I'm managing well enough. Even if this all feels very strange, there is no denying that it is the reality we're facing. And what of you? How are you adjusting?
Oh, well, when our loved ones pass away, we bring their bodies to the Orbwise Path, where they are made as offerings to the snakes there. Legends say that those whose flesh is consumed by the holy beasts will ascend to become guardian deities.
[honestly to her that sounds like it's just a way to dispose of dead bodies without having to bury him but she knwos better than to say that out loud.]
How does one know if they are being looked after by a guardian deity?
In theory, yes. There are six... "realms," so to speak, in the cycle of reincarnation. Gods, demi-gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell beings. If you accumulate good karma in life, you will be reborn as a god, demi-god, or another human; bad karma, and in your next life, you will be reborn as an animal, a hungry ghost, or a hell being.
You can escape the cycle of reincarnation by achieving enlightenment, but by and large, that is how it works. Of course, there are also many levels of hell for those who are being punished, but...
[she shakes her head.]
...none of what I have been taught lines up with what we are experiencing now.
Somewhat similar, yes. But... it is your deeds in life, not in the afterlife, that are counted. If what I had been raised to believe was true, I should already have been judged by now, not standing here having a conversation.
The problem is not knowing what it is the person we must prove ourselves to is looking for. What will they use to decide if we are "better" than we were?
I have wondered this as well... When I spoke to the angels about what is considered "good," they seemed to agree with my ideas of morality... But we do find ourselves without any clear guidelines.
...the lack of clear guidelines is the most concerning thing, I think. If we knew what we were being judged on, we could work toward it. Without that guidance we are left to flounder in the dark.
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[she looks out at the water.]
Yes... I felt the same. But I suppose, this is "heaven," so it is meant to be ... welcoming.
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[hello? you can be reborn as a god???]
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[honestly to her that sounds like it's just a way to dispose of dead bodies without having to bury him but she knwos better than to say that out loud.]
How does one know if they are being looked after by a guardian deity?
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That sort of faith must be very comforting.
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Well... yes, usually.
What did you think would happen, after death?
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Well... reincarnation, truthfully. I did not expect to be conscious as myself.
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Yes. It's a commonly-held belief where I'm from.
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Can someone be reborn as anything? Another person, or an animal, or anything else?
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You can escape the cycle of reincarnation by achieving enlightenment, but by and large, that is how it works. Of course, there are also many levels of hell for those who are being punished, but...
[she shakes her head.]
...none of what I have been taught lines up with what we are experiencing now.
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... So it is your deeds in life that determine your fate? I suppose there is a sense of fairness in that...
Even if the details are different, the philosophy of it may be similar to this path of redemption we find ourselves on.
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