Matt: Gods are conscious in that they have hopes and desires, as well as a mind-made body if they choose. Parinibbana is some other thing. But it's not death. People still claim that the Buddha appears to them, if you believe that (which I think we must if we accept NDEs and OBEs as real things and not hallucinations--the point of arguing for the veridical is to give evidential weight for the non-veridical as well) then Nibbana and Parinibbana simply can't mean death.

DAVID: I know the consciousness I experience. It is observation and analysis from my perspective. Analysis is in my speech, English. I can't imagine it being named only 400 years ago.

Matt: John Locke invented the word. It didn't exist prior to that.

Great history!