Nirvana Vs. Heaven
From the research I did, I have come to the conclusion that Nirvana and Heaven are two different places/states of being/concepts; but are also the same in a sense.
First off, trying to define nirvana was not as easy or straight forward as I thought it would be; many of the formal and accepted resources seem to refer to it as a Buddhist concept, and it was difficult to find a Hindu centric definition without the crossover to Buddhism. However, nirvana, as defined by Merriam-Webster (2018) “…is the final beatitude that transcends suffering, karma, and samsara and is sought especially in Buddhism through the extinction of desire and individual consciousness; or a place or state of oblivion to care, pain, or external reality.” Our text provides …show more content…
In Western eyes, it may appear to be a place or feeling; in a Hindu’s eyes, nirvana is a state of being one strives to achieve – the final karma. In Hinduism, the concepts of caste, reincarnation, and karma all play a role in achieving “Nirvana” – the liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth and becoming united with Brahman (Orońska, 2009). The belief that all human beings go through continuous birth and rebirth as a different species and person leads to nirvana. Each time the soul goes through this, it provides a chance to do better if you will, to perfect one’s state of honesty, non-violence, selflessness, peace, etc. – to receive better karma based off of one’s past actions. If a person continues to better themselves and receives better karma, they should ultimately reach nirvana and be united with the Supreme (Jayaram, 2107 & Orońska, …show more content…
The Christian faith believes that heaven is a place, a perfect place, a place where those who have accepted God and lived the life prescribed will unite when the final day, Apocalypse/Rapture/Judgement Day, arrives and spend eternity with God ( Acts 1:11; John 14:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV). Christianity does not subscribe to the concept of reincarnation and “do overs” if you will. Rather, a person gets one chance, the life they live until their death. When a person dies, they are in a state of waiting until God returns to Earth and the human race is judged. At that time, the dead will be resurrected and judged along with the living and either let into heaven, or cast into the lake of fire/ hell (Revelation 20:10
First off, trying to define nirvana was not as easy or straight forward as I thought it would be; many of the formal and accepted resources seem to refer to it as a Buddhist concept, and it was difficult to find a Hindu centric definition without the crossover to Buddhism. However, nirvana, as defined by Merriam-Webster (2018) “…is the final beatitude that transcends suffering, karma, and samsara and is sought especially in Buddhism through the extinction of desire and individual consciousness; or a place or state of oblivion to care, pain, or external reality.” Our text provides …show more content…
In Western eyes, it may appear to be a place or feeling; in a Hindu’s eyes, nirvana is a state of being one strives to achieve – the final karma. In Hinduism, the concepts of caste, reincarnation, and karma all play a role in achieving “Nirvana” – the liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth and becoming united with Brahman (Orońska, 2009). The belief that all human beings go through continuous birth and rebirth as a different species and person leads to nirvana. Each time the soul goes through this, it provides a chance to do better if you will, to perfect one’s state of honesty, non-violence, selflessness, peace, etc. – to receive better karma based off of one’s past actions. If a person continues to better themselves and receives better karma, they should ultimately reach nirvana and be united with the Supreme (Jayaram, 2107 & Orońska, …show more content…
The Christian faith believes that heaven is a place, a perfect place, a place where those who have accepted God and lived the life prescribed will unite when the final day, Apocalypse/Rapture/Judgement Day, arrives and spend eternity with God ( Acts 1:11; John 14:2-3; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NKJV). Christianity does not subscribe to the concept of reincarnation and “do overs” if you will. Rather, a person gets one chance, the life they live until their death. When a person dies, they are in a state of waiting until God returns to Earth and the human race is judged. At that time, the dead will be resurrected and judged along with the living and either let into heaven, or cast into the lake of fire/ hell (Revelation 20:10