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What happens in the afterlife? Tales, legends, and real-life experiences

TOI Lifestyle Desk
| ETimes.in | Last updated on - Apr 12, 2025, 10:00 IST
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The concept of afterlife

Around the world there are hundreds and thousands of beliefs about the afterlife. Some say there is life beyond Earth and the soul leaves for the afterlife, some others believe that the afterlife is nothing but the soul transitioning to another body, and some believe that afterlife does not exist at all.
For millions of people around the world, the afterlife is a journey to heaven (or hell) where they are tested on the basis of their acts on Earth, and their life is played out in front of their eyes, marking the ups and downs of their stay on Earth.


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Afterlife beliefs

In Christianity, there is a belief in eternal life, where souls are judged and sent to heaven or hell based on their faith and deeds. In Islam, there is the Day of Judgment, where people are either sent to Jannah or Jahannam. In Hinduism, there is the belief in reincarnation, according to which the soul is reincarnated onto Earth, depending on its actions, and faces either rebirth into the Samsara or meeting with the divine in Moksha.
For Buddhists, the afterlife or even life on Earth is nothing more than a means and chance to attain Nirvana.


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Tales and legends of afterlife

Through history, various cultures and people have had their stories about the afterlife. There are some people who claim to have been dead for about 10 minutes before suddenly jerking back to life. Some were about to be shifted to morgues, some were on the way to the hospital, presumed dead, and some others were declared dead by the doctors, but miraculously came back to life, and shared their experiences.
From the play of their life on Earth in those few minutes, to experiencing a sharp ray of blinding light, some incidents from the afterlife experiences have remained the same.


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The near-death experience

For many people who claim that they saw an afterlife, some believe that what they experienced was just a near-death experience. Near-death experiences are now called NDE’s, and people experience separating from their bodies, moving through tunnels of bright light, seeing angels or fairies who are glowing, and even seeing their deceased relatives in that tunnel.
People also say that during the near-death experience, an old relative of theirs tells them the stories of their childhood.


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The story of Dannion Brinkley

And in between the near death experiences and afterlife observations, there is the lifestory of Dannion Brinkley, a person who experienced near-death incidents more than twice is in his life! In a video titled ‘This NDE Will Leave You Speechless - Dannion Brinkley Struck By Lightning & Visits City In Heaven’ on T&H-Afterlife, a YouTube channel, Brinkley talks about his near death experiences.
It is said that Brinkley was struck by lightning while on the telephone, leading to severe injuries and a clinical death. But with every near-death experience, he had afterlife revelations. He talked about travelling through a tunnel, encountering spiritual beings, and undergoing a life review. And overtime, this shaped his personality to the extent that he wrote ‘Saved by the Light’, a book in which he talks about his afterlife journey, healing, helping others, and more. (Image: officialdannionbrinkley/Instagram)

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Can people really return from the afterlife?

One of the biggest questions and conspiracies around the afterlife is whether people can really return from it and if they are stable enough to be able to share their story. And while near-death experiences of people and their tales and stories give people new topics into the study of afterlife and what it looks like, to come back after being dead still feels skeptical to many.

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Copyright © May 28, 2026, 08.56PM IST Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service