07 Jul 04
Originally posted by Brother EdwinIf you were in heaven thinking you were about to go to hell, that'd be an unpleasant experience, so you wouldn't be in heaven. Similarly the other way around.
Would you rather be in hell but all the time think that you were just about to go to heaven. Or be in heaven but always think that you were about to go to hell.
08 Jul 04
Originally posted by Acolyte''Oh dear. I wish I could spend eternity knowing I was going to go to Hell soon.''
If you were in heaven thinking you were about to go to hell, that'd be an unpleasant experience, so you wouldn't be in heaven. Similarly the other way around.
This is only unpleasant if the person doesn't think ahead.
08 Jul 04
3 edits
Originally posted by Brother Edwinthis is an interesting question actually. however, let's set some parameters in which to frame possible answers.
Would you rather be in hell but all the time think that you were just about to go to heaven. Or be in heaven but always think that you were about to go to hell.
A. let us say that you really did know whether you were in hell or heaven.
1) you know you are in heaven, therefore there is no reason to go to hell because unless you do the 'fallen angel' thing, your behaviour should allow you to remain in heaven.
2) you know you are in hell, therefore the thing to look forward to is heaven (this is assuming you aren't having a really good time even though all your friends are there with you). there is hope in this, because presumably the god you believe in has a sense of justice (otherwise you wouldn't be in hell in the first place), and therefore, you can hopefully count on this sense of justice to get you out of hell after your term has been served since eternity is an excessively long time.
B. let us say that you really don't know whether it is heaven or hell. then it is safe to assume that you are possibly on earth waiting to go one way or another. now you really do have some interesting choices.
1) if you do bad things, you will go to hell, so the only benefit you can get out of this is if you really enjoy doing bad things to the extent that the good time you are having compensates for the hellish time you will experience later.
2) if you do good things, you will go to heaven, so unless you do not enjoy doing good things and really feel that you are missing out by not doing bad things, you will enjoy a bit of heaven on earth and then get the real thing later on.
3) if you do a mixture of both, then you should be able to figure out which you enjoy and at what future cost, though you may need to call in an accountant to do a proper projection.
4) if you do neither, you are probably being rather zenlike and you koan't really care a whole lot about which way you are headed since you are busy being where you are.
5) if you are reading this post it means you are on rhp and depending on your level of addiction, you may not have time to go anywhere anyway.
i think that your question is definitely interesting, but since most of us fall into B5, we will never get to see the results of our actions.
in friendship,
prad
08 Jul 04
2 edits
Isn't one in Heaven eternally, by definition? Doesn't that mean that only a misinformed or unimaginative person would sit in Heaven thinking that they would not be there (specifically, thinking they'd be in Hell) in a finite period of time (specifically, soon)? Then again, the criteria I've heard for going to heaven are pretty much isomorphic to misinformedness and lack of imagination 😕.
09 Jul 04
3 edits
Originally posted by Brother EdwinYour question reminds me of a great zen story:
Would you rather be in hell but all the time think that you were just about to go to heaven. Or be in heaven but always think that you were about to go to hell.
A samurai warrior goes to a zen master and demands, "Teach me about heaven and hell!" The master continues to meditate. The warrior yells louder, "Hey! I said teach me about heaven and hell!" Unmoved by the hollering, the master continues to be immersed in emptiness.
The samurai's pride is hurt, and in a fit of rage he raises his sword to kill the peaceful man. Calmly, the master opens his eyes and declares, "Here open the gates to hell." In the moment of recognition, the warrior's anger melts and he falls at the feet of the master begging for forgiveness. The master smiles, "And here open the gates to heaven."
🙂
09 Jul 04
Originally posted by SangeetaPatience is a virtue!😉
Your question reminds me of a great zen story:
A samurai warrior goes to a zen master and demands, "Teach me about heaven and hell!" The master continues to meditate. The warrior yells louder, "Hey! I said teach me about heaven and hell!" Unmoved by the hollering, the master continues to be immersed in emptiness.
The samurai's pride is hurt, an ...[text shortened]... master begging for forgiveness. The master smiles, "And here open the gates to heaven."
🙂