Today we will leave our Chinese Master from other parables for a moment and use the wisdom of Indian culture. Have you ever wondered what heaven and hell look like? Here is a beautiful story about human nature and how little it takes to turn hell into heaven.
A story about heaven and hell
One day Swami asked Shiva:
"Lord, tell me what heaven and hell look like?"
- You want to know? Come with me. I will show you, Shiva replied and led him to where Swami stood in front of the two doors.
He opened the first. In the center of the room was a round table with a large dish of food on it. The food smelled so aromatic that Swami felt an indescribable hunger.
People were sitting around the table. Skinny, sad, and gray. Each of them held a spoon with a very long handle fitted to their hand. Anyone could reach the dish with a spoon, but could not get enough food, because the spoon handle was longer than the hand.
Swami gave him a shiver at the sight of this suffering and unhappiness.
"You just saw hell," said Shiva.
Then Shiva opened the second door. The room looked exactly the same, there was precisely the same table in the middle of the room and the exact same dish full of delicious food on it. People sat around with the same long spoons attached to their hands. Nevertheless, everyone was cheerful, in great shape, and had a lively discussion. The room radiated joy and prosperity.
I don't understand, Swami said.
"It's simple," Shiva replied.
These happy people have learned to feed each other, while the greedy ones can only think of themselves.
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