Someone recently mentioned to my co-worker, "You know, I don't really know if I believe in heaven or not." Often, people struggle with the G-O-D word or whether there is a heaven, not because they don't resonate with it on some level, but because of their definition of it.
In the West, when one says 'God,' many people's first image is similar to that of Michelangelo's fresco in the Sistine Chapel: an elderly white man with a flowing white beard reaching down from heaven, joined by a legion of angels. Though valid for some, this image can be rather limiting for others.
Yesterday, a man came into East West and opened up to me, sharing that he is on a search for truth and a spiritual path that works for him. He said that when he sees a sunset, for instance, he can appreciate its beauty, but he wants to be able to perceive the truth and essence behind it.
There are as many paths on the journey of truth as there are beings on this planet. No spiritual path or religion has a monopoly on it. What can be right for one person may not be right for another, and as long as it isn't destructive to oneself or others, each path is valid.
What I believe this man's heart is seeking is not a theory of truth, but an experience of its presence in his life. Some experience truth in meditation, others in prayer, service, music, and so on. Whatever method works for you, the most important aspect is that we hone our focus toward expansion within our experience.
To simply say, "I believe in God," is a starting point, yet it only gets you so far. It is not until you have an experience of a presence—one that, in its essence, unites all creation—that belief transforms into faith.
I think all of us have had glimpses of such experiences; only we may simply have not had the sensitivity to recognize them as such. A crude way of putting it is that it is kind of like eating a sandwich while talking with a friend at the same time. If you are focused on talking, you could miss the subtle flavors of the sandwich altogether.
If you are asking whether heaven exists, and if so, whether we spend our days sliding down rainbow waterfalls and frolicking through fields of flowers, that is a legitimate and intriguing question, but perhaps it shouldn't be the first one we can ask.
The more immediate question I would invite you to ponder is whether heaven is merely a destination after we die, or whether it could also be a state of consciousness—one that can be lived in the here and now.
One thing is certain: whatever happens after we die, what we do in this life prepares us for that final moment.
The search for the ultimate truth itself, if sincere, I believe, will already be leading us in the direction of unimaginable love and beauty. If we strive to live an inner life now, then when we pass, it will be but a continuation and further expansion of the consciousness we have cultivated in this life.
Written by Jaidhara Sleighter
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