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Re: What happens after enlightenment?
In an eloquent manner, Hari Krishna Susarla
<susarla.krishna@studentserver1.swmed.edu> elucidated:
>Amy P Quach wrote:
>>
>> In many books that I've read, it says that after death one can
>> either be trapped in samsara-the cycle of birth and rebirth, or reach
>> enlightenment. My question is: What happens after enlightenment is
>attained?
>> The soul is not reborn again, so it must go on to another place. Could
>> it be said that the final destination of the soul is similar to that of
>the
>> western view of "Heaven"? If anyone has any answers, please send
>> responses directly to my e-mail: aquach@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu
>>
>
>Heaven, or svargaloka, is merely a higher planet in the material
>world, and the inhabitants there, though of long life, are also
>subject to the law of karma and reincarnation. I believe this
>point is discussed in Gita 9.20-21.
>
>The final destination of the soul is the Kingdom of God, known
>as Vaikuntha, which is entirely transcendental to the material
>universes and its dualities of pain and pleasure. In Vaikuntha,
>everyone is engaged in the transcendental devotional service
>to the Supreme Person, Lord Sri Hari, in the mood of worship of
>their choice. In other words, the liberated soul goes to the
>Vaikuntha planet wherein resides the form of the Lord he has
>dedicated his life to, and there he renders devotional service.
Then I don't know what this svargaloka is, because your description of
Vaikuntha matches exactly the description of "Heaven" in any religion
I've ever studied. It's certainly exactly the description of the
Christian Heaven and the Bible uses the exact same wording "Kingdom of
God"....
Be seeing you,
Ken
kstuart@snowcrest.net
send error messages/bounced messages to ken@macshasta.com
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