Is Bugs Bunny in Heaven?
(Patheos::ATP) – Jonathan MS Pearce, Dana Horton:
In his book ‘Seven Ways of Looking at Pointless Suffering: What Philosophy Can Tell Us about the Hardest Mystery of All‘, Scott Samuelson summarizes an ancient Hindu epic that provides a pretty good analogy for heaven and our time here on earth. It’s called the Mahabharata, and it is applicable whether we have a religious view of the afterlife or not.
In it, ultimately, king Yudhishthira finds himself on a journey to heaven … along with a stray dog that somehow attached itself to him during the journey.
Finally, Indra, the king of the gods, appears before Yudhishthira and offers to give him a ride to heaven. But he must leave the dog. Yudhishthira says, “I can’t do it. It would be wrong to turn my back on such a devoted creature for no more than my selfish desire to go to heaven.” After the two argue the point for a while, Yudhishthira stands his ground. But it is revealed that the dog is Dharma himself, the god of righteousness. In refusing to renounce Dharma, Yudhishthira has passed Indra’s test and earned the right to enter heaven.
Whatever our vision of heaven might be (even if it is secular), it seems like heaven will always be deferred for one more test. Therefore we must remain vigilant in our ‘duty’ here on earth to be worthy of heaven, even when life is hard. It is all a test. Samuelson’s advice at the end is spot on: No matter what you’re promised, don’t renounce whatever that dog stands for. …
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