Life on the mental plane is finite in nature, as has been observed. Death happens when the ego has assimilated all the essence of the experiences which were gathered in the preceding physical and astral lives. All the mental faculties which were expressed through the mental body, are then withdrawn within the higher mental or causal body and remain there in a latent condition until the time comes for re-birth.
The physical, astral and mental faculties which lie in seed form, dormant within the causal body, is all that remains to the ego of its bodies in the lower worlds.
The mental body itself, the last of the temporary vestures of the ego, is left behind as a mental corpse, just as the physical and astral bodies were left behind.
Its materials disintegrate and return to the general matter of the mental plane.Every human being, upon the completion of one’s life on the astral and lower mental planes, obtains at least a flash of consciousness of the ego in the causal body.
In this momentary flash of ego-consciousness, one sees one’s last life as a whole, and gathers from it the impression of success or failure of the work which it was meant to do.
Together with this, one also observes a forecast of the life that lies ahead, with the knowledge of the specific progress which one has to make in it.
Only very slowly does the ego awaken to the value of these glimpses but when it comes to understand them, it naturally begins to make use of them. Eventually it arrives at the stage when this glimpse is no longer momentary, when it is able to consider the question much more fully, and to devote some time to its plans for the life which lies before it.
In a Nutshell
The mental plane and its principles - The mental plane is known as devachan - the shining land. Lower desires cannot enter.
One’s life here largely depends upon one’s desires and ideals that one had on earth.
The lower mental planes shape themselves into each of the various heavens depicted by the various religions. In Devachan morals and true ideals now bear fruit.
Experiences on the mental plane are far more real than on the physical material plane.
Pure thoughts and unselfish feelings are the window into the mental plane. Each individual is able to draw upon the heaven world and to cognize only so much of it as one has, by previous effort, prepared on earth through pure thoughts unselfish feelings and a moral life.
The mental plane is composed of seven sub planes. The lower four have form (rupa) whilst the upper three are formless (arupa). Concrete versus abstract thinking (pure reason). Ever changing light and color.
The color language of the Devas. A far closer union is possible on the mental plane.
The ordinary soul is largely receptive. A complete thought is conveyed as a colour musical picture. On the arupa level the individual life force is the reincarnating ego.
There is a far closer communication between soul to soul than on earth. One’s ego builds a new mental vehicle in Devachan and looks at any sorrow of trouble from the true perspective of the ego as karma to be worked out. Karma is elaborated on the mental plane for a future Earth life.
One’s lack of development prevents one from realising the glory of the highest heaven world now. Primitive people spend only a few years on the astral plane after death.
The true home of the ego is the mental plane. Spiritual beings are real and enduring, material things are illusionary and transitory. Life is a field where experiences are to be gathered.
The article is taken from the book Life Beyond Death by Anil Sharma