Breaking the Death Habit

Book Review by Sara Dawn, May 2008

In Breaking the Death Habit : The Science of Everlasting Life, Leonard Orr presents some revolutionary yet practical ideas about death. While his ideas may seem new and beyond all tradition, they are actually steeped in old-age historical Truths which can be found in the roots and 'myths' of every known religion. Breaking the Death Habit is a fascinating study of the human mind and its unlimited relationship with the Divine. It presents the information that death is not inevitable or ordained by some mystery beyond our personal creative power.

Leonard begins with the presentation of the Unconscious Death Urge, a term which Sigmund Freud first discovered and explored in his essay; Beyond the Pleasure Principle. The Unconscious Death Urge consists of any anti-life thoughts, "beliefs and ideas about death that you absorbed from your parents and culture."(p9) Leonard describes it as a psychic entity; a collection of beliefs and ideas in the subjective mind, set into motion and endowed with your own creative power. He goes on to explain that the death urge is "the most destructive of human emotions, responsible for self-sabotaging and suicidal behavior, the stronghold for all depressions, sickness, feelings of helplessness and failure." (p9-10) He asserts that we are responsible for the outcome and condition of our physical bodies "that nothing can harm us without our consent."

Leonard explains that it is actually quite difficult to destroy our physical body, as most illnesses progress slowly, giving us plenty of time to change our habits and beliefs. He also explains that we naturally have a life urge, which will warn us time and time again before 'accidents' even occur, if we are present enough to listen. Breaking the death habit may be easier than we think.

I realize that to some, these ideas may seem threatening, but that can only be true if one believes their only way out of this universe is through death. Breaking the Death Habit presents a strong factual case that death is not the only way people have left this plane, or left and come back! Leonard refers to these people as Immortal Yogis and shares many of his personal experiences with these people.

"Whether or not you gain immortality, there is tremendous power in simply questioning the inevitability of death...You may or may not believe in the radical act (Leonard) is teaching, but if you entertain it, you will change in unimaginable ways...Physical immortality is living as long as you want, and wanting to live as long as you do....If you really want to meet your maker, go for full aliveness so you can ascend there!"~Bob Frissell, Preface to Breaking the Death Habit.

Leonard breaks down the Transcendence of death into three basic steps of Development:

1) Philosophy of Physical Immortality; understanding the core concepts, ideas, and practical sense of Physical Immortality. In other words, understanding and knowing the Spirit of Physical Immortality.

2) Psychology of Physical Immortality; studying your own mental concepts and behaviors, unraveling your personal death urge absorbed from your family tradition, understanding the psychosomatic science of how your beliefs influence your health and life experience. In other words, the Mind of Physical Immortality.

3) Physiology of Physical Immortality; embodying Physical Immortality through developing an inner awareness of our energy body, freeing the breath and healing our breathing mechanism, healing personal diseases passed on by family tradition, and mastering the body. This step is the 'Body' of Physical Immortality.
Let's look at each of these a little more closely.

The Philosophy of Physical Immortality

Many people understand the intellectual idea of something, but Leonard points out the difference between "intellectual knowledge and knowledge that creates our physical reality �the theoretical and the causative." (p7) He explains that intellectual knowledge is transformed into real knowledge through repetition and deep contemplation. It�s not just a thought; it�s an idea that has been cultivated to have deep meaning, relevancy, feeling, and conviction within it. (According to Michael Beckwith, in his appearance in the movie, The Secret, science has proven that conscious, affirmative thought is hundreds of times more powerful than unconscious thought.)

Leonard also goes on to explain, "You haven't learned anything for which you don't have instant recall." (p7) The point he is making here, is that we must come to know the core concept and idea of Physical Immortality like we know our own name. Breaking the death habit needs to become a habitual part of our life and thoughts throughout our everyday life.

Some actions to take to begin developing a Philosophy of Physical Immortality might be to simply meditate on these words and study the teachings and stories of Immortal Yogis. Breaking the death habit is a worthy idea to meditate on.

"The belief that death is inevitable will kill you if nothing else does. But the truth is that your spirit is already eternal; you have only to move your mind and body into harmony with your eternal spirit. The philosophy of Physical Immortality gives your body a chance. Deathist mentality guarantees its destruction." (p8)

The Psychology of Physical Immortality

Unraveling your personal death urge is a fascinating and completely life-enhancing, thrilling process to partake in. Breaking the death habit is fun! Once you start, you can never become bored again. Leonard says, "The difference between one person and another is primarily in the quality of ideas they think about.�"(p8) Since the unconscious death urge is the root of all depression, disease, and suffering, we obviously have many opportunities to uncover anti-life thoughts and heal them through changing our habits, beliefs and right thinking!

Leonard has pointed out, that since psychosomatic science has proven that our thoughts and beliefs, our personal knowings, influence our physical health, then the idea that death is inevitable is obviously damaging to the body. Even if we don't achieve Physical Immortality, believing that death is not inevitable can greatly enhance our lives.

Leonard says, "Don't forget that Physical Immortality (in and of itself,) is not the ultimate goal. Living longer is not the goal. Increasing the quality of one's life is the goal; the present-time quality of personal existence in Spirit, Mind, and Body. Physical Immortality releases us from the prison of living under the sentence of death. Most people are living on 'death row' and wonder why their life doesn't work. Finding eternal life in the human heart is the source of health in the mind and body."

The Physiology of Physical Immortality

Leonard explains that simply having ideas about Physical Immortality is complete nonsense without having a personal practice that will produce body mastery and happiness. The personal practice he presents here is cultivating an inner awareness of the energy body, and the ability to 'keep it clean.' This is done through simple practices he learned by observing the lifestyle of Immortal Yogis, involving earth, air, water, and fire. These are the elements of God, the building blocks of life. Our bodies are made of earth, air, water, and fire. Evidence of these practices has been carried on in most world religions, but sadly, any deep understanding of their relevancy has been widely misunderstood or lost in centuries of doctrine and dogma. Breaking the death habit has fallen out of mainstream popularity, but it is now making a come back.

Leonard says, "Put simply, the cause of death is really pollution in the body; physical pollution with food and toxins, and energy pollution" -energy pollution is caused by personal negative thinking, and toxic, negative environments, people, and traumas.

Leonard's fascination and study of the energy body has greatly interested me. It makes sense that if the body is really just energy -consciousness, and the source of physical disturbances and dis-ease is toxicity, then having a clear, clean, loving, life-affirming energy body must be required to have un-ending physical health and physical mastery.

Leonard's system for keeping the energy body clean is simple and relaxing to do. For the sake of the length of this essay, I won't go into details here, but it is easy to learn these practices from any of Leonard's books or trainings.

So who are these Immortal Yogis? Leonard points out that the most popular one is Jesus, but he was not the only person in the bible to transcend death. Enoch, Melchizedek, Moses, and Elijah are all heroes in the Bible because they were Physically Immortal. They did not leave this world through death. "They conquered death and evolved to the point where they could dematerialize and rematerialize their bodies. There is a way to get out of this universe alive." (p17)

Other famous Immortals are Saint Germain of France, and Analee Skarin of the U.S. who ascended in the 1960's, Babaji of Herakhan, and countless other Indian Yogis and Yoginis. Their stories are easily accessible to anyone; in Holy Scriptures of every religion you will find Immortal Masters.

Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi is a beautiful book of his first hand accounts of them. Yogananda himself didn't die, but entered into 'Samahdi' - conscious exit from his body. Twenty days after his exit, his body showed no signs of decay. In the Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East you can read a first hand account of a team of scientists, led by Baird T. Spaulding, who lived and learned from many Immortal Masters for several years. Originally, they went to India to prove that Immortal Yogis did not exist.

In conclusion, I hope this essay has introduced some new light on the topic of Death and Dying. It is obvious to me that the essence of who we are, call it our energy bodies or our souls, never perish. Personally, I have no fear of dying. I am who I am, where ever my Spirit goes, and I know the Omnipresence and Love of God. I know that Love can be experienced right here on earth, that we indeed are here to embody Heaven on Earth. I'd like to end with a few more of my favorite quotes on Physical Immortality:

"All there is in heaven or on Earth is energy, thought, and form. Your full divine potential exists in the here and now, just as much as it exists in the highest heaven. God is here too! There is no better place to be." ~Leonard Orr

"All the Immortals I have met are having a great time...Personal aliveness is the source of joy forever." ~Leonard Orr

"Death is the dreary, back-door entrance into the other world�.But there is a great front door of glory for those who overcome." ~Analee Skarin

Copyright 2008, Sara Dawn



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