Question
Is heaven better than hell? Wouldn’t it be better to say both or neither, rather than one is better than the other?
Anonymous
Master Kosen’s answer
You seem to misunderstand the true meaning of hell and heaven. Of course, if hell means fucking girls and drinking whiskey to you, it is certainly more interesting than heaven. But hell means confronting the eternal world without having prepared for it; we then fall prey to doubt, regret, fear, and the most atrocious torments, for eternity. Heaven means being freed from our own ego, being able to let everything go and finally knowing our true Buddha nature. Then we understand that heaven is not located somewhere and that it also includes the dark worlds, but with a special invitation and a membership card to the club of liberated beings.
Kosen