"Do we ever really die?" Read: Bhagavad Gita 3:19-20 The body may die but the soul/spirit (who we really are can never die)

What is the Afterlife?: continuation of self consciousness (sentience); of unique, personal identity; sense of self after death.
What is Existence?: if we are aware of our own existence (self consciousness) we exist. Even during life we have moments when we are not aware of our own existence (e.g., dreamless sleep, unconsciousness in surgery or coma) when, for all we know, we have temporarily ceased to exist.

Where is the line between life and death? when does death occur? Breathing and heart stop? Brain function stop? Not all body systems shut down (die) at the same time. Hundreds of years ago people were sometimes buried alive when they were really in deep state of unconsciousness - medical science is always pushing the line between life and death further and further.

What is it that survives death?
What is the self?
When do you stop being you? That is when you die.
When do you start being you? That is when you are "born" (come into being)
All substance may continue in another form, but unique, personal identity is lost.

Views of death and afterlife (transparency)

• Materialist (no afterlife)

• Western (resurrection, judgment, heaven or hell)

• Indian (reincarnation or liberation)

• Chinese (spirit world of the dead ancestors)

What happens to us after death? (brainstorming possibilities):

• Nothing survives death ("when you’re dead, you’re dead") OR

• Something survives (e.g., soul, seat of consciousness):

• resurrection (not resuscitation):

• temporary non-existence between death and resurrection (no time)

• soul survives in limbo or purgatory until reunited with body

• Go to heaven or hell following judgment (immediately upon death or after resurrection)

• "Non-eternal non-existence": if you came into being once, why not again?

• Reincarnation, rebirth, transmigration of souls (read: Bhagavad Gita 2:13, 17, 22)

• Argument against reincarnation: Why don’t we remember our past lives?

• Counter argument: We don’t remember the first years of this life but that does not mean we did not live them

• Become a ghost or spirit being in some other realm of existence (i.e., not physical but not heaven or hell): possibility of communication with the living through séances or mediums

• Medium communication with the dead

• are we really communicating with the dead? or with something else (e.g., angel, spirit being)? or just imagining it?

• Hypnotic regression: recalling past lives (supporting reincarnation)

• did we really live those lives? Are we just imagining it? or, perhaps, psychically tapping into minds in other times (communicating across time)?

• Out-of-body experiences (OOBE) and near-death experiences (NDE) demonstrate ability of consciousness to exist independent of the physical body

• question of whether such discarnate consciousness could continue indefinitely without returning to the body