- Chapter 7 -
Near Death Experience

Perhaps you have never heard of a Near Death Experience (NDE). In 1976, when I left Saratoga Springs and became a Krishna monk, I seriously doubt that anyone living in the ashram was aware of what a NDE was. After all, the ink on Raymond Moody’s 1975 book (Life after Life), where he first coined the phrase, a “Near Death Experience,” was barely dry. But this is 2025 (49 years later) and this whole NDE phenomenon is one of the hottest topics on social media.

I've been listening to Near Death Experiences for over 3 years and I think it’s rather clear why so many of us are attracted to these NDE testimonies. In the beginning I made a conscious effort to listen to at least one testimony every day and what has become abundantly clear is that we can finally stop being afraid of dying. The questions and fear of what happens to us when we die is something that every human being with the ability to reason has asked and felt, and now there is solid evidence that we are eternal beings.

Although many Near Death Survivors have given us great insight into death, certain testimonies are more illuminating than others, such as when I listened to Dr. Mary Neal who was forcefully held under a raging waterfall in South America. Her body was contorted with such power that some of her bones were broken by the pressure of the water crushing down upon her legs as her dead body was finally ejected out of her kayak. However, instead of pain & terror, she describes what happened as painless, beautiful, and full of the most unimaginable love. See what I mean?

There are so many great testimonies like hers that have convinced me throughly that none of us should be afraid of dying. This has been a major and unexpected part of “my message.” Mary says that she spent about 30 minutes under 12 feet of water. If you search YouTube for “Dr. Mary Neal, NDE” you will find many videos of her speaking about what she experienced.

How can anyone not be utterly stunned when hearing what happens to these Near Death Survivors? Their stories have definitely left me wanting to learn more. Many Near Death Survivors also talk about higher realms. Many say that these realms exist. What do the Vedas say about them? I’ve already written about the Spiritual World. But it was not until I became aware of the existence of these Near Death Survivors and their testimonies that I was finally able to understand the deeper implications of “my message.”

Most of the information in this chapter comes from India and thank God we have A.C. Bhaktivedanta to guide us through the amazing maze of gurus, Gods, saints and “statues” (deities) that are located there. A.C. Bhaktivedanta is one of the great masters of the Vedas and is a champion for only allowing the pure sands of Vedic truth to fall upon the countless pages he has translated Sanskrit to English.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

“I am most impressed with A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada’s scholarly and authoritative edition of Bhagavad-gita. It provides a lucid English translation followed by an outstanding and comprehensive exegesis (a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture), with extensive subject index. It is a most valuable work for the scholar as well as the layman and is of great utility as a reference book, as well as a textbook” (Dr. Samuel D. Atkins, Professor of Sanskrit and Vedic Philology, Princeton University, U.S.A.)

As a novice priest and not sure what I was getting myself into, reading dozens of similar comments by the world’s leading Sanskrit scholars & theologians has helped me to realize that I had made a good decision by choosing to surrender to the divine wind that had begun to blow all around me. I can honestly say that after all these years I have no regrets.

I am adding this new chapter (and feel like I have to) because remember, I started this book by talking about "what is my message" and for me I have found that the knowledge found in the Vedas is absolutely relevant to what the NDE community is discussing today.

In other words, yes, the gurus, sadhus, Gods, and holy places of India are all rich in truth, but in order to create the perfect vibration that will lift the Divine Curtain to allow the soul to enter eternal paradise (described in both Christianity and the Vedas), then we need the guidance of the guru and theVedas. I hear them speaking to me: "This is what’s real. This is what you need to know: these prayers, this sound vibration, and this blessing. Together they produce the perfect means to propel us into the highest realm.

Furthermore, Penetrating this curtain involves more than just the act of dying. Therefore, this might be a good place to mention that inside the worldwide, Near Death Community, a Divine Curtain or Veil is not a topic of discussion that I’m aware of. However, often I have heard that a soul who has left his body reaches a specific barrier or threshold, and passing over it they just know that they will never return. Discussing this Divine Curtain and other valuable topics that I have gleaned from various Near Death Survivors seems to be part of “my message” and is why I have added this chapter.

The Sri Isopanisad is considered the starting place when studying the Vedas and means: “information which brings one closer to the Supreme (God).” After arriving in America this is one of the first books that A.C. Bhaktivedanta translated into English.

Below I’ve copied 2 verses from this book that clearly confirms the existence of a dazzling veil of light that hides both the Lord, Himself, and the Divine Realm where He resides. Peter Panagore saw a “sparkling golden light.”

Sri Isopanisad (Verse 15): “O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to your pure devotee.”

Sri Isopanisad (Verse 16): “O my Lord, O primeval philosopher, maintainer of the universe, O regulating principle, destination of the pure devotees, well-wisher of the progenitors of mankind, please remove the effulgence of Your transcendental rays so that I can see Your form of bliss. You are the eternal Supreme Personality of Godhead, like unto the sun, as am I.”

Just as the light from this flashlight completely blocks the face of the individual holding it,
so does the light emanating from the Lord’s body block all His features. (Note: photo.by the author. You can see my pants and left boot if you look closely.)

As I mentioned, sometimes you will hear a Near Death Survivor mention a “boundary” and how crossing it would mean permanent death, and of course that would mean that we would have never heard from that person ever again. At other times you might hear of a “barrier.” Usually this barrier is similar to a boundary that cannot be penetrated, however, during Wayne Fowler’s interview on NDE TV, he clearly mentioned this barrier, but in his case he said that he actually penetrated it; coming face-to-face with “a living light of incomparable beauty.” Most remarkable, Wayne said that the light was pouring forth from the body of a man who was at the center of this living light and he said that this person was God.

After listening to many NDE testimonies, what I have learned is that love is the most profound feature experienced by Near Death Survivors. They also say that this love is within a Great Bright Light and IS this light. They describe this light as more intense than a thousand suns shinning all at once and yet they all say that it was never painful to look at (with their spiritual eyes).

We read in the Bhagavad-gita and elsewhere that the source of all light is the self-effulgence of the Lord. In other words, God naturally emanates light. His body simply glows and His glow is the source of all light. God is non-different from His bodily glow. I am calling this light the Great Bright Light. The proper Sanskrit word for this light is, Brahmajoyti (bra-ma-joy-tee).

"Wayne said that the light was pouring forth from the body of a man who was at the center of this living light and he said that this person was God." The eternal effulgence of the Lord is as bright as a thousand suns. It is both pure love, and conscious.

Since God is love, the light that emanates from Him is love. Because this light is non-different from God, this light is love – this light is God. Because God is supremely conscious, the light from His body is also supremely conscious. This is how light can be both bright, loving, and God Conscious all at once.

Dr. Jean Hausheer also had a Near Death Experience. She said that what stood out the most was the loving light she came in touch with. She couldn’t understand how a light could be conscious, but she says it was. She said that she could feel this light, and that it had a loving presence and felt like unimaginable love. Once again I cannot help but notice how the Vedas have given me this wonderful explanation of this Great Bright Light (the same Light that nearly every Near Death Survivor mentions). The Holy Bible says: “God is Light” (1 John 1:5).

Regarding this Great Bright Light, I have scattered about my office many books about various Catholic saints. Although there is some discussion of a divine veil, rarely is there anything said about the Great Bright Light. However, one exception that does come to mind is the 17th century Spanish nun: Sor Maria de Jesus. She was about to die from some unknown ailment but miraculously recovered. Turning to the other nuns she said, “I came in touch with a light far greater than death.” She was thirteen years old when this happened.

In the 7th chapter of the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says, I am the light of the sun. If we then skip ahead to the eleventh chapter, Lord Krishna reveals a multitude of divine forms to Arjuna. Then in a stunning spectacle the Lord demonstrates His infinite power, with a light that Sanjaya compares to “a thousand suns.”

Bhagavad-gita (11:12): ”If hundreds of thousands of suns were to rise at once into the sky, their radiance might resemble the effulgence of the Supreme Person.” (Note: In his NDE testimony, Raymond Kinman talks about this light being, "as bright as a million suns.")

I began this chapter mentioning a Divine Curtain. From what I’ve shown so far, it is this Great Bright Light that is hiding the Lord and His eternal realm from us; a curtain of divine light. It doesn’t hurt to hear this again…"the effulgence radiating off the Lord’s body is said to be brighter than thousands of suns all shining at once." Even though, as I've shown, a simple flashlight can also block us from seeing what’s “on the other side,” just imagine what is being “blocked from our view” by a light as bright as a million suns!

This is the value of the Vedas. This is what makes “the Good News of the Vaishnava Gospel” so valuable. If we consider all that mankind knows; has calculated; has experienced; has read about; has worshiped; and has written about: it all involves the massive, material realm that is located on this side of the Great Bright Light. This includes all the realms mentioned by both the NDE and New Age communities. They simply do not know what’s on the other side of the Great Bright Light or that there is even an "other side" existing. However, thankfully, A.C. Bhaktivedanta knows what exists there and when I talk about my message, much of what I have discovered has come from both the Vedas and the many NDE testimonies that I have listened to; especially that we are not our bodies but rather an eternal spirit soul.

As I have said many times, other than the Vedas I do not know of any other source that has better described the mysteries & details of the eternal realm. Therefore, let us take a closer look. Exactly what curtain am I talking about, and what does it takes to lift it, and then what happens? Even Elon Musk and his huge rockets need a special propellant to lift them into the heavens. In the same way, A.C. Bhaktivedanta explains that without the proper “spiritual propellant” to get us there, the Lord’s Divine Realm remains hidden behind His personal effulgence. This is the curtain I a talking about!

Another way to think about this “spiritual propellant” is to compare it to a “spiritual door.” This divine door is sound activated, but only the correct sound can open the door; just as the trunk on my car will only open by the sound that my key fob produces when I push the trunk button. All the holy fathers attest to the power of sound, but what sound am I talking about? Surely this must be something very special. Yes, and this is what I discovered to be such a vital part of “my message.” Although one might assume that this sound is only heard echoing out of some ancient cave in the Himalayans, surprisingly, it is equally familiar and taught throughout major parts of the Christian world.

This spiritual propellant can also compared to a “divine computer code” that sits idle until the right command is given. We’re all familiar with such things and this is what the remainder of my book's final chapter is about: explaining where this code is located, how to give the command to activate it, and what happens next.

Once again I sincerely thank A.C. Bhaktivedanta for his guidance. He’s not only going to show what’s written in the Vedas regarding this subject, he’s also going to introduce us to God as never before; and why not? After all, certainly there must be much more to know about our Divine Father. Who is this Supreme Being; where He reside; and what He looks like? Of course I was disappointed that the Holy Bible didn’t have this information, however, over the centuries various Christian artists have used their imagination to capture what God looks like.

If you are interested in cracking the mysteries of life & death, then this must included a proper understanding of God, as well. When Jesus was talking to His disciples, He came right out and told them that they were still like ignorant children, unaware of the true glory of God (John 16:12). Other passages written by Apostle Paul tells us that our situation is uncertain and that we are afflicted with an imperfect vision of reality.

To understand God as He is, we must keep an open mind. This is precisely why I listened to A.C. Bhaktivedanta when he said there is so much more; including what God looks likes; His various pastimes and activities; wisdom that He has spoken; and many accounts of Him appearing upon earth (and even on other planets). Without the Vedas all I have is some very sketchy information found in the the Holy Bible. Of course there is a host of visions, apparitions, trances, and revelations that fill hundreds of books with countless ideas regarding God’s majesty, but again they are only describing what is located on THIS SIDE of the Great Bright Light.

Therefore, regarding the entire subject of God and the message of the Vedas, I’ve always asked myself, “Why not?” Without an open mind, God will surely remain a mystery to me. Therefore, I always thought: “Why not listen to what Shrila Prabhupada has to say.” Plus, if I spurned him, then essentially I would be taking the position that I am smarter than he is. Who am I to do that?

As I began my life as a novice monk it immediately became clear that A.C. Bhaktivedanta had translated major portions of the Vedas into English, including the Bhagavad-gita. He also published books about the life, teachings, and appearance of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who lived during the 16th Century. (“Shri” means holy; “Maha” means great; “prabhu” means master).

For me, these books contained an entirely new and exciting introduction to God that I had never heard of. This last chapter is going to show how God loves us with all His heart; in the same way as His Son demonstrated love for us on the Cross. The Lord Chaitanya demonstrated His love for us with a very special gift. The message I received from A.C. Bhaktivedanta is that the Holy Name of Christ and the Holy Name of Lord Krishna are non-different and therefore, either of these Holy Names have the same divine code embedded within them. Both are equally capable of penetrating the Great Bright Light and delivering the soul“to the other side.”

For the 5 years I lived and dedicated my life as a full time monk, I was kept very busy, but gradually I was able to read many of Prabhupada's books. The Bhagavad-gita has been called the “Bible of India” and in chapter two the foundation is laid: “For the soul there is neither birth nor death at any time. He has not come into being, does not come into being, and will not come into being. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, and primeval. As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the soul casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one.” This is the same understanding that defines the Near Death Community: "We are not our body!"

Lord Krishna revealing the truth to Arjuna to dispel his illusions

Returning for a moment to the possibility of the existence of different realms, do they exist? If you were to ask Neva Balduff, she would tell you what “The Great Bright Light” told her during her NDE: “My friend, there are so many more.”

As I’ve mentioned in my book, NDE – My Near Death Experinece & the Vedas, John Burke strongly suggested the possibility of these other realms. In fact, it would be fair to say that the reason that I added this new chapter was triggered by what John said in his book, Imagine Heaven. The Vedas agree with John about the existence of a topmost realm, but his understanding is actually very shallow when compared to the Vedas.

If a renowned NDE scholar is not even aware of the Great Bright Light, and is also oblivious to what it is hiding behind it, how can this person be an authority on the topmost spiritual realm? In part, the value of Krishna and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance is that it’s giving you a beautiful and scripturally sound description of this topmost dimension. Plus my book is going to introduce you to the greatest gift ever bestowed upon the human race.

So let’s take a look at the Vedas and see what these ancient scriptures have to tell us. Hindu scriptures are called, “shastra.” Since this wisdom was first transmitted orally, “shastra” is also called, “shabda-Brahman” (spiritual sound). In the very beginning there were no written scriptures; only an oral tradition.

We hear “shabda-Brahman” (spiritual sound) when prayers are chanted. In India, prayers are called, “mantras” and the power of sound lies within what is being pronounced. What’s important for us to know is that a spiritual code has been embedded within certain sounds (words) and that this code is activated by simply chanting and hearing them. According to the Vedas, this knowledge was originally passed down orally but later transcribed when human memory began to deteriorate, some 5,000 years ago. The holy scribe was Shrila Vyasadeva and what he wrote is known as the Shrimad-Bhagavatam.

Shrila Vyasadeva

This massive collection of mantras contains 18,000 verses in 335 chapters and consists of 12 subdivisions of books, each referred to as a Canto. These 12 books (known as the Puranas) tell the complete history of ancient India, as well as "the beautiful stories of the Lord." Some of these stories tell us about events that happened on planets other than Earth. I've already mentioned A.C. Bhaktivedanta many times, and after coming to American he translated the Shrimad Bhagavatam from Sanskrit into English.

Now that the general history of the Vedas have been briefly explained, when we open one of these books, just amazing, what we discover is an actual description of the spiritual realm that is located on the other side of the Great Bright Light.

Shrimad Bhagavatam, 3rd Canto
by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swam

For example, in the third canto (section) of the Shrimad-Bhagavatam (chapter 15: 16–23), there is this description: "In those Vaikuntha planets there are many forests which are very auspicious. In those forests the trees are wish-fulfilling trees, and in all seasons they are filled with flowers and fruits because everything there is spiritual and personal.

Furthermore, isn't it interesting that in many NDE testimonies we hear about "souls singing." One person described not only this singing but dancing. I also want to point out that floating within the Vaikuntha firmament are unlimited planets, however these planets are vastly different from the planets floating in space, that we call the material universe. This is because everything in the material world is eventually destroyed, whereas every fiber of the Spiritual World is eternal, conscious, full of joy and love. In more than one instance I have heard NDE testimonies where it has been reported that the vegetation is conscious. In the above verse from the Shrimad-Bhagavatam, we find the word, "personal," instead of "conscious," but the meaning is the same.

Also, "In the Vaikuntha planets, the inhabitants fly in their airplanes, accompanied by their wives and consorts, and eternally sing of the character and activities of the Lord, which are always devoid of all inauspicious qualities."

In this rare painting, Krishna and His two companions are being flown about by Garuda. The airplanes in the Spiritual World are not powered by jet fuel, but by beautiful birds with very strong wings.

Lesley Lupo is a Near Death Survivor who mentioned during her amazing NDE testimony how these different realms are home to different aspects of God until, ultimately, His personal abode (realm) is reached. According to the Vedas, this abode is a very special place and is called, Goloka Vrindavan. This is the Lord's supreme planet where God resides.

Garuda
Artist Unknown

Goloka Vrindavan

Turning again to the Shrimad-Bhagavatam we find other descriptions of Lord Krishna’s eternal home:

“Goloka, also called Vrindavana, is always full of cows. There are many waterfalls, which are always pouring water, and the sound is so sweet that it covers the sound of the crickets. And because water flows all over, the forest always looks very green and beautiful.

“The inhabitants of Vrindavana are never disturbed by the scorching heat of the sun or high summer temperatures. The lakes of Vrindavana are surrounded by green grasses and various kinds of lotus flowers bloom there. The air blowing in Vrindavana carries the aromatic pollen of those lotus flowers. When the particles of water from the waves of the Yamuna River, the lakes, and the waterfalls touch the bodies of the inhabitants of Vrindavana, they automatically feel a cooling effect.

“Vrindavana is such a nice place. Flowers are always blooming, and there are even various kinds of decorated deer. Birds are chirping, peacocks are crowing and dancing, and bees are humming. The cuckoos there sing nicely in five kinds of tunes.

“Krishna, the reservoir of pleasure, blowing His flute, accompanied by His elder brother Balarama and the other cowherd boys and the cows, enters the beautiful forest of Vrindavana to enjoy the atmosphere."

Krishna and His brother, Balarama

More information about the eternal soul and this topmost realm is found in the Bhagavad-gita: "That supreme abode is the supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That is My supreme abode." (Bhagavada-gita 8.21)

Many people within the NDE/reincarnation community, along with most of the New Age community, talk about an allegorical "mountain" and how reaching its top is the ultimate goal for the soul. This "mountain" represents a mountain of lessons, achieved by contrasting experiences. They even say that the effort to take just one step up this "mountainous path" may take multiple lifetimes; only achieved after many brutal experiences. This is accepted by so many people today but when asked, other than John Burke's attempt, they cannot tell you what the top of this "mountain" looks like, or anything else about it. In fact, other than the Vedas, I have never heard a detailed description of what the peak of this"mountain" looks like. Yes, using simple logic, John Burke has come up with some general ideas of what "heaven" must look like, but nothing compared to what I've read in the Vedas.

A.C Bhaktivedanta explains: "The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead is described in the shastras (scriptures) as a place where all desires are fulfilled. The supreme abode of the Lord is full of palaces made of touchstone. There are also trees which are called "desire trees" that supply any type of eatable upon demand, and there are cows which supply a limitless supply of milk.

"In this abode, the Lord is served by hundreds of thousands of Goddesses of Fortune, and He is called the "Primal Lord" and the "Cause of All Causes." The Lord is accustomed to blowing on His flute. His transcendental form is the most attractive in all the worlds. His eyes are like the lotus petals, and the color of His body like blue clouds. He is so attractive that His beauty excels that of thousands of cupids. He wears saffron cloth, a garland around His neck, and a peacock feather in His hair."

Shrila Prabhupada continues: "In the Bhagavad-gita, the Lord gives only a small hint of His personal abode (Goloka Vrindavan) which is the super-most planet in the spiritual kingdom (realm). However, a vivid description is given in the Brahma Samhita.

"Vedic literature states that there is nothing superior (no higher realm) beyond the abode of the Supreme Lord, and that this abode is our ultimate destination. When one arrives, he never returns to the material world. Krishna's supreme abode and Himself are non-different, being of the same quality. On this earth, ninety miles southeast of Delhi, is a replica of that supreme abode. When Krishna descended to the earth (5000 years ago), He sported on that particular tract of land." (That tract of land is called, Vrindavan, India).

"They walk into the midst of newly grown leaves of trees whose flowers resembled peacock feathers. They are garlanded by those flowers and decorated with saffron chalk. Sometimes they are dancing and singing and sometimes wrestling with one another. While Krishna dances, some of the cowherd boys sing and others play on flutes; some bugle on buffalo horns or clap their hands, praising Krishna.”

Rural Vrindavan

Described in the Shrimad-Bhagavatam 10.2.36 and depicted in so many beautiful paintings, God's body is beautiful. Regarding the color of God's body, this is not someone's opinion. Instead, His description is derived directly from the ancient Vedas: "I worship Govinda...and His bodily color resembles the color of a fresh blue cloud."

"Govinda" is another Name for Krishna and indicates that God's most personal form is simply a beautiful young boy who loves playing with His friends and their cows. However, these are not normal friends or normal cows. Remember, we're describing the topmost spiritual realm (Goloka Vrindavan) where everything is conscious, eternal, happy, bursting with love, and full of knowledge.

Since A.C. Bhaktivedanta mentioned that there is also a vivid description of this topmost realm in the Brahma Samhita, here are a few verses taken from the 5th Chapter of this very ancient text. Once again, this realm is located the Brahmajoyti, on the other side of the Great Bright Light.

1) "Krishna who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes."

2) "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desires, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakshmis or gopis." (These are angelic beings. Many NDE testimonies speak of male and female beings of light. In the topmost realm, these female “beings of light" are manifest as gopis and lakshmis. These are young village girls. Other "beings of light" manifest as Krishna’s cowherd boyfriends, cows, birds, trees, grass, flowers, butterflies, lakes, rivers, etc., all serving God with pure, conscious, and ecstatic love.)

3) "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals, with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids."

4) "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, round whose neck is swinging a garland of flowers beautified with the moon-locket, whose two hands are adorned with the flute and jeweled ornaments, who always revels in pastimes of love, whose graceful threefold-bending form of Syamasundara is eternally manifest." (Syamasundara means dark and beautiful.)

Govinda, the Cause of all Causes
painting by: M.V. Dhurandhar

5) "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane."

(For example, God is not limited to tasting food just with His mouth. Simply by glancing at food He fully smells, tastes and enjoys it. This feature of God is the "transformation principle" of the Catholic's Holy Eucharist as well as the theology behind food being transformed into a spiritual substance, known as "prasadam" (mercy): the only food that I ate as a monk. "Prasadam" means Krishna's mercy and is the remnants of something that has been lovingly prepared for the pleasure of God and offered to Him for His enjoyment. This can be food, clothing, jewelry,flowers, etc. Because Krishna has enjoyed it, "prasadam" is not a material thing. Once Krishna enjoys something it becomes transcendental. Krishna and "Krishna's prasadam" are non-different.)

A Meal of Delicious Prasadam Ready to be Enjoyed by a Temple Guest
photo by: Vraja Kishor

*** ** ***

As I continue writing this chapter I will take a closer look at what A.C. Bhaktivedanta said regarding the Lord's topmost realm. Most importantly I will explain how each of us can get there. As I said, there's more to all of this than just dying.

Does heaven exist? Is this where God lives? The fact that Jesus passed "through the heavens" gives evidence that there is more than only one heaven. (Hebrews 4:14: "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest (Jesus) who has passed through the heavens, let us hold fast our confession.)

Limited to only a few passages in the Bible regarding these higher dimensions, it is difficult if not impossible to come up with anything meaningful. If there are different heavens, which one does God live in? The Apostle Paul confirms the existence of a heavenly realm, however, this excitement is quickly extinguished because Paul then says that although he heard things, he cannot tell us: 2 Corinthians 12:4: "...and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter."

Interestingly, in a 2013 Catholic Answers Magazine, it mentions that "the Hebrew word for heaven: "shamayim," is dual in number, suggesting two heavens," but then mentions that other ancient sources speak of even more heavens; "up to ten of them."

In spite of this lack of information, I found this ancient drawing that demonstrates man's sincere yearning to understand the truth about the actual number of heavens. This old drawing delineates 7 different heavenly dimensions.

"The Ordering of Paradise"
by: Michelangelo Caetani (1804-1882)

If Jesus traveled through different heavens, which one does He live in, or does He live somewhere completely different? As far as the realm commonly described and visited by the Near Death Survivors, is this the heavenly realm where Christ lives, or only a heaven that He occasionally passes through? I don't know about you but if there is another trustworthy source that can shed some light on my questions, then I, for one, am completely willing to listen with an open mind. In a rare and fascinating interview with Robert Monroe, he talks about coming in contact with beings from different realms. You can find his video on YouTube.

First and foremost I want to thank the entire NDE community and the many Near Death Survivors who have shared what happened to them. Their testimonials on YouTube are what caught my attention in the first place and introduced me to the most amazing stories about what happened when they died.

In Iran an 18-year old nursing student was suddenly stricken with an acutely swollen appendix and was immediately operated on. Later she recounts looking down at the operating room from the ceiling and the doctors trying to save her life. But what mostly disturbed her was noticing dirt that had accumulated on the topside of the operating lights. She said that the dirt look red and she became very upset thinking how one day, unexpectedly, some of this dirt could flake off and fall into an open wound, causing a severe infection or possibly even death. Her concern was for others and not herself, who was right on the threshold of death. Although she tried to "tell" to the doctors and warn them, she was unable to get their attention. She even followed one of the nurses into a supply room to alert her, but again she failed. Finally she decided to go directly to the "owner" of the hospital and tell him. Because she was a student there, she knew where his office was. When she got there she noticed that there were several men talking to him, who were trying to get paid for some hospital renovations they were being asked to perform. She mentions how they argued for some time over the amount. Finally the "owner" agreed and wrote them a check, but as far as being able to alert him about the red mud on the operating lights, again she was unable to.

After nearly dying from complications, during her near-death testimony she recalls recovering in her room and telling the doctors who had operated on her, everything that she saw. After telling them about the argument she observed in the "owner's" office with the workmen, he, too, came to speak to her and it was then that the most amazing thing happened. She told him the exact amount of the check that he had given the workers. She also told him about the red dirt and a couple of weeks later, after she fully recovered, she climbed a ladder and with her own hands cleaned all the dirt off the lights.

Stumbling onto this information has made a tremendous difference. It has been one of the missing piece of the puzzle; a validation from real, hard working, everyday people. For most of them death was not something they chose or even saw coming: a motorcyclist crashing head-on into a car; a roadside bomb; a sudden heart attack; drowning in a raging river while kayaking. The most telling thing is that once these survivors finally opened their eyes, instead of telling their doctor and family how horrible it was, instead they report something totally different: pain free, happiness, unconditional love, other souls, meeting deceased family members and pets, and especially, a light more brilliant than the sun. All of this has tremendously helped me to understand and have faith in what "my message" is.

Regarding their testimonies, even though there isn't a perfect harmony, what we do hear is more than enough to conclude that when we die there is nothing to fear. Instead we enter a "heavenly realm" that most Near Death Survivors report as being so wonderful that if they were allowed, they would have gladly remained there forever. As I've mentioned, many survivors tells us that there are actually many realms beyond what they experienced.

This I can tell you from the bottom of my heart: A.C. Bhaktivedanta is a bonafide spiritual guide of the highest order and he clearly tells us that there are different heavenly realms and that there is a topmost realm where the Lord resides, but that it is located ON THE OTHER SIDE of the Great Bright Light.

As far as how he knows this, first of all, it's not because A.C. Bhaktivedanta is some New Age Psychic who is told things in his dreams, or that he sits and meditates; connecting with some higher consciousness who channels information to him using telepathy. Nor does he tells us about these higher realms because he had his own Near Death Experience where he was enlightened by a Being of Light. Nor is his knowledge the result of mystical vision, a spiritual trance, or from being hypnotized by Dr. Michael Newton. No, instead, what A.C. Bhaktivedanta is revealing comes directly from the Vedas and is substantiated by an historical lineage of holy men and women who worship Lord Krisha and His Holy Names: Names such as Govinda, Rama, Achyuta, Adidev, Jagadisha, Narayana and many many others. I would also like to add that the main quality of a truly enlightened soul is that he does not make things up, but rather simply passes on the information intact, exactly as it was originally intended.

I've nearly completed Krishna and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance. As I write these final pages I see everything resting upon the reputation of A.C. Bhaktivedanta; faith in what he has told us; and yet he is someone you've most likely never heard of. It's one thing to suggest in a Near Death testimony that there may be other heavens, but the Vedas are describing these higher realms in detail. Human nature dictates that this information is something that many are going to find difficult to accept; more for some because the source of this information is not Biblical but from faraway India and the ancient books of this mysterious country.

Image from Atharva-Veda Saṁhitā, Second Half
credit: William Dwight Whitney & Charles Rockwell Lanman.

As far as the content of my book, and especially the NDE content in this chapter, all I can do is to encourage everyone to have an open mind. After all, this openness is the glue that holds the NDE community together. How many times have I heard the horror stories of priests, doctors and family members totally closed minded to someone's Near Death Experience? One doctor told his patient that if she kept talking about "going to heaven" that he would have her committed to the psychiatric ward. I heard her say that during her NDE testimony. This scared the hell out of her and she completely shut up, and a good twenty years passed by before daring to tell her story again.

In my book, "Abandoned" I mentioned that the Name of God can be compared to a "spiritual lifeboat." Yes, comparing the Name of God to a lifeboat helps us to understand the enormous value of the Lord's Name. My Message is also comparing the Holy Name to a Spiritual Elevator! Soon we're all going to die (some sooner, some later) and an elevator sounds great to me, especially when compared to the drama-filled alternative.

Just to confirm this, during an explanation of the Bhagavad-gita's 9th chapter, A.C. Bhaktivedanta said, "If there is a possibility of going to the top of a building by the help of an elevator, why should one go by the staircase, step by step?" He mentions this elevator several more times.

For example, during a lecture in Los Angeles he said: "So, if somebody says... 'Why should I take advantage of this elevator? Instead I shall go step by step.' ...Yes, he can take the stairs, but immediately you take the help of the elevator and within a second you are on the 100th floor. You can go step by step but you can get there directly with the help of the elevator." More on this later.

Once again, trying to sift through the myriad of Indian saints, gurus and Gods is beyond the scope of this book. And yet, I need to tell you about one of them: Shri Chaitanya. He appeared in India nearly 550 years ago, gracing humanity with his presence for 48 years; blessing us still today.

The other night as I was falling asleep I was thinking how to best write this introduction. That Lord Chaitanya lived is irrefutable. But was He Divine? Exactly who was He? Is He God? This is what A.C. Bhaktivedanta taught me and I have not reason to doubt him, but what about you, who is reading this book?

Although many centuries have come and gone since Lord Chaitanya was here, for example, there are still articles of His clothing tucked away in various parts of India; kept today by the distant family members of those who knew Him; passed on as heirlooms; forwarded in time; from roughly 27 generations ago. On the Internet someone has made an impressive catalog listing all the relics that still exist. Here is just one example:

These are the padukas (wooden shoes) that Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wore, kept at the Pathbari Ashram (monastery) in India. Shri Chaitanya personally gave these padukas to the great devotee, Ragunath Upadhyay. (Mahaprabhu means great master.)

This happened when Shri Chaitanya had traveled to the village of Nilachal where he stopped for three days to hear the sweet recitation of the Gopi Geet that was sung by Ragunath Upadhyay.

Shri Chaitanya was brought to tears by the beautiful performance of this song and He danced incessantly for nine straight hours. Shri Chaitanya was so happy with Raghunath Upadhyay that He gave him His sandals. Unfortunately, the original padukas became rotten over the hundreds of years and deteriorated, leaving only two small pieces of wood. The padukas that you see in this picture are a replica of the originals. However, if you look closely at the sandal on the left you can clearly see the remains of the original shoe. They are kept within a glass box for everyone to see and venerate.

I have been studying the teaching of A.C. Bhaktivedanta since 1976 and for me I'm certain that Shri Chaitanya was a real person. Of course this requires faith but the evidence for this is overwhelming! However, I discovered much more to Chaitanya than the mere fact that He was a actual person. This is especially apparent when His Holy Name appears in many of the sacred scriptures translated by A.C. Bhaktivedanta.

I once read about the challenges of believing what the Holy Bible tells us. The author said that historians grant special credence to the Book of Luke because even though Luke lived about 2000 years ago, he was an educated doctor and if anyone's testimony should carry weight, it is his.

This same standard can also be applied to parts of Shri Chaitanya's biography because a highly decorated doctor (Shrila Murari Gupta) also kept beautiful notes. Plus, there is the relatively short passage of time that one needs to look backwards to reach Chaitanya's birth. Instead of thousands of years we only need to back up to the 15th Century to start looking at His divine appearance. Furthermore, unlike the life of Jesus that has large sections missing, Lord Chaitanya's biography is much more detailed and complete.

Lord Chaitanya
© BBT

At one point, Lord Chaitanya was confronted by the famous spiritual leader of an opposite theological society and instead of Chaitanya using the force of His overwhelming intelligence, instead He expressed His great humility by sitting down in an area that was not clean, by anyone's standard (where people left their sandals before entering the temple). This warmed everyone's heart and it was then that the leader of the opposition invited Lord Chaitanya to speak, resulting in the universal acceptance of Lord Chaitanya's absolute divinity.

I guess someone could ask me, "Okay, Ron, you've read these scriptures, but besides what you just mentioned, what else convinced you that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was more than an exceptionally smart mystic and none other than God Almighty?"

Yes, this is a fair question and should be asked. I mean, here you are reading my book and out of the blue I'm telling you that God Himself walked upon the earth some 500+ years ago and that He is our key to attaining the topmost heavenly realm. Plus, you've most likely never even heard of Him: "Really? What was his name, again? How do you pronounce it?"

Correct! Am I so gullible to think that anyone can reach that level of faith after reading a few paragraphs from a stranger? I apologize, of course not, but I can respectfully encourage you to at least entertain the possibility that God walked upon the earth back then and that His Name was Shri Krishna Chaitanya? Why not? This is what I did and it has worked for me.

When I was a student at the Clarke Seminary, whenever Charles Berner presented us with a new fact he would have us entertain that what he was telling us was true, and then entertain that it was not true. He would have us go back and forth, entertaining both possibilities until we could look at either possibility with an equal eye. Of the five steps of study he taught, this was the fifth step. This is why I never had a problem accepting Lord Chaitanya as God.

For me, this whole subject of God and what lies beyond this world is absolutely fascinating. This is why I have read the 781 page Shri Chaitanya-bhagavata three times. This book describes Lord Chaitanya's life and the things He did and said. It was translated into English by one of A.C. Bhaktivedanta's senior disciples

This is my personal copy

After living with the monks for about a year I read about an incident involving Chaitanya when he was about 16 years old. Since then I have read the same description covering this event in the 1922 book, Chaitanya & His Age by the Indian scholar, Rai Bahudur Dinesh Chandra Sen. Of course, this book wasn't written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta but for me to see a second source that confirms the same event is both noteworthy and reassuring..

It was when Shri Chaitanya was a teenager, still living at home, that he met Keshava Kashmire. The entire story about Lord Chaitanya defeating India's most renowned intellectual giant; describing in detail this humanly-impossible accomplishment, can be read in A.C. Bhaktivedanta's translation of the Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita: Adi-lila, Chapter 16. The "Shri Chaitanya-Charitamrita" is a biography of Chaitanya and was composed by Krishnadasa Kaviraja in 1557. (Note: If by chance you didn't read it, at the very end of the last chapter I added all the details about what took place.)

I must mention Lord Chaitanya because it is His Love for us that endows the Holy Names of God with the blessings that I am going to tell you about. And why is this so important? Because it has everything to do with the elevator mentioned by A.C. Bhaktivedanta. (Note: Sometime I just call it the "elevator;" the "express elevator;" or the "Spiritual Elevator.")

How are we suppose to reach & enter the topmost heavenly realm that is hidden by the Great Bright Light? Step-by-step? After thousands of births? After learning a million painful lessons? Asking this I'm reminded of what Viktore E. Frankl wrote in his famous book, Man's Search for Meaning where is writes that "suffering is not necessary to find meaning." No, it is not necessary to take 1,860 exhausting steps and well over an hour to climb from the ground floor of the Empire State Building to the 102nd, topmost floor; not when you can take the elevator. Of course this is contrary to the NDE Community and their belief that the only way to progress spiritually is a requirement that demands millions of brutal births until life beats all its lessons into us and finally sets us free at "the top." (Note: I spent over an hour listening to one of NDE's most respected scholars talk about this "mountain," hoping to hear what "the top" of it looks like. Very disappointed, he never told us but stopped midway to talk about all the dangers that such a journey held in store for us.)

I am not saying that this slow method of learning will not work, just as it would be foolish to say that taking the stairwell won't eventually deliver you to the top of the building. Of course the stairs lead to the top, although it will take you a very long time and will probably leave painful blisters on your feet. Therefore, yes, repeated birth and death may take you to the top of the material universe, but you will still find yourself on this side of the Great Bright Light. Without the proper FAITH it will not be so easy for the soul to escape the endless cycles of birth & death, and the enormous suffering that awaits anyone on that path.

Although the accounts of Lord Chaitanya's divine pastimes definitely consists of great wonder, shall we dare believe? Can we take the Lord at His word? Can He be fully trusted? I have faith that Lord Chaitanya can be trusted to honor His word. God's Will for me, and for you, is to chant His Holy Names (the most important part of "my message"). God has given His word that by doing so, we will be immediately delivered to His eternal realm and never again have to return to the material world and lifetimes of suffering. As I mentioned, I write about all of this in much greater detail in my free book, "NDE - My Near Death Experience & the Vedas."

Lord Chaitanya Surrounded by His Divine Associates

From the book
"Sri Caitanya-carita-maha-kavya"

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