Expert: Scott Talbot - 3/21/2004

Question
how does each of the following religions describe paradise?hinduism,christians,islam,buddhism

Answer
Hi, Hwenlfe. Thanks for the question.

Here is an overview of Paradise, as held by each belief system you mentioned:

Islam and Paradise:

Basically, the Islamic view of Paradise is that it is the dwelling place of the righteous after death—the righteous being those who merit Paradise as a result of good works. Following are excerpts from several websites providing an overview of Islam's position on Paradise:

Islam provides many benefits for the individual and the society. This chapter mentions some of the benefits gained through Islam for the individual.
(1) The Door to Eternal Paradise
God has said in the Quran:
And give good news (O Muhammad) to those who believe and do good deeds, that they will have gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow.... (Quran, 2:25)
God has also said:
Race one with another for forgiveness from your Lord and for Paradise, whose width is as the width of the heavens and the earth, which has been prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers.... (Quran, 57:21)
The Prophet Muhammad stated that the lowest in rank among the dwellers of Paradise will have ten times the like of this world,1 and he or she will have whatever he or she desires and ten times like it.2 Also, the Prophet Muhammad said: {A space in Paradise equivalent to the size of a foot would be better than the world and what is in it.}3 He also said: {In Paradise there are things which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has thought of.}4 He also said: {The most miserable man in the world of those meant for Paradise will be dipped once in Paradise. Then he will be asked, “Son of Adam, did you ever face any misery? Did you ever experience any hardship?” So he will say, “No, by God, O Lord! I never faced any misery, and I never experienced any hardship.”}5
If you enter Paradise, you will live a very happy life without sickness, pain, sadness, or death; God will be pleased with you; and you will live there forever. God has said in the Quran:
But those who believe and do good deeds, We will admit them to gardens (Paradise) in which rivers flow, lasting in them forever.... (Quran, 4:57)


Hinduism and Paradise:

The Hindu view of Paradise is the liberation of the soul from a cycle of births and deaths (repeated reincarnations) to reach a state in which one eventually remains eternally in the service of God. Following are notes from various websites:

Hindu theology perceives heaven and hell to be as much a part of duality.. as truth/falsehood, good/evil, pleasure/pain, being/non-existence.... the pleasures and delights of heaven and the desire for them are considered to be as much BONDAGE and therefore a spiritual empediment... as any number of other things which constitute spiritual impediments. Even the desire for liberation/salvation is considered an impediment to liberation.

remember the story about the fellow who marched up to the gates of paradise... with his faithful dog tagging along...
and... the gates open... but he was told to dog could not enter with him...
so... he turned to leave with his dog...
it was only when he turned his back on paradise, that he entered paradise

1) Parabrahman, one supreme all-powerful God: He is the Creator, has a divine form, is immanent, transcendent and the giver of moksha. 2) Avatarvad, manifestation of God on Earth: God Himself incarnates on Earth in various forms to revive dharma and grant liberation. 3) Karmavad, law of action: the soul reaps fruits, good or bad, according to its past and present actions, which are experienced either in this life or future lives. 4) Punarjanma, reincarnation: the mortal soul is continuously born and reborn in one of the 8,400,000 species until it attains liberation. 5) Moksha, ultimate liberation: the goal of human life. It is the liberation of the soul from the cycle of births and deaths to remain eternally in the service of God. 6) Guru-shishya sambandh, master-disciple relationship: guidance and grace of a spiritually perfect master, revered as the embodiment of God, is essential for an aspirant seeking liberation. 7) Dharma, that which sustains the universe: an all-encompassing term representing divine law, law of being, path of righteousness, religion, duty, responsibility, virtue, justice, goodness and truth. 8) Ved pramana, scriptural authority of the Vedas: all Hindu faiths are based on the teachings of the Vedas. 9) Murti-puja, sacred image worship: consecrated images represent the presence of God which is worshiped. The sacred image is a medium to help devotees offer their devotion to God.

5. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, spiritual knowledge and liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be eternally deprived of this destiny. 5. Christians believe that it is appointed for human beings to die once and after that face judgment. In Adam's sin, the human race was spiritually alienated from God, and that those who are called by God and respond to his grace will have eternal life. Those who persist in rebellion will be lost eternally.


Buddhism and Paradise:

Buddhism considers Paradise to be a state achieved in one's lifetime. There are two basic views—1) That Nirvaa.na is achieved by extinguishing one's cravings through strict mental discipline and rigorous comtemplation; 2) Paradise is a state of reaching psychological enlightenment. Excerpts follow:

Brief Description of Buddhism and its philosophy
The religion and philosophy founded in India in the 6th and 5th century. B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama, is now called the Buddhism. One of the great Asian religions, it teaches the practice of Meditation and the observance of moral precepts. The basic doctrines include the "four noble truths" taught by the Buddha: existence is suffering; the cause of suffering is desire; there is a cessation of suffering, called Nirvana, or total transcendence; and there is a path leading to the end of suffering, the "eightfold noble path" of right views, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

"Four Noble Truths." Truth number one: The given world is full of agonies. Worldly life is hopelessly painful. Truth number true: Why is this so? It is because at the depth of each individual's mind there are cravings and desires, which make him over-attached to worldly matter. They make the mind distorted and dissatisfied. Thus, life becomes miserable. Truth number three: So, the way to make the best of life is to check such cravings and reach the stage of nirvaa.na "Nirvaa.na." meaning "blown out, is the state of existence in which the light of life is blown out because all the flames of cravings have been extinguished. Truth number four: As the concrete means to check those cravings and reach nirvaa.na, a system of mental discipline is given. The most important part of the system consists in the method of rigorous contemplation, which is variously called dhyaana, yoga, or zen.

The ultimate ideal set by traditional Indian thought was to become free from the chain of repetitious births and deaths and to disappear from this world.

Enlightenment, as a psychological achievement, thus became differentiated from the ontological notion of nirvaa.na, disappearance from tbe world. The ideas of enlightenment and nirvaa.na, which had been used as if synonymous are now separate. Enlightnment came to the front, and nirvaa.na retired to the backgrouod. This shift of emphasis gave Buddhism almost a Copernican turn. A negativistic attitude toward life was transformed into an affirmative one. A man my achieve enlightenment and still live in this world. Not only that, but to become enlightened in this worldly life has become the ultimate aim of Mahaayaana 'Buddhism. Discarding the Indian pessimistic view, Mahaayaana Buddhism experienced almost a new birth as an affirmative system of life.

the modern ideal of Mahaayaana Buddhism also emphasizes the possibility and the ideal of finding paradise in this world. But the way it takes is different from that of Christianity.


Christianity and Paradise:

Following is the Christian view of Paradise:

1. In the beginning, God created the universe. On the sixth day, He created man, and placed him in a perfect environment. This was the original Paradise (Genesis 1-2).

2. Man sinned against God by violating His commands and thereby showing contempt for God's authority. As a result, man fell into sin, and the earth was cursed. Paradise was lost (Genesis 3; Romans 5:12).

3. Every human being born into this world has been born imperfect—sinners by birth, and sinners by choice. We all fall short of God's glory (Romans 3:23).

4. God, in His perfect holiness, cannot tolerate sin in His presence. Rather, He demands judgment for sin—death, both physical death, and spiritual death, or eternal separation from God in hell (Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:14).

5. Regardless of how hard we try, we will never be able to merit God's favor. Nothing we do can outweigh our sin, and no amount of good works will make us pure (Ephesians 2:8-9; Isaiah 64:6).

6. While we are not able to merit our own salvation, God offered His Son, Jesus Christ, the perfect God-man, to serve our sentence for us. As a result, all who accept the free gift of salvation offered through the death of Jesus Christ can find forgiveness … simply by reaching out and taking that gift, calling to the Lord and asking for it (Romans 5:8, John 3:16).

7. Those who reject Jesus Christ and His free offer of salvation will suffer eternal condemnation (Revelation 20:11-15). Those who accept Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers will live with God eternally. While heaven is the temporary home of true believers who have died, eventually Jesus Christ will reverse the effects of sin and the curse upon the earth, and will re-establish Paradise on earth, where the saints will live with Him forever (Revelation 21-22).

Let me add that this final view (the Christian view) is the only valid position on Paradise. It is based on God's revelation to us, rather than a man-made invention of the mind, as found in false religions, such as Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism

I hope this helps. Feel free to write back if you would like to discuss this or any other topic.

Have a great week!

Scott