chapter 23 - Heaven and hell

Some says that this world is a suffering place, and they want to go to heaven after they died. This is not wrong at all. At least there is hope. It is a better way of thinking than people that are feeling hopeless and depressed about the ‘suffering world’ that they are living in.

No doubt that this conditional limited selfless physical body, the selfless perceptive cognitive thinking mind under the influence of ignorance, and the world of selfless impermanent names and forms, where none and nothing can escape the selfless impermanent changes of forming, changing, decaying and disintegration, are a form of inevitable suffering.

Hunger and thirst are indeed a form of basic suffering.

Physical pain derived from decay, old age, injury and illness is indeed an unavoidable suffering. But we do need this sensation of pain to protect us from getting unnecessary injury of the body. If we don't feel pain at all, we will have so many injuries through out the whole body, because we won't be able to protect ourselves anymore without the signal of pain. We will burn our skin, having wounds on the body, breaking our bones, or burning our mouth and throat while eating something very hot, but without us realizing it at all, because we don't feel pain.

So much selfish and ignorant behaviors and happenings in the world are indeed a form of suffering too, though it's unnecessary, or it can be avoided.

But why do we want to wait any longer and going through so much frustrations and unhappiness at the meantime? We don’t have to.

Now, the present moment is either heaven or hell depending on how we think and feel influenced by how we understand and react towards everything. If we are in anger, hatred, dissatisfaction, jealousy, hurt, fear, painful sorrow, have greed and being ignorant, there is no difference from being in hell at this present moment. And if we are in peace, joy, contentment, have love, compassion and wisdom, there is no difference from being in heaven at this present moment.

Every moment can be heaven or can be hell for us, in our mind, in ourselves. Happiness is not something caused from outside. When our heart is in peace and contentment, we see everything agreeable and beautifully, we hear every sound is soothing and lovely, and so on. When our heart is not at peace and discontent, we see everything as ugly, bad, hurting and disgusting, every sound we hear is disturbing, and so on.

The unconditional heaven is right here, where we are now, within us. It doesn’t matter how is the condition of this physical body and how is the situation of the world, or the imperfection in oneself and others, at this present moment, if we are free from ignorance, attachments, identification, expectation, judgment, disturbs, hurts, anger, hatred, jealousy, pride, greed, fears and worries, free from desires, cravings and aversions, if our heart is in peace, love and contentment, we are in heaven.

Not in the future, not about doing lots of good deeds now to be accumulating merits and virtues to be cashed in later when we die, but continuing being in a state of ignorance, disturb, greed, hurt, jealousy, anger, hatred, painful sorrow, fear, worry and unhappiness all the time, and waiting until the moment of death, then move to a place so called Heaven, a desirable and pleasant place full of joy, love and pleasurable enjoyments void of painful sorrow and suffering, that is conditional and limited, where there are certain condition or standard that qualify or disqualify somebody to be entering or not entering this place, and for how long one stays there based on the amount of merits and virtues, or depending on the mercy or pardon and mood of the superior entity, or the superior judge, or the sole builder and owner of Heaven, the universe, and everything in the universe.

Inquire the truth of everything.