I would say that our "sick quest" for immortality is actually what you would call Sehnsucht. Somehow we suspect that we are immortal. We have only lost sight of it somewhere along our evolutionary way.
As far as I get it, the purpose of that "process of individual preservation" after death is simply to get more time for realization -- according to Buddhist lore some people reach liberation from Pure Abodes (which is an analogy for heaven). The second scenario in Buddhism is then to cause one more rebirth of a person who then becomes liberated. Also, IIRC, Castaneda mentioned that being able to remain in second attention after death is just a transfer station before one has enough energy to reach third attention. That the sorcerers and witches are targeted is probably caused by the fact that many of them obsess about their power(s).
In any case, personally, I'm all for reaching liberation while alive without any detours.
The irony, or the cosmic joke, is that this dream is our dream. Or better said my dream. What you as dream character suspect to be "your" awareness is infinite sea of awareness or the Real Dreamer. You were, are, and will be the Real Dreamer. Always. And there is nothing but the Real Dreamer. Liberation or enlightenment then simply means to know that. And upon realization it is also revealed that Real Dreamer, that is, what you actually are, is personally immortal. Or better said, concepts such as conception, birth, and death don't apply to the real you, only the dream character(s).
Today I listened to a very nice talk, you may find it instructive ;)
