Which of the afterlife/afterdeath theory seems most plausible?

[mettalph]

I've recently experienced the loss of some loved ones, which has rekindled my curiosity about possible theories of the afterlife. I've studied everything from Bardo Thodol, Theosophy, Gnosticism, and Kardecism. And I've noticed that they all share many similarities, despite their clear differences.

What caught my attention most is that they all consider, to some degree, the illusory nature of experience, where, in theory, all experience is a creation of the observer's consciousness. In this way, just as physical life can be influenced by consciousness, the afterlife could also be. And the ultimate goal is to break free from the shackles of illusion to conduct the experience consciously, making death a kind of simulation, just like life.

Does this make any sense? Could it be the synthesis of physical life and spiritual/afterlife life, a repetitive cycle of struggle to escape the prison of consciousness?

Or is there actually a system, an organization, similar to physical life, in spiritual life where we also need to live experiences and overcome challenges?

 

[iseht]

There is something magical about attention. The direction of ones awareness is what fueled rebirth in ancient Indian metaphysics. A devatta living in a tree is there because a man passed away with his mind set in reverie on that tree. Just about every spiritual path can more or less be reduced to a path of purification that unburdens one's attention such that it can be placed into a state of perfect union. As for the ontological structure, who can say, but I think this much is probably true and is a portable enough philosophy to hold value in any system.