Heaven and Hell

Once upon a time, a man with a certain military bearing approached the Zen master Hakuin and asked: "Master, do Heaven and Hell actually exist?"

The master wanted to answer in the affirmative, but knew that this would give the man a false impression. In all likelihood the man operated under the mundane paradigm that Heaven and Hell exist as places for souls in the afterlife. The master knew what he must do to break through that false preconception.

"What is your occupation?" He asked.

"I'm a general." This explained the military bearing about him.

The master burst out laughing. "What idiot would ask you to command an army? You look more like a butcher to me!"

This enraged the general. With a roar he drew his sword. He could cut down this defenseless old man in an instant.

"Here lie the gates of Hell," said the master. These simple words stopped the powerful general dead in his tracks.

Realization flooded in. The general sudden understood that the master had risked his life in order to teach him a great truth in the most effective way imaginable.

"Forgive me, master, for what I was able to do." He felt all at once gratitude, amazement, and shame.

"Here lie the gates of Heaven," said the master.

(source: Taoism.net)

I am often asked if I ain't scared I will end up in Hell when talking to certain kinds of right- hand- pathers. I tell them I do not believe in Hell. I don't even believe in Heaven. Not in their sense. The story I have quoted above explains quite a lot. You might be startled to find a Taoist story in the blog of a Satanist. The reason for this is simply that I also have explored other paths openly, and for some time I did indeed believe I was a Taoist. I am not. But Taoism introduced me to the left- hand path, for which I am eternally grateful. And I still continue to draw on the knowledge I obtained the time I was there and talking to those who considered themselves Taoists. I still keep in touch with one of them, and when we talk, I always enjoy sharing his worldview.

There is no Heaven and no Hell. There is no afterlife, and no reincarnation. It isn't even sure there will be a tomorrow. How do you know that you are not going to die today? That leaves us only with the present, the here and now. You can make your present Hell or you can make it Heaven. This is what the concept is all about! You must do what you want with your life now. You have to do it now, and you have to do it yourself. There is not such a thing as Heaven or Hell, because they're one, and they're both in you. Everyone has a light side and a dark side. If you will allow these to join forces, I guarantee that you will see a world with possibilities you've never dreamed of before. It is the beauty of the dark night sky on a lonely hilltop where you can see the whole Milky Way. It is the beauty of seeing the sky turn grey as a few stars still linger just over the horizon, or a colourful sunset. Do you dare seeking for it in yourself? Few do.

Yours sincerely,
~Selene