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On the Hereafter
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This article is a self-contained section to the Epilogue of my book titled The Mystery of Mind
Copyrighted and published in the United States
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Ever since the days of Plato, western religious opinion has always been that personal immortality pertains only to the rational parts of the soul. The biological and emotional parts should be allowed to let go with the body. The reason behind this move is not difficult to seek. For one thing, a personal soul without desires and emotions is more likely to be peaceful. For another, nothing but its more divine-like of aspects should be allowed to persist into eternity. But the truth of the matter is that in the more sophisticated of religious deliberations, personal immorality with memory has in fact never been thought of as a desirable commodity.
Some, such as the more philosophical of Buddhist schools have always held a more radical point of view. It is that if eventual freedom from all sufferings is to be achieved, to let go of the biological and the emotional is not sufficient. Memory and the identity of self that it entails should also be transcended. The reason is that for as long as memory and self-identity persist, personal ambition would continue to lurk. What that nurtures again would be psychological torment. Thus, if all suffering is really to be overcome, all personal interests and concerns (and thus memories) should also be put to rest. To be able to do that, according to Buddhist thought, is to enter the state of torment-less bliss called nirvana. This is a state of being free not only from the burden old memory, but of any sense of self. It should thus be seen that contrary to popular understanding, nirvana is not a personal kind of place. What that implies is that those who enter would not know who they were. Such a state of being, if I may say so, is quite analogous to the situation of Adam and Eve before they ate the fruit of the ‘tree of life’. Before they ate, according to the story, they had no sense of themselves -- being unable to recognize even their own nakedness.
Of course, early Christianity also had much to say about the burden of our old and depraved selves. You see, one of its unique claims is that the human race does not only inherit the genes of Adam and Eve, but also their original sin (what in fact was the emergence of memory and self-identity, as I have just indicated). Thus, one of its key battle cries is about the renewal of incarnated souls (not unlike the Islamic concept of self-directed jihad). It is believed that this could be brought about by an act of faith as facilitated by Divine grace. Only in this way, or so it is said, could the soul be redeemed or made ready for the kingdom of heaven.
The trouble with such a doctrine is that a couple of subsidiary wrinkles need also to be ironed out. One is the belief that departed and redeemed souls are not amnesiacs. They need to know who they were for the purpose of final reckoning. The other is the belief that straight entry for such personal souls into heaven would bring with them traces of human depravity unfit for what is also supposed to be a holy kingdom. It is thus a case of ‘either-or’ but not both. To tackle this problem, some of those who were supposedly in the know were smart enough to propagate the idea that disembodied souls would first be herded into a sort of quarantined center or transit hall; and that it is only after the final judgment that the ones that have really been redeemed would be admitted into heaven. This center or hall is known in Catholic circles as purgatory – a more sanitary sounding kind of place than the classical underworld mentioned in the Apostle Peter’s account of where Jesus went before his resurrection.
However, it should be observed that the introduction of purgatory buys only time but not solution. At the end of the day, redeemed souls with old memories and senses of self would still have to be kept in check. The rebellion of Satan or Lucifer in particular should be kept in view. In this connection, I should like to point out that despite other criticisms that one may level against the Apostle Paul on other issues of doctrine, he was at least quite clear-headed (in my view) about this one. It was to his credit to have taken the Genesis pronouncement of ‘dust to dust’ more seriously than most, and thereby appear to have accepted what it entails. One must take seriously his contention that if there were not going to be any resurrection of bodies of an incorruptible kind, his Christian faith and commitment ‘would be in vain’. Why, may I ask, should he be so desperate for an incorruptible body when he already had a redeemed soul? Let me tell you what I think. He seemed to be saying that old memories and ...
Author: Peter M.K. Chan
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Timely help for quilt retreat
About Quilting You'll have fun with the wonky log cabin quilt block pattern. Make the blocks from structured fabrics if you like, or grab strings from your stash and go entirely scrappy. This quilt block is one of the easiest you'll ever make -- its patches do not have to be cut to exact sizes and its seams can vary -- angle the strips this way and that to increase the design's wonky appearance. Blocks in the photo were stitched to resemble a wonky version of one traditional log cabin layout -- the pattern includes tips to help you change the look. Follow About.com Quilting on Facebook Photo © Janet Wickell Wonky Log Cabin Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Monday, February 6th, 2012 at 07:45:55. Permalink | Comment | Email this Oriental Attic Windows Quilt Block Pattern I really like Asian themed fabrics, but sometimes I have a hard time visualizing blocks that fit the look. But I love this Oriental Attic Windows design. Each quilt block is made from three pieces of fabric -- and sewn together with only two seams. Yes, the block has a mitered corner, but the easy sewing method will erase any fears beginners might have about tackling miters. I promise, it's simple, and a really important skill to learn. Give it a try! Oriental Attic Windows Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Friday, February 3rd, 2012 at 06:00:47. Permalink | Comment | Email this Domino Quilt Block & Quilt Pattern The Domino quilt block finishes at 9" square, with small units that are a nice size for baby and toddler quilts, but perfectly fine for a bed-sized quilts, too. The Domino quilt block pattern includes instructions for making a single quilt block, for those of you who like to go scrappy, plus directions for 20-strip pieced Domino blocks. The 20 blocks can be used in the Domino baby quilt shown on page 4 of the pattern, or in another quilt of your own design. Before beginning, new quilters should make sure they're okay with sewing a quarter inch seam and with rotary cutting long strips of fabric. Domino Quilt Block & Quilt Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 at 06:00:00. Permalink | Comment | Email this Lost Ship Quilt Block Pattern Lost Ship is the ninth quilt block pattern for the Scrap Happy Sampler Quilt, but you can use it for any project. Two versions of the block are shown, one more scrappy than the other, but each variation helps you practice making half-square triangle units -- a good thing since those units are probably the most commonly used patchwork configuration. You might notice that the design is similar to the Rocky Glen quilt block -- the overall layout is basically the same, but Rocky Glen contains more half-square triangle units. Like other blocks in the sampler series, the Lost Ship quilt block finishes at 12-inches square. Lost Ship Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 07:50:44. Permalink | Comment | Email this Pictures of 2012 New Year's Day Mystery Quilts The 2012 New Year's Day Mystery Quilt gallery is up and running now, and illustrates the wide variety of layouts that quilters developed when designing their projects. The quilts in the gallery are a wonderful representation of the work that went into these projects, but there are many, many more quilts and quilt tops out there, and I'd love to feature them all in the gallery. Please email your photos to me at quilting.guide@about.com. Quilt by Neralie Pictures of 2012 New Year's Day Mystery Quilts originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Monday, January 30th, 2012 at 06:00:59. Permalink | Comment | Email this Quilt Photo Gallery Updates I updated quite a few of our quilt galleries this weekend, and am now pretty much caught up (temporarily, as usual) with the photos you have submitted. Once again I do have forms without photos and photos without forms -- all of those go into a 'check these' folder until I can find time to write (mostly about missing photos). When you submit the form, please remember that it is a 2-step process -- photos must come to me by separate email. Galleries Updated Photo is Shattered, a quilt by Sewtherequilts in memory of her sister. Quilt Photo Gallery Updates originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Sunday, January 29th, 2012 at 18:01:08. Permalink | Comment | Email this Flock of Geese Quilt Block Pattern Flock of Geese is a traditional quilt block, but its name is a bit misleading. Take a look at the block and you'll see it does not include those popular flying geese units that we often use. Instead, the 'flocks' are made up of half-square triangle units, kind of like geese flying in formation. You can adjust the color value of your patches to make the block appear very different from mine, and you can choose a structured look or go very scrappy with the layout. The Flock of Geese block is fun to play with -- try varying the look from block-to-block in a larger quilt, because I think you'll like that, too. Flock of Geese Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Sunday, January 29th, 2012 at 12:16:15. Permalink | Comment | Email this Patchwork Hearts Quilt Block & Quilt Patterns Quilting Forum members designed this 6" patchwork heart quilt block for a 2008 swap, and are using it again this month. The design is a natural for a Valentine's Day wallhanging and makes a lovely baby quilt. The heart block is assembled with quick piecing techniques, so it's super easy to make. For the swap, a different focal fabric was used in each half of the block (two pinks or two reds), but choose another combination if you prefer. You'll find instructions and yardage for a small heart wallhanging on the last page of the pattern. Photo © Sophie Patchwork Hearts Quilt Block & Quilt Patterns originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Saturday, January 28th, 2012 at 06:00:22. Permalink | Comment | Email this Heart in a Snowball Quilt Block Pattern This vibrant Snowball quilt block is assembled with a white on white interior and purple tips. A red heart is appliqued to the center of the 6" (finished size) block. If you're already into applique, the gentle heart will be a breeze, and beginners will find that it's a perfect first applique project (read my Needleturn Applique Basics for technique how-tos). The block is from a 2009 Quilting Forum event, where it was sewn by numerous members. Heart Blocks by Sandy Heart in a Snowball Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Friday, January 27th, 2012 at 06:00:45. Permalink | Comment | Email this Reverse Capital T Quilt Block Pattern The reverse version of the Capital T quilt block isn't seen as commonly as its counterpart -- where dark fabrics create the diagonal T-shape at each corner. Both blocks are assembled the same way, it's just the color values that are flip-flopped, but the two versions are unique enough that I felt a separate pattern would be a good option for the quilt block shown here. I've included instructions to make the block's flying geese units in a couple of ways -- both are quick-pieced but one technique results in no fabric waste. Choose the method that works best for the fabrics you have on hand. I saw some examples online recently of quilts made using this value layout, but can't locate them now -- the blocks looked wonderful placed on point. More T Blocks Reverse Capital T Quilt Block Pattern originally appeared on About.com Quilting on Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at 19:22:19. 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