Two unrelated things:
First, there’s an interesting discussion about life after death at the Ayn Rand Contra Human Nature blog. I’ve posted a few comments myself. The positions taken run the gamut from supporting belief in the afterlife (my view) to considering it at least a theoretical possibility (the bloggers’ view, I think) to dismissing it as pure nonsense (the views of at least two contributors).
You might want to check it out, just for fun.
Second, it occurred to me that there is another meditative technique I’ve found helpful. If I find my mind wandering into pointless ruminations about the past or future (a frequent occurrence), I can bring myself back to the present moment by thinking, “I’m here now.”
These simple words remind me that what’s past is past, and what’s in the future is purely imaginary. Regardless of anything that has happened or will happen, I’m here now.