Below is a reading from my book THE OTHER ROAD AHEAD followed by a comment inspired by the selection.👇
Some time ago I watched a lecture by a very distinguished astrophysicist about a new telescope that was one of the most powerful yet built. He explained all the wonderous phenomena they had recorded that was never before seen by Mankind and this was a great leap forward in the understanding of the Universe.
He was lecturing against the backdrop of a screen that displayed one brilliantly colored flash of light after another, presumably these were photos or computer simulations from the fruit of their research. It was impressive as one unfamiliar glowing smudge of light against the black of space paraded across the display as he illuminated his audience with a rich broth of verbal descriptions.
At one point he said that they were now exploring near the edge of the Universe and yet they could not see Heaven. I remember distinctly that he said something to the effect that, it (Heaven) must be way out there because we have not been able to find it.
I was shocked. Did this learned scholar really think he could “see” Heaven with a telescope? I could not forget the event and mulled it over from time to time. I began to feel sad for this well meaning man whose training brought him to a place where he was disappointed that the big important instrument had failed to produce a view of Heaven.
Or was this an example of a person who was an atheist simply trolling the public? Be like, “See [you poor folks who believe in God] we just spent millions of dollars in tax money and have now proven that there is no Heaven out there.”
Either way it is a dubious situation although the physicist does have a point. The study of Heaven is not necessarily confined to religion. In Taoism (more of a philosophy than religion) where they do not believe in a Western God yet they often refer to Heaven as a “separate” place.
The Dalai Lama has commented that in the Western world science is interested in planets and stars while they (the Tibetan Buddhists) are interested in what is between those things. I believe this is an acknowledgement that there is a whole lot more “empty” space than occupied space. What is important is the unseen part of the Universe not the visible part. This vast area would be a more fruitful location to find Heaven.
This takes me back to the telescopic search for Heaven that our friendly astronomers are engaged. For religious people it is helpful to visualize Heaven as a place of perfection inhabited by an omnipotent God. Yet even some of the accounts we have about this Holy place (The Book of Enoch1 for instance) are rather challenging.
Without starting a debate on the subject I think I am safe in saying that whatever we may think, ours is a vision of a place that is not in this world including the starry skies. The best reckoning tells me that we share an inner vision of Heaven that is not easily described in tangible everyday terms. Perhaps this makes our own understanding that much more powerful.
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The ancient Book of Enoch is neither part of the Rabbinical dogma nor is it in most Bibles except the authoritative Ge’ez Bibles of the Ethiopian Orthodox tradition. However, it was recognized by Clement of Alexandria and others in the early schools.
Heaven
Suppose when we die,
Our soul lives on,
a ghost, a spectral form of our life’s travels.
This soul, this spirit of our essence,
Settles into a dimension we call heaven.
There’s no punishment for evil deeds.
No frowning God sitting on a throne,
Omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient,
Passing judgment on our jealousies, gluttony, and misadventures.
Instead we’ll inhabit a situation of our happiest desires.
I’ll live in a tidy cottage,
A comfortable hobbit hole
Underneath a huge tree
Where songbirds serenade my days
And coo me to sleep at night.
I’ll have a garden of kaleidoscopic flowers
releasing alluring aromas on gentle breezes.
Occasionally I’ll have visitors:
My parents, vital in health,
my children, mature and happy,
and the little grandbaby, laughing
when I’d play with him on the floor.
My goose-feather bed,
Will contour perfectly to my ever-strong body
For a short nap, or just contemplation.
With my dog at my side, licking my hand,
We’ll take walks in the perfect day,
Sunshine glistening on the lake,
Deer coming up to nuzzle
The nuts I brought to feed them.
In the evening, I’ll sit at my desk
A glass of sweet wine at my fingertips,
My favorite books by my side
And on fresh white paper
I’ll compose poetry.
I love the picture. Good information, we only have our faith in God and us being the vessel. Over the centuries man does what man does: mixes things up for power.