in the Grass Valley area.
His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda is a Sanskritist and a meditation adept from the combined tutelage of rishi sages and nath siddhas. He will share a Sanskrit-based philosophical and mystical perspective on the twilight periods of what constitutes life and death.
His Holiness will cover about the twilight zones as they relate to many important transitions such as: gestation, birth, pause in between breath, near death experience, experience of transcending the ego after a deep meditation, last breath and the stoppage of heartbeat followed by the utility of a freshly dead body.
Open questions remain about which types of cells can remain viable post-mortem, and for how long. Organ transplantation offers a familiar example of keeping parts of an organism alive even after organismal death. In his unique angle of presentation, His Holiness will attempt to unravel the enigma of organismal death versus accepted norms of cellular death.
Living cells tend to stay alive even after what is usually deemed as the moment of death, and under the right circumstances can persist for a long time, and hence the dead organism or the so called “dead body” may remain useful for a while. The adepts and yogis have a special use of this transition period. And hence there is the mystical perspective on how to repurpose elements of a freshly dead human body.
Even when decay truly sets in a dead body, the twilight of life continues due to the remnant prāṇa (lifeforce energy), as many bacterial cells from the microbiome consume their former host. The merging of the dead body into the elements of nature is typically carried out by the cells that thrive due to the remnant lifeforce energy.
In the event of our death, aspects of the awareness besides the remaining lifeforce are retained for over an hour after the brain loses its oxygen supply — well beyond the usual 5-to-10-minute threshold for declaring “brain death”. Like the situation in NDE reported by many who encounter such transitional situations, cardiac arrest survivors often recollect experiences suggestive of awareness (watching as if they are disembodied) during the state of clinical death.
Against the backdrop of this intrigue, His Holiness will explain about the timing of human death and if it that can be controlled and how it can be made more peaceful, while allowing the bereaved to relieve themselves of their sorrow. Understanding this angle allows for a healing approach to death and the afterlife.
His Holiness will also give examples of the ability of mystics to leave the body at a chosen time with a conscious death. He will explore the twilight zone between the body and the soul as expounded in spiritual philosophy and as experienced by the adepts of the Himalayan mountains and Tibet.

His Holiness Swami Vidyadhishananda recently moved to the Grass Valley area. He heads seven spiritual institutions in India, and is now focusing on establishing a Meditation Centre in Nevada County as the eighth institution in order to facilitate dissemination of authentic Himalayan indigenous knowledge in the West.
A greeting line will be arranged following the chanting and discourse where you can exchange a few words with the speaker. His Holiness is the spiritual founder of the US Nonprofit, Self Enquiry Life Fellowship.

Parking is available near the Multi-purpose Center in Lot 5 of the Sierra College – Nevada County Campus. See this Map and you will find the Multi-purpose Center labeled as N12. Parking is free on the weekends, so you do not need to purchase a parking pass.

Attending a fellowship with a traditional monk and a living saint may be a new experience for many. Below are a few helpful guidelines about what to expect.

• Arrive early to check-in and get seated before His Holiness is presented on stage.
• Maintain reverential silence when possible, in order to foster a quiet environment. If speaking is needed, speak quietly.
• Kindly wear modest attire (avoid tank tops and shorts) befitting the meditative ambience.
• You will be asked to check in at the registration table before entering. Kindly be patient and unrushed.

Donations to the Nonprofit, Self Enquiry Life Fellowship, are much appreciated and help to cover the costs of hosting. You may donate at the time of registration on Eventbrite or via Zelle or Paypal to [email protected]. There will also be options for making a donation (or love offering) via cash, check or credit card at the event. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

• Please stay home if you are experiencing a fever, coughing, sore throat, fatigue or any COVID symptoms.
• Please follow basic infection prevention and control practices by regularly washing hands with soap and water or with an essential oil (such as lavender oil), and by covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your inner elbow.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Sierra College Multipurpose Center, 250 Sierra College Drive, Grass Valley, United States