Major World Religions Share a Common Goal but Have Different Understandings of Paradise - 2003-07-24

Voice of America, Mike Sullivan, an American filmmaker, asked believers of various religions what paradise means to them. Although the concept of paradise exists in most major world religions, there is no similar understanding of its meaning and the way to attain it. John Shinefeld, a documentary filmmaker, was curious about this and created a one-hour documentary with a team from the National Geographic channel based on his questions and answers with followers of different religions around the world. He states, "How does the concept of paradise manifest in the five major world religions? And how do believers in paradise live to reach it?" He heard from Jews living in the mountains of Azerbaijan that, for them, paradise is a life based on moral principles that they fulfill within the framework of their ancient religious traditions. Shinefeld chose this group of Jews to see their Jewish perspective on paradise because they have a history of over two thousand five hundred years, experiencing the Persian and Russian empires, and have been surrounded by Islam for centuries. In Christianity, which shapes Western civilization, Christian art has depicted paradise as a place in the clouds, inhabited by saints and angels. Muslim Sufis told Shinefeld, "We feel ourselves in a wondrous and transcendent space; the outside world does not exist for us; we are completely in paradise." Shinefeld says, "The dance of the Sufis expresses their symbolic feelings about paradise, God, and the universe." To understand the perception of paradise among Buddhists, the filmmaker spoke with a female Buddhist nun in Thailand named Chatsumarn Kabil Singhe, who has revived the ancient tradition of female clergy. The nun told him, "In Buddhism, paradise is not the ultimate goal; it is merely one of the possible paths and choices for an individual. In fact, in the Buddhist model, there are thirty-three different types of paradise, and for them, paradise is just one of the stops on the way to awareness and enlightenment." Shinefeld also spoke in India with Veer Badra Mishra, a professor of hydraulic engineering and the chief priest of a Hindu temple. He has dedicated his life to preserving the Ganges River, which is sacred to Hindus. The Hindu priest said, "I must bathe in the Ganges three times a day to cleanse myself of sin." However, the contradiction this devout engineer faces is that bathing contributes to the pollution and destruction of the Ganges River. To preserve the sacred river, he must question some principles of Hinduism, which is very difficult for him.