Excerpt from Redemption Stories: Unwasted Pain by Mary Ciofalo: The movie Gandhi inspired me - particularly one scene. In it Gandhi is fasting again to try and end the horrific riots between the Hindus and Moslems. A trio of Hindu men comes to tell Gandhi that they have stopped inciting their people, and that he must now end his fast. One of them flings a piece of bread onto Gandhi's cot and tells him, "I am going to Hell, but you must eat and live." Gandhi says, "Only God determines who goes to Hell. Why do you think you are?" The man replies, "I killed a Moslem child." Gandhi winces, then says quietly,"Why?" The man replies, "They killed my wife and my son." After a moment of silence, Gandhi says quietly, "I know a way out of Hell." The Hindu man looks shocked. It is clear that he never considered redemption for himself. Gandhi says, "Go find a child without parents and raise him as your own. Bu...
I felt in need of a great pilgrimage
ReplyDeleteso I sat still for three
days
and God came
to me.
Kabir
A conversation between a Rabbi and an American who had just landed in Israel.
ReplyDeleteQ; Is there a hell?
Rabbi; Probably not. The ultimate reward in life is an infinite connection with God. So, conversly, the ultimate punishment is to miss out on that connection. There's your hell!
You want out
ReplyDeleteYou want escape
You want relief.
You meditate
To block out life.
You chant
To put the world on hold.
You pray
To get what you want.
You take drugs
To get there faster.
Your noble search from God
is but a sly dodge.
Devotee: Heaven and hell - what are they?
ReplyDeleteMaharshi: You carry heaven and hell with you. Your lust, anger, etc., produce these regions. They are like dreams