Guenon’s Conception of Heaven and Hell
Under a modified Guenonianism, Guenon believes in Heaven and Hell. I say a modified Guenonianism because Guenon sometimes alludes to the idea that the Hindus don’t really believe in either Heaven and Hell or reincarnation. But under the modified Guenonianism, he believes in Heaven and Hell because that is part of the generic esoteric domain that he believes belongs to all religions. However, the Muslims have a notion of Heaven and Hell that is permanent and the Hindus have a notion of heaven and hell that is temporary. What is guenon’s analysis of the matter?
Although I agree with Gornahoor that Guenon is essentially recognizing the identically of every religion in all that is essential, where I am diverging from his stance is that I believe Guenon recognizes the exoteric domain as a valid feature of religion and that the religions are different in the exoteric domain. Although Gunenon recognizes that there is one truth and that truth is incorporated in all religions, he recognizes differences within the individual religions and it is impossible to know which one is correct. This is evidenced by his seemingly arbitrary conversion to Islam. He would probably have stayed with Catholicism if he did not recognize differences in the religions. Therefore, Heaven and Hell might be temporary and might be permanent and it is impossible to know which one is correct. Guenon would probably lean towards Heaven and Hell being temporary states since he believes the esoteric tradition has a source and Hinduism came around first.
Heaven and Hell as permanent States
However, what if the Heaven and Hell of the Muslims and Christians is different than the Heaven and Hell of the Hindus? These are different revelations and different revelations call for different esotericisms. This would mean that one afterlife is temporary while the other is a permanent state.
The Hindus will probably now bring up the seeming metaphysical paradox in a permanent heaven. For how could a person not get bored living in the same place for eternity? Certainly, things would get boring with the same people for eternity. However, this can be sidestepped if we recognize that this permanent afterlife is similar to this life except better in most ways. Thus there is no less paradox in a permanent heaven than there would be in continual reincarnation on earth. This would mean that the earth is a short testing ground to determine the readiness of a person to make it into the real life. This now makes sense why the Muslims are so cautious. If you have the opportunity to make it into a permanent place that is infinitely better than this existence, you had better not move a muscle.
This alternative Heaven would be reached through initiation or perhaps through belief or through decent living. I think the main route to this heaven would be through initiation. The Catholics have multiple sacraments set up- the Eucharist, baptism confirmation, confession. However, I believe other people would be let in through living a decent life or wanting this and so forth. Some Hindus would make the cut and others would have to wait until they are reborn into a properly Christian family, while many would remain Hindu. This allows for a flexible framework in which there is reincarnation except for those lucky few are able to make it into a permanent afterlife through being initiated into the Christian faith.
Idealism Studies 