"Eternal joy" is a religious idea offered to the faithful of various faiths as a reward for their adherence to the teachings of church, temple, tabernacle, whatever. Islam offers Paradise, Christianity offers Heaven, Buddhism suggests Nirvana, and so on.
In essence eternal joy is the carrot while Hell/Jahannam/Gehenna is the stick. These are the reward and punishment religions offer their believers to keep them in line.
C.S.Lewis, in his autobiography, Surprised by Joy, described an experience which he thought of as (if I can borrow a phrase from Hollywood) "close encounters of the numinous kind". Many mystics have experienced such moments -- an awareness that they are in the presence of something wonderful. To a theist that "something" would be God/Allah/Yhwh, whoever. THAT was the kind of joy Lewis hoped to have eternally when he gained his reward.
I'm always impressed by your erudition Didge ... I've only ever read that trilogy of his...A quasi sci-fi .. out of the lonely planet ... And I think that title is wrong ... I must investigate further
Thank you Didge, I copied these words and saved it - In essence eternal joy is the carrot while Hell/Jahannam/Gehenna is the stick. These are the reward and punishment religions offer their believers to keep them in line. How absolutely well you captured the essence of scriptures.
Dear Veena.K, Yes, I do...however I might not phrase it in just those terms, for me no doubt humankind has that potential.
There's a Sanskrit term, DUKKHA, which can indicate anything from a mild dissatisfaction to downright agony...suffering. And even if you supply a person with adequate food and necessities of life, the person will still experience dukkha...
Well Buddhism says that dukkha is an illness of the mind, and can be healed - that unbroken peace, contentment, ever-new joy, etc...that healed state of mind is our heritage, destiny, legacy. And not in after-death glory; you might say our purpose in life is to unfold that in ourselves...it happens in the here-&-now, and Buddhism goes about it rather scientifically.
...interestingly, you also see this concept of "eternal joy" mentioned in great poetry, take John Milton Book V, PARADISE LOST, Adam is speaking to Eve - it's the mention of the "ever-new," that is part of the eternal joy before the Fall...which each of us will eventually reclaim!
My fairest, my espous'd, my latest found, Heav'ns last best gift, my ever new delight,
* * * Whew! This looks kinda long...more than you EVER wanted to know, perhaps...
Hi VirginiaL, such a beautiful Answer, thank you! You are right, Dukkha in Sanskrit in plain terms means Sorrow. Sometimes I wonder why people remain unhappy even if they have a good life? You rightly put it, satisfaction doesn't come easily. Yes, what a master piece Milton wrote 'Paradise Lost', the epic poem in blank verse, indeed eternal joy is well portrayed in it. Ānanda (Sanskrit: आनन्द) literally means bliss or happiness.Those who renounce the fruits of their actions and submit themselves completely to the divine will, arrive at the final termination of the cyclical life process to enjoy eternal bliss (ānanda) in perfect union with the godhead. The tradition of seeking union with God through passionate commitment and devotion.
Nope. Eternal joy might be an aim, an illusion, something to strive for. But life will have it's ups and downs. As for a hindsight, I am not believing in any religion and as such also not in such concepts. Fascinating at times, but more soever as an inspiration, for some parts around ethics and values. However, it is important to remember when they were written/told. The world was a different, some of the issues were different too.
There is a deep deep joy in finding the eternal, Absolute Truth within our Self. Not our Egoic self that everyone knows, but our Real Self, which is God. God exists within our Self as who we really are. So God is within you as You. When we discover this, we see that there is no break in consciousness when moving from one body to the next. This eternal Absolute Truth is visible when we lose our Ego and move beyond the thought world. There is no eternal joy in the world as we know it. The world is a dream, it is the surface of consciousness and disappears when one is without thoughts in the mind and we have transcended the Ego. Since in Reality we have never been born, and we never die, our Real Self is eternal. The ego comes and goes until there is no longer any ego, no longer any Karma to work out and we rest in our eternal joy, the Absolute Truth, our Absolute Self...Reality That in itself we could say is our eternal joy. Through Meditation on our Self all can discover this
No wonder your answer is so spiritual Baba, egoic self often overshadows real self, eternal joy is a state of sublime delight when the jiva ( life)becomes free from all sins, all doubts, all desires, all actions, all pains, all sufferings and also all physical and mental ordinary pleasures. Thanks Baba!
Benedict Arnold 