Lake of fire and the unmanifest, theoretical question?

[Aum namah Śivāya]

What about my original theoretical question?

Peace!

नमस्ते AstralProjectee,

I agree with Eastern Mind. Your theoretical question does not make sense. It's like asking a Christian, "so where do you think you'll be incarnated next?" The question just does not compute.

Similarly, we just can't imagine this "lake of fire." I can perhaps take it metaphorically, such as a force of purification that burns away bad karma, for instance, but I can't take it literally.

Even for you, who must apparently be familiar with what you'd call the astral realm, where is this lake of fire located? In which plane of existence do you find it? Can anyone visit or just those who have somehow deserved it? Who determines who deserves it? These are the questions playing in my mind.

ॐ नमः शिवाय

[charitra]

The human/ animal body has already manifested. The acid lake analogy, if I understand right, is highlighting death (prana/breath leaving body) and subsequent complete destruction of Annamaya kosha or physical body all happening instantaneously. Destruction of body (cremation, fire, acid or burial etc) merges back the constituent elements of body into original pancha bhutas (look up the words, ifno luck, come back). The one most important part of any creature is atman (?soul) which is indestructible (escapes blackhole as well) and leaves the body promptly at the time of death and spends time in astral plane before it reacquires a new body. The cycle recommences with a new janma/birth and life. The accrued karma again accompanies the atman and body. Once all karma is resolved then the atman irreversibly merges with Brahman (moksha or mukti). Both Brahman and Atman donot have any physical forms. The body is very insignificant for hindus after death (contrast to Abrahamics) that’s the reason it is disposed off with dahana samskara (cremation) rituals under (preferably) 24 hrs..

Again, saguna Brahman means one which is with attributes/qualities and Nirguna Brahman means one without any attributes (gunas). Brahman is both manifest and unmanifest, both what is there and what is not there! So that is why ancient sages said, ‘neti’ ‘neti’, in describing Brahman meaning Brahman is not (just) this or that. They could not, rightfully so, define what Brahman actually is, since it is beyond comprehensible to limited intelligence we most humans are gifted with.

There are many threads here that explained these conceptsvery eloquently, reading and reading somemore is the way to understand Hinduism.Namaste.

[Ramakrishna]

What about my original theoretical question?

Peace!

Namaste AP,

I cannot answer your theoretical question because I refuse to undergo any degrees of pondering or thinking into such a mundanely trivial topic. I would much rather devote that time to some good old japa. I heartily reckon that doing japa will ultimately prove to be the more productive and fruitful application of my time in this precious human birth on my everlasting journey towards the Supreme.

Jai Sri Ganesh

[AstralProjectee]

Once all karma is resolved then the atman irreversibly merges with Brahman (moksha or mukti).

Given this. If there is a lake of fire that purifies. I would think that once all karma is resolved and all attachments burned off that you would just dissolve into Brahman.

Peace!

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast�

I would think that once all karma is resolved and all attachments burned off that you would just dissolve into Brahman.
Peace!

May I ask, who is 'you' ? Who are you referring to that would disolve into brahman ? What part of 'you' reamains for this dissolving to occur ?

praṇām

[Aum namah Śivāya]

Given this. If there is a lake of fire that purifies. I would think that once all karma is resolved and all attachments burned off that you would just dissolve into Brahman.

Peace!

नमस्ते,
Where is this obsession with the "lake of fire" coming from? You seem very stuck on that idea.

Can you be a little clearer with your line of thinking, and what exactly you are trying to get at?

ॐ नमः शिवाय

[AstralProjectee]

May I ask, who is 'you' ? Who are you referring to that would disolve into brahman ? What part of 'you' reamains for this dissolving to occur ?

The Atman would dissolve into Brahman once all karma is exhausted and you are not connected with anything since it was all burned off. You would just instantly be absorbed into Brahman since Brahman is everywhere. Theoretically at least.

Where is this obsession with the "lake of fire" coming from? You seem very stuck on that idea.

Can you be a little clearer with your line of thinking, and what exactly you are trying to get at?

You have to remember that I grew up Christian. So I am trying to reconcile a lake of fire with a stay in hell that is not forever.

Also I saw this show on the discovery channel where there was a team of investigators at this haunted house. There was some really creepy stuff going on, then one of the investigators wanted to see what was going on in the basement so the guy opened the door to the basement and at the bottom of the steps was a demon that looked like a man that walked up on the platform at the bottom of the stairs. Then the demon opened his mouth and shot fire out of his mouth and the investigator was scared to death, and he shut the door as fast as possible and left as quick as possible. He got his equipment as fast as possible and left as fast as possible. He said he NEVER wants to see anything like that EVER again. He as so shook up by that experience. What the hell is that?

I actually had some experiences when I was a kid too. I slept on the couch, one night and woke up in the middle of the night. I was going to go back to bed in the living room but as I went to turn off the light I felt this deep sense of evil. I didn't want to turn the light off. But I finely did it. Nothing happened but when I laid down I felt a bump on my back. I thought it would go away so I stayed there. But it bumped me again two times. I was scared to death. I ran to my mom and dad's room crying. My mom came out and sat with me for a while right there in the living room. Eventually I went to bed and was fine. But that experience was extraordinary.

My brother said he had an experience, when he was sleeping one night he felt a knock on his head and when he woke up he said he saw a demon that looked round in the middle of the room. He was terrified of it and hid his head under the covers.

Some years went by. And we had just gotten rid of all the dogs and cats and hamsters. So I was in my room and I heard foot steps coming toward the room. Multiple times I heard, creek, creek, creek, creek, creek. I knew there was nobody else there since they were gone. I was scared. I never heard the foot steps after that, but I know nobody in my family did that. I eventually got up the courage to check nobody was there.

Thanks.

Peace!

[AstralProjectee]

Theoretically the light of Brahman is in all of hell but just the light of Brahman does not shine at all.

Peace!

[Mana]

Namaste AP,

Your dharma, it would appear is rather confused. Take the time to meditate upon the many posts in this thread, if you mange to become one pointed in your thought; you may like to consider reading some of the wonderful scriptures.

You clearly have a visual thought process, I would sudgest that you try to harness it, this can be very useful in understanding the nature of that (that which you are currently trying to describe). but for so long as you toy with these ideas from such a confused perspective, you are going to find it very difficult to communicate with others. You might even find your self lost in the forest.

There is a superb imagery underlying the whole of the Bhagavad Gita; have you seen this?

praNAma

mana

[AstralProjectee]

There is a superb imagery underlying the whole of the Bhagavad Gita; have you seen this?

I have read some of the things Krishna has talked about. It reminded me of the way Jesus talked. They sound a lot a like actually.

Peace!