Is Near death experience in enlightenment true?

Question

I have been meditating intensively according to the Advaita tradition where self inquiry is practiced till realizing that I and effort are just feelings and that the watcher of even identity is the true self which isn't a phenomena that manifests.

2 days ago I had what I felt as a near death experience ,or maybe a great death of the ego ,at night I suddenly had an awakening in trance where there was a clear seeing of the "I" that I thought was me,then I woke up with a vibration feeling in my head and after lying on my back I suddenly felt as if a light was going to replace me as the identity of the body and me that I thought was my identity all my life was just an idea that was going to be replaced by that light ,I couldn't accept that happening and chose to stay as myself, and I actually cried cause I felt that I was going to die, not realizing that this "I" was more intimate that expected .

Is this a paranormal experience or is it actually how enlightenment should occur ?

Answer 1

I believe such peculiar experiences may be significant, or may not; but in Buddhism one shouldn't cling to them. Enlightenment would involve an understanding of the three marks of existence: impermanence, no-self, and suffering. I mean, if you delve into that experience and gain enlightenment, good! But if you do so and then everything remains exactly the same, you might be discouraged. Just do not cling to the whole phenomenon.

Answer 2

Due to past karmic formation, people sometimes get "out of the world" experiences. Best is not to read into these experiences and continue your meditation.

Enlightenment is beyond any sensory experience, therefore if you experience involves any pleasant sensation, vibration, thoughts then this is not enlightenment.

Answer 3

Is this a paranormal experience or is it actually how enlightenment should occur ?

That still sound rather abstract and hence difficult to evaluate where one is on the Path. Actually, enlightenment is subjected to pretty concrete tests and metrics as evidenced in various suttas like here, here and here

Answer 4

There are four ways of developing immersion further. Your experience calls to mind the second way:

And what is the way of developing immersion further that leads to gaining knowledge and vision?

A mendicant focuses on the perception of light, concentrating on the perception of day regardless of whether it is night or day.

For more information on the four ways of developing immersion further, please see AN4.41, from which the above was quoted.

You may also be interested Ajahn Brahm's writings on nimitta:

Nimitta, in the context used here, refers to the beautiful "lights" that appear in the mind...

Please do consider finding a Teacher and a Sangha as well for personal guidance and reliable progress.

Answer 5

If I can answer from the point of view of doctrine, rather than of meditative experience, I think that Buddhist doctrine says that any and every "doctrine of self" shouldn't be grasped (attached to) -- because they all give rise to dukkha and so on:

MN 22

• It would make sense to grasp at a doctrine of self that didn’t give rise to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress.
  But do you see any such doctrine of self?”

• “No, sir.”

• “Good, mendicants!
  I also can’t see any such doctrine of self.

So I guess that the ("Buddhist") doctrine of suttas might contradict whatever "Advaita" is teaching -- i.e. you mentioned "is the true self" which I think is foreign to Buddhist doctrine.

Similarly I guess that "a light was going to replace me as the identity of the body" might also be a 'self-view' -- i.e. "there is a currently a 'me' which is the identity of the body" and "the light will become a new identity", even bits like "my life" and "I am going to die" -- I think these could all be classified as examples of self view.

As for "how enlightenment should occur" I suppose that the doctrine from the same Tipiṭaka describes what might be called Four stages of enlightenment. I think that "self views" are regarded as one of the "fetters", and that abandoning that fetter is part of the first stage of enlightenment.