A Lesson from a Rich Novelist
A famous Japanese novelist died recently, saying that he did not believe in existence of the afterlife. He thought that there was only nothingness after his life, although he once wrote a modern Japanese version of a Buddhist scripture. He had also become a politician with help from a Japanese sect of Buddhism. But he did not believe that his soul would continue to live after his physical death. He wrote scores of novels and more short stories in his life.The novelist was a rich man. He became a famous novelist when he was a student of a university. He never experienced poor life since his novel won a big prize in his early 20s. He looked so busy in enjoying amenities of his bountiful life. While he was ill in bed in his last days, he said that he wanted to go to a resort destination with his family members, which could not be realized.
Christ Jesus said to a rich man who enjoyed his prosperous life and died that he could not be accepted in Heaven as he had enjoyed amenities and riches in the world so much.
Indeed, some rich men cannot see the spirit world while living in this world. They cannot see the real state of this world. Their eyes become blind due to too much worldly pleasure. Indeed, the Buddha said that if you have a home, your mind is bound by your home; if you have a family, your mind is bound by your family. So, if you have riches, they bind your mind, so that you cannot see Heaven and the hells in your mind. Therefore, the Buddha lived a poor life like Christ Jesus did.
In this material world, people pursue wealth and success in the society. But, worldly wealth and success make people blind to the spiritual matters, Heaven, and the hells. Only poor men who have no hope to acquire big money and happiness in this world would turn their eyes to the afterlife and ask the God to allow them to enter into Heaven, if they knew that there is Heaven.
Therefore, poor men who are promised by the God to be admitted into Heaven would not envy rich men in this world, since Heaven should be full of riches.
But, it is very rare that a poor man has the ability to write novels and short stores about the afterlife, the spirit world, Heaven and the hells like Swedenborg while living in this world. Yet, there are some religious groups and spiritual persons who claim that they have heard spiritual voices from the deceased novelist. But, they do not assert that the novelist is now in Heaven or the hells.
Indeed, Satan would use some religious groups and spiritual persons so as to diffuse an idea that a successful rich man can also enjoy a rich life after death in this world. If a rich man can enjoy a rich life even after death in the spirit world, nobody wants to accept poverty in this world. They will not understand a deep meaning of Christ Jesus that the rich and wealthy cannot be accepted in Heaven.
Scores of novels and short stories the novelist wrote in his life should not be any help for him to enter into Heaven. It is thought that the novelist could not see what poor men in this world could see through their souls. He should have had to be poor enough to write truth of this world and the afterlife.
Anyway, there cannot be a rich Christ Jesus or a rich Buddha.
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Mark 1, King James Version
23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.