As the Buddha said, you’re not going to go to hell or to heaven because of other people’s actions. It’s your actions that take you to hell, your actions that can get you to heaven, your actions that can get you beyond heaven and hell, taking you all the way to nibbana.

"Try to stay on top of things in the body and the mind right now, right now, right now. This is where all the important things are happening.

The news may tell us that other things in other parts of the world are really important, really worth getting worked up about. And people do get worked up about them. But as the Buddha said, you’re not going to go to hell or to heaven because of other people’s actions. It’s your actions that take you to hell, your actions that can get you to heaven, your actions that can get you beyond heaven and hell, taking you all the way to nibbana.

So you want to be on top of what you’re doing right here, right now. Because this is where all the issues are, all the factors of the path — as we chanted about them just now. Even though some of them have to do with your outside actions, they basically come down to your intentions."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "On Top of Your Actions"

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