Heaven & Hell

There is a well-known story about a Samurai warrior who wanted to know the difference between heavenly and hellish states of being. One day he approached his sensei, saying, "Sensei, please may I have your teachings on the difference between living in the hell realm and the heaven realm?" Feigning anger, the teacher said, "Get away from me! You are ignorant, stupid! Why would I waste my time teaching you anything? Stop wasting my time and get out of here!"

Upon hearing his sensei's harsh words, the Samurai warrior's ego was so insulted that he pulled out his sword with the intent to cut off the master's head. Just as he began to swing, the master began to laugh saying, "That, my son, is hell."

The warrior-student was so moved by his teacher's willingness to risk his own life to give him this precious teaching that he became overwhelmed with respect and humility. All he could say was, "Please, sensei, accept my utmost gratitude," to which the sensei responded, "Ahhhhh, now that is heaven."

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Be grateful that life brings to us all that we require to wake up. Success and what we label as failure are both part of our journey; they are equally vital to our growth. This includes the painful experiences we would prefer to push away - the pain of loss, unrequited love, thwarted ambitions, even the pain of awakening. Our willingness to look life straight in the eye, to unmask ourselves and drop our pretensions, illusions, disappointments, and hurts, says, "Thank you for breaking yet another one of my illusions so that I may become free!" We discover within ourselves the humility to be a beginner over and over again, which keeps us teachable.

... your ego resists because it is afraid it will lose its influence over you. Just remember: a bad day for your ego is a good day for your soul.

- Excerpt from "Spiritual Liberation" by Michael Beckwith