Question: What does it mean when you die in a dream and you remain conscious that you are dead?

Sri Chinmoy: Since you have accepted the spiritual life, if you see in your dreams that you are dead or you are dying, then you have to know that it is the death of the vital, of the physical, or of something that was rebellious, destructive, undivine or hostile. Anything that stood as an obstacle to your God-realisation, anything that stood as a hindrance to your manifestation of light or to your aspiration, is dying so that a new life of aspiration and dedication can dawn. If you see that you are dead in a dream, usually it means something wrong in you is now dead, and a new life is dawning very fast.

But sometimes it means that you are not feeding some of your good qualities. If someone led a spiritual life for many years and became an advanced aspirant, and then if he gave up the spiritual life altogether, this kind of dream will mean that the divine in that person — his sincerity, simplicity, humility, purity and other good qualities — is dying. But when you are practising the spiritual life, this question does not arise. At that time it is your physical life, lower vital life, undivine life that is dying so that a new life of illumination and aspiration can dawn.