A famous Zen story says a very similar thing: There was once a general who asked the Zen master Hakuin:"Are there really such things as Heaven and Hell?" "Wha

A famous Zen story says a very similar thing: There was once a general who asked the Zen master Hakuin:"Are there really such things as Heaven and Hell?" "What do you do for a living?" Hakuin asked him. "I'm a general." "Ha, ha, ha! What idiot asked you to be his general? You look more like a butcher to me", the Zen master teased the general. "I'll cut you to pieces!" the general angrily pulled his sword. "Here lie the gates of Hell!" said the master. "Excuse me...Please forgive my insolence.” And Hakuin said:"Here lie the gates of Heaven." Heaven and Hell aren't places that suddenly appear after death. They exist here and now. Good and evil involve just a single instant of thought, and the gates of Heaven and Hell are ready to open for you at any time. (From Zen Stories: The Staff and Shout of the Venerable Ones)