We still don't know whether there is an afterlife or none.
If ever it does what would you prefer to believe or a more ideal place for an afterlife for you, nirvana or heaven?
Nirvana is more of a condition rather than it is a place. This is where pure souls go and experience ultimate peace and freedom from every kind of negative feelings. Some considered it as being re-united to the source energy and ultimate wisdom will be yours too..In nirvana there is no king, you and the ultimate energy will become one.
Heaven is place where the Father god and Jesus reigns. It was explained by the bible that only who have the faith, became good and accepted Jesus as Lord will be allowed to enter heaven. In heaven, The Christian god is the king. Be glad is he is merciful enough to accept us sinners.
What do you think guys?
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Can't say much about afterlife, but I'm pretty sure that biblical heaven doesn't exist. And I wouldn't want to be there in a first place.It would be more like hell to me. As you say,Nirvana is not exactly a place,more like a state.Becoming one with oneness.As I understand it can be achieved while living.Reaching a state of bliss.Anyway,it definitely sound s better.
I actually don´t believe in the afterlife; but if i had to choose i would pick nirvana because heaven sounds like a membership club; i wouldn´t want to hang out with some "christians" such as paedophile priests...
Good point. I was actually just reading Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw, and in the play he points out that heaven is full of people who are simply no fun to be around, and wouldn't know a good time if it slapped them in the face twice.
I didn't think about all those creepy priests though... *shudder*
Nirvana it is.
well, there are more that one version of heaven each being great for the believers of that particular religion and bad for the non-believers. I think it's all matter of culture and how religion spreads.
Between those two, I'd pick Nirvana, but I'd rather go to neither, and I seriously doubt either are real at all. What irritates my about Nirvana though is how vaguely it is described. The ideas of 'oneness' are simply so abstract that I have no idea whether I would want it or not.
I see what you're saying... but perhaps that vagueness is precisely what makes the idea of Nirvana so much more plausible. If someone were to sit down and explain paradise as an objective reality right down to the flavors of coffee the cafe there serves, I'd be just a little bit suspicious.
If i had to pick i would choose Nirvana too. But my version of paradise would be a lot different from what christianity and Buddhism are offering.
Yeah, I don't think I'd fit in too well with either.
Which one of Buddha's original disciples was unable to achieve nirvana due to his difficulty with the chastity vows? I used to remember, but I've forgotten... anyway I'm pretty sure I can relate to that old man :)
Nice opinion guys! When I was a committed catholic, I always dreamed of going to heaven. I did everything I can so I will be qualify of going there. I did that until I realized that my faith for the church doesn't make sense. The idea of buddist faith was introduced to me. Now I prefer nirvana but it does not mean that I'm a buddist too.
If there is an afterlife i would prefer thinking it means a feeling of resting and calm that is void of human emotions like anger and sadness. Just a state of complete relaxation for the energy that remains when we die. But heaven and hell do not exist. If we continue to exist after our bodies die, then it's probably in a state of rememberance of the things we did in life, and this would be either heaven or hell depending on how we acted.
Not something i strongly believe, but if there was an afterlife, this is what logic would make of it in my opinion.
nirvana
Nirvana sounds more realistic so I would vote for that too.
You're right in saying that nirvana is a condition, not a place. It is possible to achieve peace, right here right now, and experience nirvana without death. Additionally, you hold it right on through death, if that's your will.
It's a beautiful concept :) I'm not sure if it qualifies as an afterlife, though.
You are free when when you realize what reality really is. When you realize the nature of your mind you rest in an unconditioned state of mind in which there is no more attachment or aversion toward anything. This is called " wisdom of equality". From such moment you are free from suffering inwardly because you are no more dependent and subject to emotions which disturb your mind so your mind come at peace. Without grasping any soul or personal or universal 'self" you become free in this very lifetime and at the moment of death you will be no more subject to a compulsion to search and take another rebirth so in that unconditioned state you will be no more subject to any suffering from any phenomenon whatsoever. Ultimately also death and rebirth do not really exist, we teach them only in a provisional purpose. Ultimately everything rest in a non-conceptual state free from causes and conditions so ultimately reality is already at peace right now, just we do not realize this state because of our mental obscurations. Here a good "sample" of what Nirvana is like: ""Stop all physical activity and sit naturally at ease. Remain silent and let sound be like an echo. Do not think about anything look at experience beyond thought; open minded like space. Let go of control and Stop and Rest at ease in that state. Awareness without projection is the greatest meditation. Train and develop like this and you will come to the deepest awakening."
Mahasiddha Tilopa
That does sound quite realistic. Thanks for the detailed description!
Very interesting , do you work out?
That's the condition that almost everyone would prefer than to serve some king or father in a heavenly place. Neutrality and ultimate peacefulness is beyond extraordinary.
i will defintely go for Nirvana......much better than then the place called heaven....
Nirvana sounds more realistic and also nicer to the dead to me!
I agree that the State of Nirvana could be attain even for the living so for the afterlife, I choose the Heaven. As usually described, it is the place where we meet the Creator and lives happily forever.