Asked the student: "Wise man, you taught us we all might reincarnate. Those who have done good and those who have done bad. That seems quite unfair! How do we justify punishing the bad?"
Returned the teacher: "How is it you wish to force divinity to comply with human ethics? Every person is their own judge. In our society, other people judge us. The transit between incarnations is outside of society... outside of physical bounds. Here is the judgement you seek for so desperately: we choose our own next life. We set our own challenge, and we make it as hard as we need, based upon our own experiences."
Exasperated the student: "So someone who is rich and famous and happy chose to be that way? And someone who got raped and abused and tortured might have chosen that challenge for themselves? That hardly seems fair!"
The teacher raised his eyebrows and asked: "Why would you think divinity is fair? Our loved ones die while criminals prosper... old people live while the young die... fairness is another attribute that does not seem to apply to divinity."
Said the student: "And yet we seek to punish the bad."
Asked the teacher: "Would you rather be punished by a deity that does not show fairness?" and left the student to ponder.
Exasperated the student: "So someone who is rich and famous and happy chose to be that way? And someone who got raped and abused and tortured might have chosen that challenge for themselves? That hardly seems fair!"
The teacher raised his eyebrows and asked: "Why would you think divinity is fair? Our loved ones die while criminals prosper... old people live while the young die... fairness is another attribute that does not seem to apply to divinity."
Said the student: "And yet we seek to punish the bad."
Asked the teacher: "Would you rather be punished by a deity that does not show fairness?" and left the student to ponder.