| There is little doubt that the negative life-review | | | | Brinkley explains that this can be compared to the |
| feels like hell and therefore we could say that the | | | | non-judgmental compassion that a grandfather has |
| NDE hell is proof of hell. Margot Grey says about the | | | | for a grandchild. This is the same as in Buddhism |
| experience that, "The hell-like experience is defined | | | | where the mother meets the child-we are the |
| as being one which includes all the elements | | | | children and the light is our mother. When we return |
| comprehended in the negative phase (extreme fear | | | | to our mother, we are greeted with love and |
| or panic, emotional and mental anguish), only more so | | | | compassion. Therefore, in the near-death experience, |
| in that feelings are encountered with a far greater | | | | "most of the individuals interviewed did not |
| intensity." | | | | experience any reward-punishment crisis." |
| But what does hell look like? And what exactly is hell? | | | | To make this point clearer, I will look into what it |
| Let me be quick to say that in the near-death | | | | means to sin. Father Laurence Freedman opens the |
| research, these negative experiences do not happen | | | | door to a deep understanding of what sin is by |
| to everyone. Also there seems to be less insight on | | | | saying, "The Greek for sin means to miss the target. |
| why exactly they happen. Some researchers find no | | | | Sin is what turns consciousness away form truth. |
| accounts or very few of hell-like experiences, like | | | | Being the consequence of illusion and selfishness, sin |
| Moody who explains that his subjects have been | | | | includes its own punishment. God does not do the |
| mostly normal and nice people. Other researchers like | | | | punishing." |
| Fenwick and Grey found that 15 percent and 12 | | | | This statement fits very well with another |
| percent had hellish experiences. P. M. H. Atwater in | | | | near-death experiencer who explains that, "Nobody |
| her large sample of over 3,000 near-death | | | | judges you; you judge yourself...Nobody says 'you've |
| experiences found that 18 percent had "unpleasant | | | | been bad'...You know better than anyone, because it's |
| experiences," and hereof only a third had experiences | | | | your thoughts and your motives...And one gets |
| that were "truly hellish." What is interesting here is | | | | precisely and exactly what one deserves. It's utterly |
| that Atwater found the 15 percent with adults, while | | | | fair." |
| only 3 percent with children. | | | | The Greek term for sin means that as an archer |
| The largest estimate made on life-reviews alone, was | | | | misses his target with his arrow, so our |
| made by George Gallup and William Proctor in 1982, | | | | consciousness misses the target of the truth. The |
| who estimated out of 8 million Americans, 2.5 million | | | | target of our consciousness is to be conscious and |
| had experienced "the impression of reviewing or | | | | aware. If we miss this target, we "go wrong" or "fail |
| re-examining" their life. This is almost a third of the | | | | to do, neglect." Another old Greek meaning of the |
| total number of near-death experiencers and this | | | | word "sin" is that "I should lose my sight by Ulysses' |
| number is confirmed by Dr. Jeffrey Long who in his | | | | hand." Here, sin means to be blind of the truth, and it |
| research also found about 35 percent had a | | | | is due to our blindness that we sin. This blindness |
| life-review. | | | | leads a person to "fail of one's purpose," which again |
| The term Hell that we use today can be traced back | | | | matches my experience of the negative life-review |
| to the name "Hel" in Norse mythology. Here we find | | | | perfectly. |
| Hel as the goddess of the underworld Helheim. The | | | | This makes us see a sinner as someone who is blind |
| English root is "Helan" and cross-checking this word, | | | | because the person's consciousness is turned away |
| we find that it translates into "Celare" in Latin. Celare | | | | from truth, and, thus, the purpose of this person's life |
| in Latin then translates back into "conceal" or "hidden" | | | | has failed. Now, if we look at the biblical term, "The |
| in English. | | | | Fall of Man," this in Greek is translated as "failure" or |
| What we now have found is that hell is a hidden and | | | | "error of judgment." Man has fallen by failing the |
| concealed place. This fits with the Greek underworld | | | | purpose of life due to error in judgment. From this |
| Hades, which has the same meaning, "Unseen." And | | | | perspective leaving the Garden of Eden means that |
| this brings us back to Plato's cave again where we | | | | we have left our essence-the knowledge of who we |
| can use the allegory to explain what hell is. Living | | | | are. Disconnected from our souls, we live in ignorance |
| inside the cave as our body, we live in a dark world | | | | of our true nature, and this causes us to suffer. |
| of illusion made from the shadows of our ignorance. | | | | So where then does this punishment come from? |
| In Saved by the Light Dannion Brinkley tells us that "I | | | | Here again Father Freedman explains that, "Being the |
| had felt the pain and anguish of reflection, but from | | | | consequence of illusion and selfishness, sin includes its |
| that I had gained the knowledge that I could use to | | | | own punishment. God does not do the punishing." |
| correct my life." This was also my experience, and it | | | | This statement also makes sense if we look into the |
| is also a general conclusion of the near-death | | | | interpretation of hell. The Hebrew word for hell is |
| research: "the sense of judgment and guilt does not | | | | "Sheol," and it takes us in this direction. The root of |
| exist."[xii] Becoming aware of our negative actions | | | | this word is "Shaal," which means "to ask" or "to |
| happens within a source of unlimited love. Moody | | | | inquire." In most religions, we find the Lord, God, or |
| found that there is no accusation or threat because | | | | some servant inquires. In many accounts of |
| people "feel total love and acceptance coming from | | | | near-death experiences, we also find that a being of |
| the light." And, therefore, the review is more a kind | | | | light or an angel leads the person through the |
| of Socratic questioning to make the person "proceed | | | | life-review. |
| along the path to the truth by himself." | | | | For me, my experience was different. I was alone |
| The positive feelings of peace and joy are the most | | | | with myself, and it was me passing judgment on |
| common emotions in the near-death experience, | | | | myself. Another near-death experience describes the |
| reported by 88 percent of people who have had | | | | inquirer in a way that is very similar to my |
| near-death experiences. And as I mentioned before, | | | | experience, "It was me judging me, not some |
| Fenwick also finds that even among those who | | | | heavenly Saint Peter." This is also the view of Moody, |
| suffered a negative life-review, 15 percent, the | | | | who concludes that the judgment comes from within. |
| near-death experience as a whole had been positive. | | | | We also find this perspective on the nature of reality |
| This is an important finding that fits perfectly with | | | | in Buddhism, where Soygal Rinpoche says, "Ultimately |
| my own experience. The fundamental nature of | | | | all judgments take place within our own mind. We are |
| reality, our absolute nature of mind, has this quality of | | | | the judge and the judged. |
| peace, joy, and love. | | | | |