semantics
All the words man write about heaven/nirvana can never truly describe it.

1st Verse

       The Tao that can be told, is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named; is not the eternal name.

The Tao is both named and nameless

As nameless it is the origin of all things;

as named it is the Mother of 10,000 things.

Ever desireless, one can see the mystery;

ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations.

And the mystery itself is the doorway

to all understanding.

Lao-tzu

When one waits for heaven or tries to get to a state of nirvana ,ones misses that in that moment, it is heaven and is nirvana.

peace

Heaven and Nirvana are both just words that try to point to States of Being. Neither are places that can be found from a physical point of view. Both point toward states that have no sense of self and, from a personal perspective, can never be realized. Words limit everything to the physical realm and are, at best, pointers directing the self within where Heaven and Nirvana can both be realized by those willing to, let go of the personal sense of identity and, embrace the uncertainty of the physical illusion.

And remember Wade up cannot exist without down so Heaven or Nirvana cannot be experienced without the integration of both.

To me they're one and the same because both contain no sense of the little self but are All Inclusive which, from my current point of perception, is the only path to freedom...Heaven or Nirvana, it matters not which :)

Interesting point of view Wade. :)

Let me offer you a slightly different one.

He who has realized Truth, Nirvana, is the happiest being in the world. He is free from all ‘complexes’ and obsessions, the worries and troubles that torment others. His mental health is perfect. He does not repent the past, nor does he brood over the future. He lives fully in the present. Therefore he appreciates and enjoys things in the purest sense without self-projections. He is joyful, exultant, enjoying the pure life, his faculties pleased, free from anxiety, serene and peaceful. As he is free from selfish desire, hatred, ignorance, conceit, pride, and all such ‘defilements’, he is pure and gentle, full of universal love, compassion, kindness, sympathy, understanding and tolerance. His service to others is of the purest, for he has no thought of self. He gains nothing, accumulated nothing, because he is free from the illusion of Self and the ‘thirst’ of becoming.

As to why would one choose Nirvana over Heaven, perhaps because Nirvana can be realized right here, right now. In the very moment of the present. Whereas Heaven happens only after you die.

And as for nothingness, letting go of your attachments to love and hate, you will experience their oneness. It may seem there is nothing at all, but there is in fact everything there is. It's just that in the state of oneness you don't distinguish between the parts that together form oneness and separately form duality.

They are both allegory. Both are simply a profound peace of mind. When you were born you had no beliefs; you were curious and open. Your beliefs and traditions were imposed on you by parents, teachers, religious teachers, etc. Oddly enough, the original knowledge/wisdom was known the world over. As the apostle Paul said, everything he was teaching to the Gentiles had already been taught to every creature upon the earth. Col. 1:23 Theologians distorted the true meaning of this ancient knowledge/wisdom.

“The same thing that is now called Christian Religion existed among the ancients. They have begun to call 'Christian' the true religion which existed before.” St. Augustine

Difficult question, but I can only speak for myself. For me, Nirvana is the highest goal in this life and the afterlife. I hold it higher than the bliss of the heavens.

But, I can't convince anybody to want Nirvana over God's Heaven. It's a personal choice.