Nirvana - Heaven
Nirvana-Heaven is the recognition and acceptance of the truths as they exist when you are alive. Nirvana today is different than it was two or six thousand years ago. Nirvana now includes automobiles and electricity whereas two thousand years ago it included primitive iron, and six thousand years ago stone-bronze and a very "outdoors" life.
Nirvana is learning to exist in as excellent fashion as possible, knowing the universal truths and accepting them. Nirvana includes the recognition of and the need for hardship, discipline, denial, unrelenting kindness, and other unfortunate bads and actual goods. Nirvana is recognizing and accepting the reality of who you are and where you are and doing as best possible so that you survive as best and long as you can and could (both can and could).
Heaven exists, or can exist, when you are as excellent as you can be. Heaven, believe it or not, includes an intense amount of pain because that is a part of reality. Nirvana-Heaven is the complete and perfect recognition of these truths. But Nirvana also implies the need to overcome difficulties, the need to be in tune with the natural harmony, the need to avoid the seven deadly sins and in particular the need to avoid greed-lust.
At the present time, "conspicuous consumption" is a particular problem that will keep you away from Nirvana. You can be a successful business person, you may have a lot of money, but you are to be modest and not "overshop." All of the sins are fun in large part and all of the truths are painful in large part or call for demanding discipline. For instance, we are designed to drink water and weak herb tea essentially only. This does not include what you and I may like such as soda, diet soda, coffee, decaf coffee, regular teas, colas and juices. Nirvana includes the recognition of the reality that we are to breathe clean air, much cleaner than we now all breathe by virtue of living in Industrial Megalopolis. The air needs to be clean and free of pollution including smoke from tobacco, industrial and farm pollutants as well as wood stoves. Nothing is 100%, so no statement is absolute either (in Nirvana). Nirvana includes the recognition that we are designed genetically (coded into our genes and chromosomes) by God-Destiny or Chance-Good Luck to be 90% or so vegetarian foods from the Plant Kingdom. This means brown rice-5 minute steamed vegetables-beans-one piece of fruit per day. We are to be lean, cut and have "lines of definition" where the muscles show through the skin." If you are fat, you will not reach Nirvana. How about "close enough?" What if reading by a dim light would make you go blind and you wanted to know if you could keep it up until you needed glasses?
Although that may seem humorous, Nirvana would encourage you not to test those of positions lest you wreak havoc-pain which has not to do with trying to remain in Nirvana. Nirvana implies being kind and serving other people, living modestly, exercising a great deal, having a very positive attitude, becoming angry extremely seldom and accepting-dealing with the difficulties of life almost all of the time.
In Nirvana it is known that "Life is tough, deal with it as best possible, do it right or risk getting hurt."
So then, the ultimate state of contemplation-Nirvana has to do with knowing who you are and where you are, what the real rules are, while you are, what you are. Follow the rules and reach Nirvana. Experimenting and reaching a state above Nirvana is all too often followed by being in a point below Nirvana. Do as you should to and for yourself. We all know what to do, and do it right or miss Nirvana.
H. Robert Silverstein, MD
Hartford, CT