…What the Hell…
generally, i think that the ultimate end-game is the same for everyone. you know (cue scary music)… the ‘END GAME’… but neither death, nor the post-death experience, is that end-game. can people go to heaven? sure, if the factors and conditions for going to heaven are all present and accounted for. can people be reborn in the human realm for another shot at it? of course – if they desire. is going to hell (fiery or otherwise) an option? you bet. suffering builds character, as the saying goes. or rather, suffering gives the opportunity to accumulate merit.
in terms of suffering, though, i do not believe that there is a physical place of fire and brimstone presided over by the very worst that creation has to offer. but, i do believe that because of circumstance and personal choices, many spirits find their way to that experience.
is it all in the mind? yes. but only insofar as everything is all in the mind. and is suffering limited to the stereotypical ‘hell’ that our culture seems so hung up on? i’d have to say no. my fear of hell is boredom… i’ll cut-n-paste my own dante moment below.
but the thing is, hell is impermanent. the conditions that cause the experience burn off eventually (karma is fire) and new conditions flow in (karma is water). and the only constant between hells (whatever flavor one is ‘enjoying’ at the moment) is the illusion that we don’t have the ability to say ‘i’ve had enough. this ends now.’
its funny, though… the same could be said of heaven. a rest in the summerland, or a romp with the angels, or sitting at the feet of an enlightened being; it pauses your spiritual growth (albeit pleasantly), so it too can only be temporary. eventually you have to ‘get back to work’.
so neither heaven, nor hell, nor rebirth is eternal because even the longest lasting cycles have to ‘cycle round’ eventually. and when, finally, at long last we come to the collective decision to stop playing, then the cycle of cycles ends. and presumably a new game begins.
shades of boredom
the shades of boredom (of which there are five) are monochromatically grey. if you were to line them up, one next to another, you would just barely be able to make out a subtle difference in gradation between the first and the last. the leftmost tastes of ash, when you stand too close to a fire and the wind blows in your face. next is the fleeting memory that your conciousness just can’t quite hold onto; it is the malevolent rebellion of the part of your mind that wishes you harm. in the center are three voices, so achingly close to harmony that to listen would bring madness. rightward is the dream of a path, where the scenery never changes and the destination is never reached. and the farthest shade is overwhelming disappointment; knowing that same action brings same result, but being unwilling to break the cycle.
and then you move on. or you don’t. – world keeps spinning either way
-justin