A Story of Heaven and Hell

Just wanted to share a story this post :). There is also an explanation for the story following it.   

A man who has done good all his life dies and goes to the Spirit World. There he sees a field of flowers and beautiful mountains in the backdrop and his family sitting in the grass smiling at him. He smiles tearfully and joins them. He is in heaven. 

A man who has done bad all his life dies and goes to the Spirit World. There he sees a field of boring flowers and large, domineering mountains in the backdrop as well as the family he never cared for sitting in the grass. There is nothing in this world for him, he thinks. 

He turns to the man who has done good all his life and asks: "Here I am in this good for nothing Hell and you are smiling and being happy. Tell me, am I in Hell or am I in Heaven?" 

Says the man who has done good all his life with a smile: "Well, it depends on how you see it."

Do good, see good; Do evil, see evil.

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I thought up this story one day while making lunch.Out of the blue, I imagined I was trying to explain to a child why the world seems so unfair sometimes. Why do the mean children get the good toys while the good children cry from being bullied? 

I decided I would tell them a story. A story of a strange world. 

A Strange World: Sacred Heaven to some and Burning Hell to others. 

What is so strange? The strange thing is that all people who go their observe the same spectacle. A snow-capped mountain in the far distance, a field of flowers, and their family on the grass. Yet in the story, one man saw Heaven while the other saw Hell. 

What was the difference between these two men in persona? One had done good all their lives while the other had done nothing but selfish deeds. 

So why did one man see Heaven while the other see Hell?

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The Man who has done horrible deeds all his life... and sees Hell where there is Heaven.

 Some people do horrible deeds without guilt and live comfortable lives. Others do and think only good while living in inhuman conditions. Is this just? Many, me included, would think not. 

But at the same time, I would perceive some subtle punishments and rewards in the seemingly upside down world.

Because you see, even though the "bad" man lives comfortably, he pays a cost for his misled ways. If he cannot see the horribleness of what he's done, he is also blind to the beauty around him. 

He lives for luxury. Luxury is his meaning in the world, the reason why he will do anything, immoral or not, to get it. 

If someone sees merit in only luxury, how could they possibly enjoy the happiness they should be seeking, happiness that comes from helping others, from the simple beauties and fortune to be found around us? 

This is the price the "bad" man pays: for his immoral ways to achieve his desires, he, ironically, surrenders the possibility of true happiness in the form of being able to see happiness around him, instead of seeking it.

Hence, A man who has done bad all his life dies and goes to the Spirit World, and "sees" Hell.

Note of Interest: this is one of the core concepts of Buddhist teachings: desire is the root of all unhappiness.         

  

The Man who has done good all his life... and sees Heaven regardless.

The "good" man is different. He may not have the luxury of riches and fame, but these are not what he needs to be happy. Instead, he seeks happiness where it should be sought: by helping those in need, by enjoying simple pleasures, by being the best person he can be in his own right.

If someone sees merit not in luxury, but takes advantage of the happiness already available around him, he does not need to (nor would he want to) be immoral, cheat and lie to get it. Happiness comes to him because he doesn't do those things.  

This is the reward that is paid the "good" man: because he does not cheat or lie around (because he is not greedy for the luxuries that he would otherwise get), he is rewarded true happiness. True happiness is not superficial like "happiness" from luxury, it is light to carry for their is no burden from guilt and runs as deep into the soul as the abyss. It is good for the soul. 

The child may be very confused by the end, but one day, he may understand this:

The World may not seem fair from a superficial perspective. However, from a deeper analysis, we may see that the good man is indeed rewarded, while the bad man is indeed punished in subtle ways.