All knowledge about life after death is subjective - either the result of temporaryily dying, or from psychic contacts ( real or purely subjective) with those who have died.

      It seems the Western World  denies or ignores the existence of death. Whewn mentioned, it is usually spoken of in  hushed tones. The only time the average person thinks about the mysterious aspects death is when a family member or a close friend dies 

      Most of the religions have a strong viewppoint regarding life and death. Nearly all the religions believe in afterlife, reincarnation, heaven and hell, or soul. Religion is a major part of life and death. In fact, the concept of death in different religions differs a lot. For instance, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism have discrete opinions about death and what comes after.

       Although the ancient Egyptians strongly believed in life after death, the idea of passing from life on earth to life in the hereafter was somewhat obscure, and the concepts concerning the afterlife were complex.

      The ancient Egyptian hoped not only to extend life beyond the grave, but to become part of the perennial life of nature. The two most important concepts concerning the afterlife were the ka and the ba. The ka was a kind of double or other self, not an element of the personality, but a detached part of the self which was sometimes said to guide the fortunes of the individual in life, like the metaphysical higher self, but was clearly most associated with a person's fortunes in the hereafter. When people died they were said to join with their ka. More important perhaps than the ka was the concept of the ba. The ba is perhaps loosely identifiable as the soul of a person. More specifically the ba was the manifestation of an individual after death, usually thought to be represented in the form of a bird. The Egyptians also believed in the concept of akh, which was the transformation of some of the noble dead into eternal objects. The noblest were often conceived of as being transformed into stars, thus joining in the changeless rhythm of the universe.

       Death real to Hinduism as it strongly believes in the rebirth and reincarnation of souls, as the soul as a separate entity. Death is regarded as a natural process  When a person dies, the soul travels to another world and finally returns again to the earth to continue its journey.

       After death, Hindus are not buried, but cremated. According to Hinduism, a human body is made up of five elements. Out of the five elements four elemens are fire, earth, water and air. The fifth element is known as ether (the subtle body) and it does not belong to earth. By cremating the body, the elements are rightfully returned to their respective spheres, while the subtle body (the soul) returns to the material world for the continuation of its life.

        In Buddhism a lot has been said about the importance of death. It was awareness of death that prompted the Buddha to explore the truth beyond worldly concerns and pleasures. After a long search, the Buddha finally came to the conclusion that death is inevitable. Today, Buddhists look at death as taking a break from this materialistic world. Buddhists do not think death as a continuation of the soul but consider it as an awakening. They believe in reincarnation: once a person dies on this earth, he will be reborn to a new life here and the status of that life depends on the work he did before his previous death (karma).

       Christian beliefs about the afterlife vary, but the vast majority of Christians believe in some kind of spiritual afterlife, in which believers will experience the presence of God and other believers and freedom from suffering. It is believed that those who do not believe in Jesus will ultimately end up in hell, while those who do will achieve salvation and end up in heaven.

      Some Christian groups believe that (after death) we go into a 'sleep' and do not regain consiousness until Judgement Day.. They refer to this as "soul sleeping"

       Initially, most Christian favored burial of the dead body but today both cremation and burial are practiced by Christians. Whether it is burial or cremation, there are many rituals that Christians practice for the deceased.

       Muslims believe that the present life is only a preparation for the next realm of existence.  For them death is merely movement from one world to another. It can be described as a journey through a separate dimension of existence. The Prophet taught that three things can continue to help a person even after death; charity which he had given, knowledge which he had taught and prayers on their behalf by a righteous child.

      Upon the death of a Muslim, the body of the deceased is washed and covered in a clean white cloth and preparation for burial takes place as soon as possible. Muslims gather and prayers are performed for the dead and soon after the prayer the body of the deceased is buried. The body is to be laid on its right side facing the direction of the Kaabah. Charity, fasting, prayers, and pilgrimage are often performed by the family members on behalf of the deceased.

      Birth is the oldest memory and that experience seems to be what is experienced at death. -  faces appearing as a light gets brighter and brighter. Death is only the cessation of physical consciousness.