504 lines
26 KiB
Plaintext
504 lines
26 KiB
Plaintext
HEAVEN AND HELL
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World Scripture
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HEAVEN AND HELL
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Some conception of heaven and hell is found universally among the religions of
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the world. Descriptions of these abodes are often full of graphic and fanciful
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imagery, conveying in metaphor a reality that can hardly be part of the
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ordinary experience of mortals. Are these realms objectively real? The
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scriptures are unanimous in affirming they are. Yet they do not have any
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physical location: "up" or "down" is a matter of spiritual geography, not of
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astronomy or geology. The view found in some texts, that heaven or hell is
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derived from one's state of mind,1 does not make it any less real. For the
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attitudes and desires of people's hearts, which may be hidden by the external
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features of mortal life, are the equivalent of material reality in the realms
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of spirit.
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A number of the Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist passages speak of Yama, the Indic
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god of the dead. Yama is not comparable to the devil or Satan who, in
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Christian belief, is the author of evil. In the Vedas, he presides over the
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bright realms and is the object of offerings and supplications for the benefit
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of the departed. As the lord of hell in Buddhism, his acts are strictly in
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accordance with divine law, meting out punishments according to people's karma,
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and in one Taoist text reprinted here he even gives an object lesson to turn
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people away from evil.
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Some ambiguity plagues the descriptions of heaven and hell in the scriptures of
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Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which can be interpreted either to describe
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the state of the soul upon death or what will be after the future Resurrection.
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The Qur'anic passages collected here which describe the opening of Paradise and
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hell are a few of many which refer to the last judgment. Most Muslims,
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therefore, regard the dead to be sleeping in the grave awaiting that momentous
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event. Yet other passages, such as the hadith describing Muhammad's Night
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Journey,2 point to the present reality of Heaven as the dwelling place for the
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souls of the righteous. The biblical vision of Heaven from the Revelation and
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the passage from the same book about the lake of fire are visions of a future
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recompense after the tribulations of the Last Judgment. Those Christians who
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hold to a literal interpretation of these verses concur with their Muslim
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brothers and sisters that the souls of the dead are asleep in the grave,
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awaiting the future opening of Heaven and hell. But another strand of the
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Christian tradition, supported by biblical descriptions of the Sheol in Job
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3.17-19, the heavenly Jerusalem in Hebrews 12.22-24, and the story of Lazarus
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and the rich man in Luke 16.19-31, teaches that upon death each person
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immediately enters his appointed place in Heaven or hell. The visions in
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Revelation are often interpreted in this way, and have spawned such classic
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descriptions as Dante's Divine Comedy. The concept of the World to Come in
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Rabbinic Jewish writings is similarly ambiguous: the World to Come may be a
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present Heaven or describe a future redemption on earth.3
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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1. E.g., Tibetan Book of the Dead, p. 343, Madaghishloka, p. 347, Sutra of Hui
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Neng 6, p. 348.
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2. See Qur'an 2.154, p. 330, and 39.42, p. 333.
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3. The resolution of these two doctrines comes at the eschatological time of
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redemption, when the realization of the Kingdom of God on earth brings with it
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a transformation of heaven: 'a new heaven and a new earth'--cf. Revelation
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21.1-22.5, pp. 1118f; Isaiah 24.18-23, p. 1098; Qur'an 21.104-05, p. 1111;
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69.13-17, pp. 1098f. The destruction of evil and the triumph of good, when God
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becomes all in all, effects liberation for the earthly realms and the spiritual
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realms alike. See also passages which teach that the words "life" and "death"
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often refer to a state of grace rather than physical life or death: Luke 9.60,
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p. 583; Qur'an 6.122, p. 583; Berakot 18ab, p. 583. In that light we can also
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understand resurrection to mean the enlivening and salvation of those in the
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spiritual realms as well as on earth.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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HEAVEN
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The world's scriptures describe Heaven as a place of rest, or as an exalted
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spiritual state, full of divine splendor and communion with the Absolute.
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There are also descriptions using more graphic and materialistic imagery:
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gardens of delights, with riches and pleasures abounding. A number of texts
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describe it as a place of fellowship with the spirits of the departed or a
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fellowship of saints. We conclude with visions or tours of Heaven: the
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Buddhist description of the Pure Land, the vision of throngs surrounding the
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divine throne in the Book of Revelation, and Muhammad's Night Journey.
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There the wicked cease from troubling,
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and there the weary are at rest.
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There the prisoners are at ease together;
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they hear not the voice of the taskmaster.
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The small and the great are there,
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and the slave is free from his master.
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1. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Job 3.17-19
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Chuang Tzu said, "Were I to prevail upon God to allow your body to be born
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again, and your bones and flesh to be renewed, so that you could return to your
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parents, to your wife, and to the friends of your youth, would you be willing?"
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At this, the skull opened its eyes wide and knitted its brows and said, "How
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should I cast aside happiness greater than that of a king, and mingle once
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again in the toils and troubles of mortality?"
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2. Taoism. Chuang Tzu 18
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He in whom desire has been stilled suffers no rebirth. After death, having
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attained to the highest, desiring only the Self, he goes to no other world.
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Realizing Brahman, he becomes Brahman.
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Freed from the body, he becomes one with the immortal spirit, Brahman, the
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Light eternal.
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3. Hinduism. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.6-7
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When a son of the Buddha fulfils his course,
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In the world to come he becomes Buddha.
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4. Buddhism. Lotus Sutra 2
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To the highest regions, in due order, to those regions where there is no
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delusion, and to those regions which are full of light where the glorious gods
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dwell--who have long life, great power, great luster, can change their shape at
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will, are beautiful as on their first day, and have the brilliance of many
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suns--to such places go those who are trained in self-control and penance, both
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monks and householders who have obtained liberation by absence of passion.
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5. Jainism. Uttaradhyayana Sutra 5.26-28
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Not like this world is the World to Come. In the World to Come there is
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neither eating nor drinking, nor procreation of children or business
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transactions, no envy or hatred or rivalry; but the righteous sit enthroned,
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their crowns on their heads, and enjoy the luster of the Divine Splendor
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(Shechinah).
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6. Judaism. Talmud, Berakot 17a
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In the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like
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angels in heaven.
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7. Christianity. Bible, Matthew 22.30
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And those Foremost [in faith] will be Foremost [in the hereafter].
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These will be those nearest to God;
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In Gardens of Bliss;
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A number of people from those of old,
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and a few from those of later times.
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They will be on thrones encrusted, reclining on them, facing each other.
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Round about them will serve youths of perpetual freshness,
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with goblets, shining beakers, and cups filled out of clear-flowing fountains;
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No after-ache will they receive therefrom, nor will they suffer intoxication;
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And with fruits, any that they may select,
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And the flesh of fowls, any that they may desire.
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And there will be companions with beautiful, big and lustrous eyes,
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Like unto pearls well-guarded:
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A reward for the deeds of their past life.
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No frivolity will they hear therein, nor any taint of ill,
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Only the saying "Peace! Peace!"
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8. Islam. Qur'an 56.10-27
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Lotus Sutra 2: The teaching of the Lotus Sutra at this point is paralleled in
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Hindu Vedanta, e.g., Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.8-9, p. 586; Chandogya Upanishad
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6.8.7, p. 586, and related passages. To realize one's Buddhahood is comparable
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to discerning Brahman--the Absolute and Ultimate. No longer immersed in
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temporal phenomena, one becomes joined to eternal Reality. Berakot 17a: Cf.
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Hadith, p. 1113. Qur'an 56.10-27: Cf. Qur'an 9.72, p. 199; 69.20-24, pp.
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1098f; 98.7-8, p. 581.
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Higher than all stands the Realm of Grace--
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None can have access there except heroes of supreme might,
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Inspired by God-consciousness.
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In that sphere abide numberless heroines like Sita of surpassing praise
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And beauty indescribable.
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Those to God united suffer not mortality nor delusion.
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In that sphere abide devotees assembled from the various universes,
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Cherishing the holy Eternal ever in their hearts.
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In everlasting bliss.
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The formless Supreme Being abides in the Realm of Eternity.
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Over His creation He casts His glance of grace.
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In that realm are contained all the continents and universes,
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Exceeding in number all count.
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Of creation, worlds upon worlds abide therein--
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All obedient to His Will;
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He watches over them in bliss,
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And has each constantly in mind.
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Saith Nanak, Such is that realm's [glory] that to try to describe it is to
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attempt the impossible.
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9. Sikhism. Adi Granth, Japuji 37 M.1, p. 8
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Make me immortal in the realm
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where the son of Vivasvat [Yama] reigns,
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where lies heaven's secret shrine, where
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are those waters that are ever young.
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For Indra, flow thou on, Indu!
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Make me immortal in that realm
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where movement is accordant to wish,
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in the third region, the third heaven of heavens,
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where the worlds are resplendent.
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For Indra, flow thou on, Indu!
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Make me immortal in that realm
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where all wishes and longings go,
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where spreads the Radiant One's region,
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where holy bliss is, and happiness.
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For Indra, flow thou on, Indu!
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Make me immortal in that realm
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where beatitude and joy and cheer
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and transports of delight abound,
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where the highest desires have been filled.
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For Indra, flow thou on, Indu!
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10. Hinduism. Rig Veda 9.113.8-11
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Rig Veda 9.113.8-11: Cf. Rig Veda 10.14.2,8, p. 332.
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What is heaven? Heaven is created by those people who love here on earth with
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unselfishness and an absolute, God-centered love. This is the most basic
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principle, and all other principles you learn are the expansion of this basic
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truth.
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11. Unification Church. Sun Myung Moon, 4-18-77
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Behold! between the worlds
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of mortals and of gods
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There is no difference!
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To speak the truth is the world of gods;
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To speak untruth, the mortal world.
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Good works is heaven,
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Bad works is hell;
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You are the witness, O Lord.
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12. Hinduism. Basavanna, Vacana 239
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Rabbi Joseph, son of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, was ill and fell into a coma. When
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he recovered, his father asked him, "What did you see?" He replied, "I beheld
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a world the reverse of this one; those who are on top here were below there,
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and vice versa." He said to him, "My son, you have seen a corrected world.
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But what is the position of us students of Torah there?" He answered, "We are
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the same as here. I heard it stated, 'Happy is he who comes here possessed of
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learning;' and I further heard it said that martyrs occupy an eminence which
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nobody else can attain."
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13. Judaism. Talmud, Pesahim 50a
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Once Hatthaka, son of a deva [one reborn in heaven after death], when night was
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waning, lit up the whole of Jeta Grove with exceeding splendor and approached
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the Exalted One....
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Then said the Exalted One, "Well, Hatthaka, do things go on now just the same
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as before, when you were in human shape?"
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"Yes, Lord, they do. But there are also some things now going on which I did
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not experience when I was in human shape. Just as, Lord, the Exalted One now
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dwells surrounded by brethren and sisters, by lay-brothers and lay-sisters, by
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royalties and ministers, by sectarians and their followers--just so do I dwell
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surrounded by sons of devas. Even from a distance, Lord, do sons of the devas
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come saying, 'We'll hear the Norm from the lips of Hatthaka, son of a deva.'
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"Of three things, Lord, I never got enough. I died regretful of three things.
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What were they? I never had enough of beholding the Exalted One. I died
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regretting it. I never had enough of hearing the good Norm. I died regretting
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it. I never had enough of serving the Order of Brethren. I died regretting
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it."
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14. Buddhism. Anguttara Nikaya i.279
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Sun Myung Moon, 4-18-77: Cf. Sun Myung Moon, 12-18-85, p. 323. 1 Corinthians
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13, p. 237. Vacana 239: Cf. Katha Upanishad 2.1.10, p. 323. Pesahim 50a: Cf. 1
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Samuel 2.4-9, pp. 545f; Hadith of Bukhari, p. 911. Anguttara Nikaya 1.279:
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Regret is a powerful emotion in the world beyond; it can create hell or spur
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one to self-betterment.
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Where men of goodwill and good deeds rejoice,
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Their bodies now made free from all disease,
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Their limbs made whole from lameness or defect--
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In that heaven may we behold our parents and our sons!
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15. Hinduism. Atharva Veda 6.120.3
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All who obey God and the Apostle are in the company of those on whom is the
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grace of God--of the Prophets who teach, the sincere lovers of Truth, the
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witnesses [martyrs] who testify, and the righteous who do good: Ah! what a
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beautiful fellowship!
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16. Islam. Qur'an 4.69
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You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly
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Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly
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of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all,
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and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a
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new covenant.
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17. Christianity. Bible, Hebrews 12.22-24
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Komashtam'ho instructed the people in the nature of death, "When you die, you
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will be again with those you love who have gone before you. Again you will be
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young and strong, though you might have been old and feeble on the day you
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died. In the spirit land the corn will grow and all will be happy, whether
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they were good or bad when they were alive. So death is not something to be
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afraid of."
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18. Native American Religions. Yuma Tradition
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For [the ancestors] Soma is purified,
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some accept the molten butter;
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to the company of those, for
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whom the honey flows, let him go!
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To the company of those who
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are invincible by spiritual discipline (tapas),
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and through spiritual discipline have gone to heaven,
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to men of great spiritual fire, let him go!
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To the company of those who
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fight contested battles, heroes
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who cast away their lives, to those who
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made a thousand gifts, let him go!
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To those ancient followers
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of the Law, steadfast in the Law,
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who furthered the Law, to the Fathers, Yama,
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great in their spiritual fire, let him go!
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To the sage-poets, the leaders
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of thousands, those who protect the sun,
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to the Rishis of great spiritual discipline,
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born of spiritual discipline, Yama! let him go!
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19. Hinduism. Rig Veda 10.154.1-5
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Atharva Veda 6.120.3: Cf. Atharva Veda 12.2.26-27, p. 543. Qur'an 4.69: Cf.
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Gleanings 81, p. 371. Hebrews 12.22-24: Cf. Revelation 21.1-2, pp. 1112f;
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Isaiah 51.11, p. 1117. Yuma Tradition: Cf. Zuni Prayer, p. 246; Hopi
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Tradition, p. 348, Ghost Dance, p. 1117.
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O Ananda, the world called Sukhavati (the Pure Land), which is the world system
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of the Lord Amitabha, is rich and prosperous, comfortable, fertile, delightful,
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and crowded with many gods and men. And in this world, Ananda, there are no
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hells, no animals, no ghosts, no devils, and no inauspicious places of rebirth.
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And there do not appear in this world such gems as are known in the world
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Sukhavati.
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And that world Sukhavati, Ananda, is fragrant with many sweet-smelling odors,
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rich in manifold flowers and fruits, adorned with jewel trees, and frequented
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by flocks of various birds with sweet voices, which have been produced by the
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miraculous power of the Tathagata. The jewel trees have various colors, many
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colors, many hundreds of thousands of colors. They are composed of varying
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combinations of the seven precious things: gold, silver, beryl, crystal, coral,
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red pearls, and emerald... Their roots, trunks, branches, leaves, flowers, and
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fruits are pleasant to touch, and fragrant. And when these trees, are moved by
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the wind, a sweet and delightful sound proceeds from them, which one never
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tires of hearing. Such jewel trees, and clusters of banana trees and rows of
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palm trees, all made of precious gems, grow everywhere in this Buddha-land. On
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all sides it is surrounded with golden nets, and all round covered with lotus
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flowers made of all the precious things. Some of the lotus flowers are half a
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mile in circumference, others up to ten miles. And from each jewel lotus issue
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thirty-six hundred thousand billions of rays of light. And at the end of each
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ray issue thirty-six hundred thousand billions of Buddhas, with golden-colored
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bodies, who bear the thirty-two marks of the great man, and who, in all the ten
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directions, go into the countless [lower] realms and there teach the Law.
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And many kinds of rivers flow along in this Pure Land. There are great rivers
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there, one mile broad, and up to fifty miles broad and twelve miles deep. All
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these rivers flow along calmly; their water is fragrant with manifold agreeable
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odors, and in them are bunches of flowers to which various jewels adhere, and
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they resound with various sweet sounds. And the sound which issues from these
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great rivers is as pleasant as that of a musical instrument consisting of
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hundreds of thousands of billions of parts, and which, skillfully played, emits
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a heavenly music. It is deep, commanding, distinct, clear, pleasant to the
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ear, touching the heart, delightful, and one never tires of hearing it, as if
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it always said, "Impermanent, peaceful, calm, and not-self." Such is the sound
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that reaches the ears of those beings. And, Ananda, both banks of those great
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rivers are lined with variously scented jewel trees, and from them bunches of
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flowers, leaves, and branches of all kinds hang down. And if those beings wish
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to indulge in sports full of heavenly delights on those river-banks, then,
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after they have stepped into the water, the water in each case rises as high as
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they wish it to--up to the ankles, or to the knees, or to the hips, or to their
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sides, or to their ears. And heavenly delights arise. Again, if beings wish
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the water to be cold, for them it becomes cold; if they wish it to be hot, for
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them it becomes hot; if they wish it to be hot and cold, for them it becomes
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hot and cold, to suit their pleasure. And those rivers flow along, full of
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water scented with the best perfumes, covered with lilies, lotus, and all
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manner of beautiful flowers, resounding with the sounds of peacocks, sparrows,
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parrots, ducks, geese, herons, cranes, swans, and others, with small islands
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inhabited by flocks of birds, easy to ford, free from mud, and with golden sand
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on the bottom. And all the wishes those beings may think of, they will be
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fulfilled, as long as they are rightful.
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20. Buddhism. Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra 15-18
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Rig Veda 10.154.5: This is a prayer to Yama, the judge of the dead, to allow
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the deceased to enter the higher realms. Cf. Tibetan Book of the Dead, p. 347.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice,
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which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and I
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will show you what must take place after this." At once I was in the Spirit,
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and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne! And he who
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sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a
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rainbow that looked like an emerald. Round the throne were twenty-four
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thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white
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garments, with golden crowns upon their heads. From the throne issue flashes
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of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven
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torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; and before the throne
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there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.
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And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures,
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full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the
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second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a
|
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man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living
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|
creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes round about and
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within, and day and night they never cease to sing,
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|
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Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,
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who was and is and is to come!
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|
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|
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number,
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from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the
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throne and before the Lamb [Christ], clothed in white robes, with palm branches
|
|
in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God
|
|
who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!"...
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|
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Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white
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|
robes, and whence have they come?" I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he
|
|
said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they
|
|
have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
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|
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|
Therefore they are before the throne of God,
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|
and serve him day and night within his temple;
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|
and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence.
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|
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;
|
|
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
|
|
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
|
|
and he will guide them to springs of living water;
|
|
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
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|
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21. Christianity. Bible, Revelation 4.1-8; 7.9-17
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|
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|
Glory be to Him, who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque to the
|
|
Further Mosque, the precincts of which We have blessed, that We might show him
|
|
some of Our signs.
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|
|
|
22. Islam. Qur'an 17.1
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|
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|
Anas ibn Malik said, "Abu Dharr recounted that the Messenger of God said,
|
|
'While I was at Mecca, the roof of my house opened and Gabriel entered. He
|
|
opened my chest, washed me with the water of Zamzam, brought a golden basin
|
|
full of faith and wisdom and emptied all of it into my chest. After that he
|
|
closed it, took me by the hand and raised me towards the lowest heaven. When I
|
|
arrived at the lowest heaven, Gabriel said to the door-keeper "Open." "Who is
|
|
there?" he asked. "Gabriel," the angel replied. "Is there anyone with you?"
|
|
responded the door-keeper. "Yes," replied Gabriel, "Muhammad is with me."
|
|
"Has he been commanded?" added the door-keeper. "Yes," said the angel. When
|
|
the door-keeper had opened to us, we rose up within the lowest heaven, and
|
|
suddenly we saw a man sitting, having some spirits on his right and others on
|
|
his left. Every time he looked to the right he smiled, but as soon as he
|
|
looked to the left he wept. He said, "Welcome virtuous prophet and virtuous
|
|
son." "Who is this?" I asked Gabriel. "This man," he replied, "is Adam, and
|
|
those spirits on the right are destined to Paradise, while the spirits on his
|
|
left are destined to hell. That is why, when he looks to the right, he smiles,
|
|
and when he looks to the left, he weeps."
|
|
|
|
"'Then Gabriel raised me up to the second heaven and said to the door-keeper,
|
|
"Open." He asked the same questions as the first, and then opened to us.'"
|
|
Anas recounted that Abu Dharr said that the Prophet found in the various
|
|
heavens Adam, Idris, Moses, Jesus, and Abraham, but he was not certain which
|
|
were the positions they occupied. What he does say is that Muhammad found Adam
|
|
in the lowest heaven and Abraham in the sixth heaven.
|
|
|
|
Anas adds, "When Gabriel came with the Prophet into the presence of Idris, the
|
|
latter said, 'Welcome virtuous prophet.'" "When I asked 'Who is this?'" the
|
|
Prophet went on, "Gabriel answered me, 'It is Idris.' Then I went into the
|
|
presence of Moses, who said, 'Welcome virtuous prophet and virtuous brother.'
|
|
'Who is this?' I asked. 'Moses' replied the angel. I then went into the
|
|
presence of Jesus, who exclaimed, 'Welcome virtuous prophet and virtuous
|
|
brother.' 'Who is it?' I said. 'Jesus' replied Gabriel. I went after that
|
|
into the presence of Abraham, who said, 'Welcome virtuous prophet and virtuous
|
|
brother.' 'Who is it?' I asked. 'It is Abraham,' the angel said to me."
|
|
|
|
Ibn Hazm records that Ibn `Abbas and Abu Habba al-Ansari said that the Prophet
|
|
used the following words, "Then the angel raised me until he brought me to a
|
|
height where I heard the beating of wings.... Then Gabriel led me away and
|
|
brought me to the lote-tree of the Boundary, which is covered with unspeakably
|
|
beautiful colors. Next I entered Paradise. There are domes of pearls, and the
|
|
sun there is made of musk."
|
|
|
|
23. Islam. Hadith of Bukhari
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Revelation 7.9-17: Cf. Revelation 21-22, pp. 1118f; Ezekiel 1.3-28, pp. 100f;
|
|
Doctrine and Covenants 76.54-93, p. 322. Qur'an 17.1: This is the Night
|
|
Journey (Mi`raj) of Muhammad, where he was transported from the 'Holy Mosque'
|
|
at Mecca to the 'Further Mosque' in Jerusalem, and then taken on a tour of the
|
|
seven heavens, even to the throne of God. The following hadith gives details
|
|
of the latter part of the journey. Hadith of Bukhari: An episode from this
|
|
description of the Mi`raj where God prescribes for Muslims fifty prayers a day
|
|
and Muhammad, on Moses' advice, bargains with God to reduce their number to
|
|
five, omitted here, may be found on pp. 785f.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - -
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