In what follows, I will attempt to answer this much researched question based on my own intuitive knowledge. My approach is new in that it integrates scientific and philosophical answers, and adds personal experience. 

Human is an information field and does not cease to exist after death. This is not a matter of belief, but an experiential reality. Of course, this experience requires a high level of consciousness. But it is available to anyone. Well, if one does not believe, why not develop the skills to have one's own experience? I didn't believe it either, but I took the trouble to educate myself until I was in possession of my own knowledge. 

First, let us start from that after death the entity is in the same state as when he/she was dreaming in life. When we dream, we often perceive that we have no bodily sensation and act unhindered by our thoughts. Existence after death is exactly like that. But this is only experienced by those who have reached a certain level of consciousness. Entities with low consciousness do not experience anything after death, because this is as if they are in a deep sleep, i.e. everything happens to them unconsciously, they cannot even report it. The higher the consciousness of the entity, the more he/she will remember about the existence after death, even how he/she went from one body to another, and at even higher level he/she can control it consciously. With an even higher consciousness, he/she can experience that both existence in the body and existence without a body (in the form of a ghost) are dreams, i.e. not the ultimate reality. Let's not deal with the ultimate reality now, because first we need to understand what happens at the moment of physical death. The things described below are concluded from my meditation and are only partially supported by scientific evidence. 

Sooner or later, the signal reaches a nerve cell, which notifies the nervous system. The whole nervous system reacts. Again, there are two possible responses. The nervous system may wake up the dormant immune system with a stronger signal and inject reserve energy to restore balance. In other words, the fight starts for staying alive, for localisation the death signal and for preventing it from spreading to the whole body. The question is, is there enough reserve energy? It may turn out that there is not. In that case, the death signal will spread and the mind, controlling the physical body, will realise that it is going to die. The mind will again react in one of two ways, either surrender or not. If it does not accept death because of its attachment to life, family members, possessions, tasks, etc., then the result will be a prolonged death. In the other case, the mind surrenders and signals to the body that it can do no more, the moment of death has come. When the mind switches off, the soul can switch on. The soul then gains space and can indicate what tasks the entity has not done so far, what he/she has done wrongly or incompletely, what further opportunities he/she may have if he/she realises that the mind is not the supreme controller of his/her personality. This expansion of the soul connects the physical body to an external energy source (life energy field). Then, if the mind agrees to cooperate with the soul, the physical body is regenerated and the entity returns from the brink of death. This is the reason why the death threshold experience changes people's perception of life, even if there is no conscious return. 

Medical life-support techniques therefore only have to do with avoiding death by giving time for the mind and soul to communicate. The mind has more time to give up the role of supreme controller and to accept that it is the controller of the physical body only and not the supreme leader of the personality. 

It can also happen, of course, that at the moment of the mind's self-abandonment, the soul announces that there is no more. This is when the so-called beautiful death usually takes place, i.e. the soul leaves in a reconciled state through an orifice of the body, depending on the consciousness at the time. At this time a smile appears on the face. This does not necessarily mean liberation (moksha) from the cycle of existence, but because consciousness has recognised the soul, the entity can move on to a higher next life. 

All spiritual practices that facilitate communication between mind and spirit can help you experience death more consciously. After all, when we die, we ourselves die and doesn't other. Why do we rely on others to help us? Who controls this body if not us? Why do we think it is someone else's business to have control over our life and death? 

Let us take control of both our life and our death!

Margaret Rhasoda-Varga
UCCM head-master
(The art of living life II. excerpt)