What We Mean By Heaven
Much of the discussion within Truth Resonates and Sangha Society is around the idea of co-creating heaven. Heaven is a loaded and tricky term, in that it conjures a different idea in the mind of every person who hears it. Some people think of heaven as angels and singing choirs. Others imagine an endless world of eternal play. A million people imagine a million variations on heaven, each resonating uniquely in their mind when they hear the word.
We need not imagine heaven as some separate realm in the sky. We can instead imagine it as something that can be created, here on Earth, in the near future. Heaven on Earth can be a harmonious society, in which suffering is as limited as is possible, and all beings have an opportunity to express themselves and create to the full extent of their capacities and interests. In such a society, people treat each other with kindness and respect, truly wishing everyone well, caring about each other’s wellbeing, sharing in each other’s joys and successes, respecting each other’s autonomy and individual worth, and avoiding blind reactivity.
Sangha Society is meant to be the framework by which heaven forms. In Sangha Society, we are supporting people in the creation of countless communities of seekers (sanghas), each of which is its own unique variation of heaven, but all of which are united by certain core principles. Those principles are the four traditional wholesome virtues of Buddhism, known as the brahmaviharas, as well as an addition that we view as essential to the creation of a true heaven: personal sovereignty. We collectively refer to these as the 5 Heavenly Virtues.
The word brahmavihara comes from Pali and Sanskrit, and it means "sublime attitudes" or "heavenly abodes". It has traditionally been comprised of four aspects:
Metta: loving-kindness or benevolence. At its core, metta means unconditional love for all beings. With a well-developed understanding of metta, we see the buddha self in everyone, and become able to radiate truly unconditional love for all, feeling kindly towards everyone, even people we have historically labeled as "bad" or "evil". True unconditional love, even towards those who have wronged us or those we dislike, is something that is difficult for most people to fully embrace. Yet the benefits of cultivating unconditional love towards all beings are truly astonishing. As love blossoms in our hearts towards all beings, so much less time is spent telling ourselves painful stories, ruminating on past slights, or anticipating future ones. All of those things steadily drop away, and we become much more connected, much more present in every moment, enjoying what presents itself, and seeing the positive in all situations.
Karuna: compassion for suffering. Karuna means seeing suffering and having compassion for that suffering as a felt experience, not just as words. With a well-developed sense of karuna, we become drawn to attempt to alleviate suffering when it is within our power to do so, so long as doing so does not impinge on any of the other Virtues. Karuna involves having compassion not just for the suffering of others, but also for our own suffering. Often, we are our own harshest critic; the development of karuna inevitably begins to create space for forgiveness, both of others and of ourselves. As karuna blossoms into its fullness, we begin to move through the world in a more gentle fashion, forgiving ourselves for our past mistakes, and forgiving those we interact with for theirs. We become keenly aware of the suffering of others in a way that does not give rise to our own suffering. Instead, we move from a place of metta to alleviate that noticed suffering as we see it arise.
Mudita: empathetic joy - taking joy in another's joy. Like all of the Virtues, mudita is a movement away from separateness, towards unity. By seeing another’s joy and having that spark our own joy, we are moving away from the jealousy, schadenfreude and negativity that society has until now largely encouraged, and towards a unity of shared joy. With a well-developed understanding of mudita, we start finding joy in every moment. Delighting in another’s delight leads us to actively seek out ways to increase others’ happiness, to the extent that doing so doesn’t impinge on any of the other Virtues. As mudita blossoms into its fullness, we begin to experience the quiet and powerful shared joy that all consciousness possesses as a result of simply existing: the delight in supporting each other in exploration and growth, and the delight in collectively rising to new heights of existence.
Upekka: equanimity in all things. By practicing upekka, we are developing non-reactivity in the moment. Life presents us with endless catalyst – endless opportunities for learning and growth; and while we always have the choice of how to react, too often an unconscious and unwholesome reaction can arise in response. In orienting towards equanimity, we begin to catch those moments of unconscious reaction that frequently occur in response to catalyst, where we fall into a karma and repeat certain unhelpful patterns, and as a result we begin to move more consciously and with more intentionality through our life. Upekka acts as the cradle in which the first three Heavenly Virtues are able to flourish. With a well-developed sense of equanimity, we can experience each of the first three Virtues to their fullness without becoming overwhelmed by the emotions that arise, and without being frequently drawn by blind reaction into less wholesome patterns of behavior.
In addition to the traditional four brahmaviharas listed above, this community recognizes and moves with a fifth Heavenly Virtue:
Sovereignty: we are all equal and worthy of respect. Sovereignty is a concept that many have not considered in great depth. It is the belief that all beings are intrinsically equal, share the same intrinsic self-worth and are accordingly worthy of the same intrinsic respect. As sovereignty develops, we begin to see that rigid hierarchies and control structures are not necessary or helpful, and instead in combination with the other Virtues, more egalitarian and consensus-based organizational and governance structures can successfully arise and prosper. Similarly, we begin to see how dependent connections – situations in which one being uses its energy to help another being hide or cling – are inherently unwholesome, since no one involved is benefited by the arrangement; the being providing the energy is drained for the purpose of helping the recipient avoid growth. Dependent connections currently arise in many facets of family life, platonic and business relationships, romantic partnerships, and society at large, and as we become more familiar with our sovereignty, we learn how to shed those in ways that respect ourselves and the others involved. With a well-developed understanding of sovereignty, we become able to treat each other equally regardless of respective station in life. We see that it is unwholesome to place any being on a pedestal – to elevate them above us in our minds – and it is similarly unwholesome to view any being as inferior and below us in our minds. We see that every being has the same worth as every other being, and the difference is only in the roles we are choosing to play in this incarnation. That is true of humans, animals, spirits and gods. We understand that the gods are not above us, they are just different from us, and they serve in their own way, just as we do. They can be interacted with as peers – partners in this amazing co-creation of reality in which we are all participating. We are all important parts of creation.
Just as upekka is the cradle by which the first three Virtues flourish, sovereignty is the scaffolding that allows the other four to build heaven. With the combination of sovereignty with the other four Virtues, people can learn to live in a society of love, kindness, collective joy, tranquility and mutual respect - a true heaven on Earth.
We believe that taken together, the five Heavenly Virtues, if followed by the people of this world, will yield heaven on Earth. In our community, those principles are reflected in many ways, as they ideally encompass all action. In the context of our interactions, they yield the following:
We treat each other with kindness and respect (metta, karuna and mudita). If tension arises, we aim to alleviate it quickly (in a manner resonant with the Virtues), rather than allowing it to fester, and we avoid cutting people off entirely. We understand that separation need not be rupture, and relationships take many forms over time.
We allow people to seek at their own pace (sovereignty and upekka), although we encourage seeking (at whatever pace) as the only wholesome movement with respect to truth (since hiding, clinging and shattering all involve unconscious movement within a karma, which often leads to failing to uphold the Virtues in those moments).
We aim to help those who are struggling in ways they wish to be helped, doing our best to avoid creating additional suffering (all 5 Virtues) or dependent connections (sovereignty) in the process.
Each Virtue, on its own, can be taken to an unwholesome extreme. Excessive karuna can lead to martyrdom without considerations of sovereignty. Excessive upekka can lead to a cold and sterile mode of existence, in which emotional experience is flat and dead, unless melded with the warmth of metta, karuna and mudita. When joined together, the Virtues strengthen and buttress each other, allowing a thoughtful, mature and kind mode of interaction between all beings — a true heaven on Earth.
