Heaven, hell, or both?

“Beautiful. Everything beautiful is there. Every person beautiful is there. Everything beautiful to eat is there. Everything is love there. Heaven is love” (261).

“‘You mean, you might as well spend your life going upward, through the happy places, since heaven and hell - the destinations - are the same thing anyway?’
‘Same in end, so better to be happy on journey’” (263).

Ketut’s views on heaven are very interesting ideas. It seems as though he is trying to say that heaven isn’t actually a place but an idea. His idea of heaven is interesting to me although difficult to comprehend. What’s most interesting about heaven being an idea is that it may be possible for people to come in contact with it during their lives as Ketut describes. I think his idea also takes God out of the equation, requiring people to rely on their own actions and their spirituality to get them to the “best” place.

The most difficult piece of this for me to understand is the idea that heaven and hell are the same place. I have always learned that “bad people” go to hell, and the good people go to heaven. To me, it is incomprehensible to think that all of these people could end up in the same place, but then, I start to think that maybe Ketut did not mean to be taken as literally as I am taking him. When he speaks of the destination being the same, he is talking about death. We will all end up dead at some point, but the way we choose to live our lives is what we leave behind us. Maybe the “destination” he is talking about is a grave, and nothing more. When I started to think this way, I went into a further examination of his ideas of heaven and hell. From this perspective, Ketut is saying that heaven and hell are places on earth. A person who commits horrible acts and runs a hurtful life will be miserable. This person will be in hell for their entire life because they will be filled with guilt, hatred, resentment, greed, and anger. A person who is selfless and kind to others will have a happy life. This person will be in heaven for their entire life because they will be filled with happiness, contentment, and joy. Even people who believe in God, heaven, and hell would do well to live by this idea and find their own heaven on earth by running a wholesome life.