Buddhist Dies and Spends an Eternity in the Light, then Comes Back to Share this Message
What Researchers Found
The Story
Robert Ajo, an architect and Buddhist, had a near-death experience during a heart procedure in 2016. He flatlined for about five minutes. During the experience, he instantly became an intense light, integrated with it for an eternity. He lost his sense of self and felt profound awareness, love, and compassion beyond time and physical limits. He noticed colors and a distant dot, then remembered his life and chronic pain. He decided to return to share the message of awakening. He spent what felt like 100 years in an energetic dimension chanting mantras and doing mudras to re-enter his body. He woke up, made a joke to the nurses, and saw his EKG tracing. After the NDE, Ajo wrote two books, Timeless Luminosity and The Frog, and speaks in interfaith and scientific groups. He promotes respecting spiritual paths, cultivating compassion, and awakening to help others.
“when I say light uh I could say God I that can that can come close to what”
The account features a clear clinical death with 5-minute flatline confirmed via EKG chart, and specific veridical perceptions of nurses' conversations overheard while out-of-body, immediately corroborated by his witty response and their laughter. Limitations include same-room perceptual access without impossible vantage points and delayed public reporting.
Score reflects verifiable perceptions reported. A low score indicates the experience was primarily spiritual or subjective, not that it didn't occur.
Score reflects transformation as described. Domains scored 0 indicate the topic was not discussed, not that no change occurred.
Are you here because someone you love has died?
These accounts were gathered because death may not be the end. Thousands of people have experienced something beyond — and come back to tell us about it.
What Researchers Found
The account features a clear clinical death with 5-minute flatline confirmed via EKG chart, and specific veridical perceptions of nurses' conversations overheard while out-of-body, immediately corroborated by his witty response and their laughter. Limitations include same-room perceptual access without impossible vantage points and delayed public reporting.
Score reflects verifiable perceptions reported. A low score indicates the experience was primarily spiritual or subjective, not that it didn't occur.
Score reflects transformation as described. Domains scored 0 indicate the topic was not discussed, not that no change occurred.