A Short Summary of the World's Holy Scriptures
With a Perspective On Heaven and Hell (Eternal Damnation)
I am fortunate enough to have read a good part of major Holy Scriptures: Bhagavad Gita, Dhammapada (Hindus and Buddhists), The Bible (Old and New Testaments) and The Quran. I have also reviewed works by spiritualists like George Fox (Quakerism) and mystics like Swedenborg, Al-Ghazali, Attar of Nishapur and Molavi (Rumi as Persians call him), Meister Eckhart and St. Teresa of Avila. Here is a summary of what I have learned, as a common theme to all of them:
The Common Theme
Humans, created in God's image, constantly seek the 4 P's we associate with Godliness: Power/Profit (strength), Prestige, Pleasure (joy). Yet, we are constantly reminded by prophets, sages and Holy scriptures, as well as our own personal life experiences and hardships, that we can only find the Godly image and power WITHIN us and not in the OUTSIDE world (of business, politics, fame and fortune, etc.). Being Godly means connecting to the ONE eternal and boundless positive (not destructive) energy (meaning LIFE), which goes beyond time and individual space (Selves). Spiritual leaders use examples like a drop joining a calm, deep ocean or peaceful river as similes of connecting to our eternal root/source of energy, power, life (vitality) and joy. A drop in a calm ocean or river does not feel the passage of time. Our souls age (by sensing time and space) and lose vitality and energy only when we leave the infinite and experience the chaos (transient waves and storms) associated with boundaries. In science and Engineering, we call these “boundary conditions” and transient states because they are not as steady as the core of the system. Thermodynamically (as explained in my books and articles), without life, which imposes order on systems, chaos (entropy and loss of energy/vitality) prevails in nature. That is why an organism, held together by the vital LIFE force when alive, decomposes after death. The same way life is the organizing force for our body, God is the organizing force for our souls. Without it, we are spiritually disordered and fragmented.
A state of bliss and union with the limitless energy, cannot be reached in the chaos of fighting and competing with others and until we really harness the "selfish" gatekeeper (ego) which disconnects us from that universal power (consciousness). The more selfish (individual) “needs” we have (to feel special), the harder it becomes to be one with that indivisible, boundless source of vitality and energy. Individuals cannot become indivisible (God). The Dualities in the human mind such as friend and enemy, good and bad, beautiful and ugly, are all “of this world.” God, like his unadulterated reflection/image within each of us, is only good, pure life, love and energy. A self-absorbed human brain/mind, disunited from the pure peaceful Holy spirit (existing within and without us), becomes dissociated and unable to freely receive wisdom and experience joy, health and peace in this life.
Persian Mystics
13th century Mystic Persian poet Molavi (Rumi) says: "The soul which, all day long, is trampled with the heavy concerns, .. of (self-centered) profit and loss, and the [ego-centered] fear of scaling down (decline).. will be left with no kindness, joy, vitality or dignity, neither with a path to transcend up to the heavenly bliss."
In The Conference of the Birds, (see image above) 12th century Persian mystic, Attar of Nishapur, narrates the story of a flock of birds gathering to decide who is to be their sovereign. The hoopoe, the wisest of them all, leads the birds, each of whom represents a human fault which prevents humanity from attaining enlightenment, through seven valleys in order to reach the abode of the all-powerful Simorgh:
1. Valley of the Quest, where the Wayfarer begins by casting aside all dogma, belief, and unbelief.
2. Valley of Love, where reason is abandoned for the sake of love.
3. Valley of Knowledge, where worldly knowledge becomes utterly useless.
4. Valley of Detachment, where all desires and attachments to the world are given up. Here, what is assumed to be “reality” vanishes.
5. Valley of Unity, where the Wayfarer realizes that everything is connected and that the Beloved is beyond everything, including harmony, multiplicity, and eternity.
6. Valley of Wonderment, where, entranced by the beauty of the Beloved, the Wayfarer becomes perplexed and, steeped in awe, finds that he has never known or understood anything.
7. Valley of Poverty and Annihilation, where the self disappears into the universe and the Wayfarer becomes timeless, existing in both the past and the future.
After enduring immense trials, a mere thirty birds make it to the Simorgh's court. There, they find no king, but a reflection of themselves, realizing that their journey was internal, and the Simorgh is made of the "si morgh" (thirty birds).
The classic Persian story teaches that the spiritual journey to divine truth is a long and arduous path of self-discovery and inner transformation, where the seeker must overcome ego and attachment to find truth within themselves, not in an external source.
The word in many Eastern languages (Arabic, Persian, etc.) for consciousness (for example vojdan) has the roots “V J D” which deals with finding, realizing, joy and existence, like realizing and finding the source of our existence and joy.
The Bible and Quran
The Bible and Quran both use example of seeds growing into fruitful trees as a metaphor or simile of being connected to the endless gifts and peace of God and Kingdom of Heaven. Seeds may look different but their essence is the same. They are all unselfish ways a parent tree will replicate into many fruits which will (unselfishly) return as seeds to perpetuate the cycle of life. It’s all “one” vital force (indivisible consciousness/life) propagating through many manifestations (trees, seeds and fruits).
Individuals cannot become indivisible (God) because “Selfish” ego instills in us comparative/competitive traits such as greed, lust, anger and hatred in relation to other "SELF"s which are all but manifestations of the ONE God and Universal force (consciousness) like the many seeds and fruits of the same tree.
14th century Christian mystic Meister Eckhart believed being powerful, joyful, just and kind is only possible when we connect to the source of all power, joy and kindness. This "divine birth," requires a journey of inner transformation to break free from dualistic (self-centered, individualistic) thinking and realize the divine within.
Muslim mystics (including Sufis) also believe God is within each of us. They rely on the following Quranic verse: “And We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein." (Qaf:16).
In the Bible, Jesus is quoted as “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:21). Although some translations say the “Kingdom of God is amidst you,” the Greek word ἐντὸς means “within” or “inside” and not amidst. (Strong's Greek: 1787). In Ephesians 3, Paul says: “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. so that Christ/God may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.”
Muslim, Christian and Jewish mystics practice unselfishness by offering all their actions to God (not to self, personal favorites or acquaintances). These God-offering practices are shared by Hindus and Buddhists. The beneficiaries could be impoverished or sick humans (such as food offerings in temples) but the “intent” is to please the universal God (of supreme kindness) and not one’s own family or tribe.
Bhagavad Gita, Dhammapada (Hindus and Buddhists)
Ancient Vedic and Buddhist scriptures state that the path to enlightenment and spiritual joy is not possible without detaching ourselves from rewards of personal actions and decisions. In Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna (the supreme power of life and joy) tells Arjuna (a courageous warrior engaged in battling familiar enemies, which are metaphors for demons within us) that he can only experience joy and overcome anxieties through a path of selfless action where he acts with dedication but without expecting or being attached to the results (rewards or pains) of his actions. The more we practice devoting our deeds (life and actions) to a higher universal cause (Yoga) and take our own self interest out of it, the more we see the wisdom of creation and universe. In other words, the path of wisdom (Jnana Yoga) and path of action (Karma Yoga) are not separate.
Similarly, The Dhammapada, the classic collection of the Buddha's teachings encourages taking personal responsibility for one's actions and choices to achieve a happier and more purposeful life. But it all starts from our minds and brains. A state of Nirvana or spiritual joy is not possible unless we harness our unwieldy brains (I call The ROGUE Brain in my second book) because a self-absorbed mind is the root of all our problems. Because every idea in our minds start with a view (perspective, bias, prejudice, pre-programming), followed by an intent, etc. The Eightfold Path is what Buddhists teach as a formula for a disciplined mind (Samādhi): Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
Interestingly, the ancient Persian prophet, Zoroaster, prescribed a Threefold Path to enlightenment as Good/Pure (Unselfish/Godly) Thoughts, Pure Words, Pure Deeds. Selfishness (impurity of soul) all starts from our minds, followed by words and actions.
Gandhi, the leader of India’s Independence through non-violence (non-resistance), and a promoter of ahimsa (non-violence), said he was inspired by Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He summarized his source of relentless energy and joyful personality as “Renounce and Enjoy.” By renouncing he meant detachment from self-centered outcomes and relinquishing any desire to harm any of God’s other creatures for the benefit of our “Selves.”
Heaven and Hell
Modern science now confirms that all our emotional/judgmental states, memories and energies are transferred and preserved as electrical and electromagnetic pulses via neurons and glial cells that protect our neurons, such as Schwan cells. In other words, our state of emotions are stored in energy fields which transcend our material body. Experiments in the 1930s by prominent scientist Harold Saxton Burr demonstrated that subtle bio-electric energy fields, he called L-(Life) fields, encompass all living organisms and can be sensed and measured even outside the organism. Like our fingerprints, L-fields are unique to each individual and their electrical potentials are linked to the physical/mental health and development of the organism. By some accounts, some of this energy field even remains at the moment of death or shortly afterwards.
If one dies with selfish tensions in the soul (jealousy, greed, anger, hate, etc.), that unresolved stress/energy field will be carried with his/her soul to eternity because his/her body and mind (brain) can no longer have a chance to release those energies, for example by forgiving, loving or charity. That eternal state of painful or constipated soul, which often follows a worldly state of physical constipation and pains, is what's called Hell (by Swedenborg and others). Hell is like experiencing an endless night of nightmares by a tortured angry soul without an opportunity to reset and wake up. There is no physical or mental wake up after death.
In Dante's Inferno, avoiding hell is achieved through embracing the divine love of God and exercising the “spiritual” free will to choose virtue (unselfishness) over sin (selfish desires and excess).
According to mystics (whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu or Buddhist), the Kingdom of God/Heaven, the Creator’s gift to us, can be viewed as an unselfish inner state blessed with peace, love, joy and health. Heaven is nothing but that "internal" state of joy and vitality (relaxed energy without pain or anxiety) that no one can take away from us. If we don’t strive for that state, we deserve what we get, which some ancient spiritual texts like Bhagavad Gita call Karma as the creator's universal "education" and feedback for each of us. If we have discord, disparities (injustice), wars, diseases, pain and agony today, it is because we have fallen from the Kingdom of Heaven.
So in religious and spiritual accounts, “life,” defined as joyful boundless vitality, ends with sins (of selfishness). We are dead when our soul is dead, according to the Christian Bible: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).
That's also why John, an apostle of Jesus says: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." Similarly, Saint John of the Cross says "We live in What We Love." We cannot be in LOVE and Joy if we are too much in love with our own selfish ego (the individualistic layer we have built onto our universal consciousness or operating system, which is the God Within us or as Quakers say "The Light within us." The more we consume, waste and need in this world (money, food, luxuries), the more we become attached to the results of our selfish actions and decisions. Detaching our minds from rewards (especially income and pleasure) and pains (losses) of our actions helps us train our soul not to be guided mainly by self-centered decisions.
Miracles happen when even two people detach from personal rewards and self-centered goals by allowing God and the Holy spirit (universal consciousness) in every aspect of their lives. Joyful spiritual fellowships and healthy marriages are examples of such unions through God. The Bible describes a joyful spiritual marriage as if two separate (unselfish) souls merge into one body: “The two will become one flesh.. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” (Matthew 19:5). This type of “heavenly” marriage is in contrast to the Hell experienced by individuals living together without actually dissolving their egos and uniting through the Holy Spirit.
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Nicely done and well said...