Flying Heaven

In the Torah, hell is not entirely physical; rather, it can be compared to a very intense feeling of shame. People are ashamed of their misdeeds and this constitutes suffering which makes up for the bad deeds. When one has so deviated from the will of God, one is said to be in Gehinnom. This is not meant to refer to some point in the future, but to the very present moment. The gates of teshuva (return) are said to be always open, and so one can align his will with that of God at any moment. Being out of alignment with God's will is itself a punishment. Kabbalah is describe seven "compartments" or "habitations" of hell, just as they describe seven divisions of heaven. These divisions go by many different names; Sheol = "underworld", "Hades"; "grave" Abaddon = "doom", "perdition" Be'er Shachat = "pit of corruption" Tit ha-Yaven = "clinging mud" Sha'are Mavet = "gates of death" Tzalmavet = "shadow of death" Gehinnom = "valley of Hinnom"; "Tartarus", "Purgatory" there also exist additional terms that have been often used to either refer to hell in general or to some region of the underworld; Azazel = "goat of departure", "scapegoat"; "entire removal", "damnation" Dudael = "cauldron of God" Tehom ="abyss"; "sea", "deep ocean" Tophet = "fire-place", "place of burning", "place to be spit upon"; "inferno" Tzoah Rotachat = "boiling excrement" Mashchit = "destruction", "ruin" Dumah = "silence" Neshiyyah = "oblivion", "Limbo" Bor Shaon= "cistern of sound" Eretz Tachtit = "lowest earth" Masak Mavdil = "dividing curtain" Haguel ="(place of) destruction", "loss", "waste" Ikisat = "serpents", "dragons"; "place of future punishment"

- Buddhism is basically the teachings of Siddharta Gautama, who was born in 623 B.C. He was born a prince but went on a long spiritual search for happiness and to end suffering. After many trials and different paths, he finally found enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. - The term ‘Buddhism’ was coined by Western scholars in the 1830s. Buddhists don’t actually refer to their religion as “Buddhism” - Buddhism originated from around 400BC with the historical individual known as the Buddha - Buddhists don’t kill animals, and they eat a vegetarian diet. - The first mention of the Buddha in Western writing is in the writings of Clement of Alexandria, 2 AD. - The Buddha founded an order of monks and nuns known as the Sangha who have preserved his teachings down to the present day. - Buddhism is an extensive and internally diverse tradition with three main branches (Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana.). - Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader for Tibetan Buddhism, which is part of the Vajrayana branch. - A Buddha is a person who’s achieved enlightenment, each person is responsible for their own enlightenment. - With 360+ million followers, Buddhism is the fourth largest religion in the world. - In Buddhism, there is no single holy book. Extensive scriptures have been preserved in many Asian languages. - Buddhists don’t believe in a supreme being or creator god. - Heaven and hell are not eternal places according to Buddhist teachings. - Buddha (Siddharta Gautama) never claimed to be a prophet or god. - Because of its emphasis on meditation and mindfulness, Buddhism is often considered to be a form of psychology rather than a religion. - Many traditional Buddhists believe in reincarnation and rebirth. Modern Buddhists believe this idea can be jettisoned without losing any central value. - The wheel of Dhamma represents the noble eightfold path, which consists of the following elements: Right View, Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Diligence, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. This is basically how a good Buddhist should act in order to avoid suffering as much as possible. This will also ensure that the full focus is set on reaching enlightenment. - Meditation is a big part of the teaching. - Buddhists believe in Karma. Karma is the belief that every act has a consequence later on in life. It’s not certain when, but every genuinely good intention will get good karma, and every evil act will get bad karma. (“What goes around, comes around”.) - Buddhism is not a religion, although the West often mentions it as a religion. It’s a way of life, and shouldn’t be confused as a religion as there is no god or supreme being to worship. The goal is to reach the state of Nirvana.