![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/110.jpg?resize=108%2C108\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
From ‘Divide “between religions, not religious and non-religious”‘\u00a0in The Straits Times on 6 September 2011: ‘Mr Lee (Kuan Yew), whose agnosticism is well-known,\u00a0concluded on a sanguine note:\u00a0“If you try to convert me,<\/span>\u00a0I’ll say, thank you very much.<\/span>\u00a0I’ve thought about heaven and hell,<\/span>\u00a0I’m prepared to face either,<\/span>\u00a0if either of them exists.”‘<\/span><\/p>\n But is it possible for anyone to truly imagine or to be ever prepared to face the endless terrors of eternal hell, if it really exists?\u00a0Can one be extremely prepared for the extremely unknown?\u00a0If we contemplate the possibilities of the afterlife as being simply nothing other than the extremes of eternal heaven or hell, and consider that being sufficient thinking, we are being extremely simplistic – because how can anyone do enough of any good and evil in a limited lifetime to deserve extreme reward or extreme retribution? Between such extreme ends, not that they are real, there should naturally be a spectrum of other possible and temporal states (realms or planes) of the afterlife for those who are neither extremely good nor evil – us. Many agnostics have not reflected on this thoroughly, while they might believe they have already done so, thus dismissing the need for further reflection.<\/p>\n There are two extreme misconceptions about the afterlife, as highlighted by the Buddha, which agnostics, free-thinkers and even some religionists might oscillate between, both of which we should avoid. The first misconception is\u00a0Nihilism (\u65ad\u706d\u89c1), which proposes that since there is nothing after this life,\u00a0there is no state of existence hereafter and no rebirth,\u00a0and nothing we do now\u00a0to ensure a better (or worse) afterlife will ever matter. But how can something become nothing, when even scientists cannot destroy energy? Energy can only transform from one state to another. The mind or consciousness is very definite and powerful energy – that cannot simply fizzle out into ‘nothingness’. The second misconception is Eternalism (\u957f\u89c1), which proposes that the state we are in after this life will be eternal – as an unchanging\u00a0heaven or eternal hell.<\/p>\n What the Buddha realised is that the truth lies on the Middle Path between these two erroneous\u00a0views. There is the phenomenon of ongoing rebirth for the unenlightened. Between the idea of ‘fixed nothingness’ in Nihilism, and the idea of ‘fixed somethingness’ in Eternalism, lies constant change of ‘everythingness’\u00a0via rebirth – from life to life. Agnostics should thus reconsider the laws of cause and effect, of how what one does now can karmically affect the afterlife, which is more likely to exist than not. We need to guard our thoughts, speech and deeds now – because they will lead us to somewhere and not nowhere. And when that somewhere is reached, we need to continue being mindful as what we do there will lead elsewhere!<\/p>\n If there is karmic afterlife, you will\u00a0have a good rebirth if\u00a0you do good. –\u00a0Stonepeace<\/a> <\/strong>Related Articles: From ‘Divide “between religions, not religious and non-religious”‘\u00a0in The Straits Times on 6 September 2011: ‘Mr Lee (Kuan Yew), whose…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[566,522,242,139,253,106],"class_list":["post-9943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mix","tag-eternalism","tag-heaven","tag-hell","tag-karma","tag-nihilism","tag-rebirth","wpcat-1-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9943\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nIf there is no karmic afterlife, you will\u00a0live happily now if you are\u00a0free of ill will.
\nIf evil befalls the evil, you will not be\u00a0affected if you\u00a0do no evil.
\nIf evil does not befall the evil, you will be pure both ways if\u00a0you do no evil and do good.<\/p>\n
\n(rephrased from Kalama Sutta)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/strong>
\nIs Life in Pure Land Eternal?
\nhttp:\/\/groups.yahoo.com\/group\/Amituofo\/message\/340<\/a>
\nDifferences Between Heaven(s) & Pure Land(s)
\nhttp:\/\/groups.yahoo.com\/group\/Amituofo\/message\/280
\n<\/a>How Even the Gods May Fall
\nhttp:\/\/thedailyenlightenment.com\/2011\/09\/how-even-the-gods-may-fall<\/a>
\nIs There Eternal Heaven or Hell?
\nhttp:\/\/thedailyenlightenment.com\/2011\/08\/is-there-eternal-heaven-or-hell<\/a>
\nWalking the Physical & Mental Middle Path
\nhttp:\/\/thedailyenlightenment.com\/2009\/12\/walking-the-physical-mental-middle-path<\/a>
\nShould We See Only Inter-Religious Similarities?
\nhttp:\/\/thedailyenlightenment.com\/2011\/09\/should-we-see-only-inter-religious-similarities
\n<\/a>Will Any Mantra Do?\u00a0(LKY’s view on rebirth)<\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/thedailyenlightenment.com\/2010\/09\/will-any-mantra-do-for-you
\n<\/a>Meditation By Catholic & Buddhist Chanting\u00a0(LKY’s spiritual practice)<\/strong>
\n<\/a>http:\/\/thedailyenlightenment.com\/2010\/09\/meditation-by-catholic-buddhist-chanting<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"