brothers karamazov

I amazed myself by finishing up reading a 776-page English translation of a literary classic lately: "The Brothers Karamazov" by the Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881). It's a story of crime and passion, murder mystery, court room drama, yet at the same time filled with rich religious and spiritual overtones from beginning till end.  

One interesting little side story mentioned in the book is this:

A wicked woman dies and is thrown into the lake of fire in hell by devils. Her guardian angel tries to think of one good deed of hers to tell God and save her from hell, and recalls that once she pulled up an onion and gave it to a beggar. God answers that the angel should take that same onion and offer it to her. If she takes hold of it and the angel can pull her out with it, she can go to paradise, but if the onion breaks, she must stay in the lake of fire. The angel offers the onion, the woman grabs it and he pulls carefully. Just as she is about to be pulled out completely, the other sinners in the lake hold onto her so as to be pulled out with her. The woman kicks them away, telling them that it is her onion, not theirs. The onion breaks and the woman falls back into the lake, where she remains.

I guess this means we are only as good as our last one good deed (or as bad as our last bad one) then.

One main character of the book, the father of the Karamazov brothers, is a "country buffoon," an obnoxious, ruthless, selfish and stingy old man who got murdered in the middle of the story. Here's some words said by a monastery sage about him:

"The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love, and in order to occupy and distract himself without love he gives way to passions and coarse pleasures, and sinks to bestiality in his vices, all from continual lying to other men and to himself."

I guess this means keeping a clear and honest head above one's shoulders all the time is quite important.

Lastly,

"My friends, ask gladness from God. Be glad as children, as birds in the sky. And let man's sin not disturb you in your efforts, do not fear that it will dampen your endeavor and keep it from being fulfilled, do not say, 'Sin is strong, impiety is strong, the bad environment is strong, and we are lonely and powerless, the bad environment will dampen us and keep our good endeavor from being fulfilled.' Flee from such despondency, my children! There is only one salvation for you: take yourself up, and make yourself responsible for all the sins of men. For indeed it is so, my friend, and the moment you make yourself sincerely responsible for everything and everyone, you will see at once that it is really so, that it is you who are guilty on behalf of all and for all. Whereas by shifting your own laziness and powerlessness onto others, you will end by sharing in Satan's pride and murmuring against God." 

Sounds so lofty and unreachable?.. yet, not so..

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"Religion may be compared to a glass window. It remains dark unless it is lit from behind. The light itself is not visible, but in the window of religion it takes on a structure and becomes comprehensible to everyone. Although religion often tends to bind its followers to the structures of the window, the ultimate thing is not the window but the light that shines behind it. Only those who see the light of God behind all the structures can realize the meaning and goal of religion."  -- Willigis Jager, Search for the Meaning of Life: Essays and Reflections on the Mystical Experience