“When a child is born, we think it is the very beginning of life. But life, itself, is neither first nor last, new or old; it never began, nor does it ever end. Life is another name for God.

… A new birth is therefore not the beginning of existence. You could call it a fresh start, or yet another chance to continue the onward journey towards the tea Source of existence. Being born is like the return of the same contents in a different package. 

Death is not complete annihilation. It is a pause. It is like pressing the pause button on a tape recorder in the middle of a song. Sooner or later, when pressed again, the pause button is released and the song continues. Death is only a period of preparation before the start of another life. You unpack your content only to repack it in a fresh new package, in which all ingredients will be the same.

Life and death are the two major events in life, two intense experiences. Once you realize that birth and death are neither the beginning nor the end, life becomes infinitely beautiful and blissful.”

From Awaken Children!  Dialogues with Sri Sri Mata Amritanandamayi, Volume 8, Swami Amritaswarupananda, 1997