the difference between heaven and hell , page-11

ddzx .... I find your posts quite remarkably scholistic, along with an apparent rare determination by yourself to cut away (the Zen slap) at the safe haven of conventional religious/spiritual belief in order to empty the mind of unclear thinking & thus allow space for deeper insight into our true nature of the mind.

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firstly, it would be great to get some idea of the difference between the Dark Night (an apparent spiritual phenomona) versus someone experiencing depression (a transitory mental condition).

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2/. "... a threefold distinction: (i) hell (anguish); (ii) heaven (bliss); & (iii) purity (nirvana)"

So the 3 fold path separates a state of bliss from the highest state of purity. Is this idea based on bliss being an openning of the 6th or 7th chakra (still in a state of Separation) versus the idea of the total annilation of the chakra system into Pure Consciousness where one become One (non-separation) ?

(p.s. as mentioned by Da Free John in his book the Knee of Listenning ((from memory)).

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3/. "buddha explained all suffering is from the unwanted death of "self-identity" & this is the acute suffering of the Dark Night, where the sense of 'self' disintegrates"

What is the distinction between Self versus Mind as you seem to define both as different ... where the Self must be annilated in order to enter into Pure Mind ?