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THE 6 REALMS. EXISTENCE OF THE FIVE DESTINIES (Pg 64 – TWTB). “ Circulating within the Five Destinies The body and mind sustain much suffering.” … Verse 35 – Pg 64 TWTB
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EXISTENCE OF THE FIVE DESTINIES(Pg 64 – TWTB) “Circulating within the Five Destinies The body and mind sustain much suffering.” … Verse 35 – Pg 64 TWTB Buddhists believe that people have not only been reborn countless times in the past, but will continue to do so in the future.
THE 6 DESTINIES OR REALMS • In ancient times, the destinies or realms of existence are grouped into 5 types (2 happy ones, viz. divine and human realms, and 3 miserable ones viz. animals, hungry ghosts and hell beings). • Subsequently Asura was added in, to form a total of 6 realms of existence. • Asuras are demigods who are like gods, but have inferior bodies, inferior possessions and enjoyments. Because they are able to see the status and enjoyment of the gods, demigods are propelled by their envy to try to compete with the gods. They are afflicted by deep jealousy, hostility and obstructions.
Realm of animals/ 抺惗摴 • Realm of hungry spirits/ 夓婼摴 • Eight great hot hells/ 敧戝抧崠Hell of All Reviving/ 摍妶抧崠 • http://www12.canvas.ne.jp/horai/index.html 丂
(3) Eight great hot hells/ 敧戝抧崠(8) Hell of Avici/ 垻旲抧崠丂丂丂(7) Hell of Great Scorching/ 戝徟擬抧崠
THE 3 EVIL DESTINIES (PG 64) “The great extremely hot hells. The peripheral hells all of which one must pass through. The eight frigid hells and the solitary hells. These are the worst places for suffering beings.” • Verse 36 Page 64
HELL 4 main groups of hells consisting of 18 levels: • 8 Hot Hells (8 great hells) • 4 Peripheral Hells (neighbouring hells) • 8 Cold Hells • Hell of solitude (loneliness)
THE NUMBER OF HELLS • The 8 hot (great) hells have 4 doors each. • Each door also leads to 4 neighbouring hells (8x4x4 = 128). • When the beings in the 8 hot hells have finished their suffering, they go to each of the rest of the neighbouring hells totalling 128; the excruciating pain increases from one place to the next.
1) 8 Hot Hells (Great Hells) • 1st feature - suffering from extreme heat because of intense fire. • Location: centre of the earth – molten rocks and burning gases. • 2 main characteristics: raging fire and suffering from contact with molten copper and iron (magma): black cords, squeezing, wailing, great wailing, very hot burning, extremely intense heat and uninterrupted hell (avici in Skt). • Suffer from all kinds of torture – red-hot metals; iron floors/ walls, iron pans/plates, hammers, chains/cords.
8 Hot Hells 2nd feature – beings have large bodies and long life. Uninterrupted hell – medium kalpa lifespan. Most painful experience: not they want to live, they want to die but cannot – a place of retribution for the most wicked offences.
2) Four Peripheral (Neighbouring) Hells Also known as hells of increasingly worse suffering. • hot ashes, glowing hot pit • corpse feaces, a manure pit filled with worms having sharp mouths. • consists of roads covered with sharp weapons/ knife blades, forests with sword leaves inhabited by ferocious dogs, forests of iron thorns inhabited by big birds with iron beaks. Beings suffer burnt marks, knives/swords injuries, and animal bites. • boundless river – filled with boiling ash-water that fries beings like beans in hot oil.
2) Four Peripheral (Neighbouring) Hells • The 8 hot (great) hells have 4 doors each and eachdoor also leads to 4 neighbouring hells (8x4x4 = 128). • Total: 128 neighbouring hells. When the beings in the 8 hot hells have finished their suffering, they go to each of the rest of the neighbouring hells; the excruciating pain increases from one place to the next.
3) 8 Frigid (Cold) Hells • Also known as hells of blisters, bursting blisters, atata, haha, huhuva (named after the sounds uttered by beings exposed to the cold); blue lotus, red lotus and great red lotus (named according to the color and the cracks in the skin caused by frost bites). • Incomparable frigidity penetrating to the bones and making the whole body shiver and curl up. Worms chew and scratch the body’s marrow, suffering to the utmost.
4) Solitary Hells • Location: In the human world – remote mountains, islands, wide open spaces, deep forests. • Even in a prosperous and busy city, a person can exist in isolation suffering from such heavy retribution.
ANIMAL REALM “There are all different kinds of animals But all experience similar sufferings: Being preyed upon or being enslaved.” Verse 37 Page 67 (TWTB) • According to the Dharma, animals groupings: footless (snakes), 2-footed (birds, humans), 4-footed (beasts), and multi-footed (bugs, centipedes). • All animals originally lived in the ocean and later moved to different places; on land and into the air, or both (amphibians). Different minds lead to different appearances or species. • The animal world is a slaughter house: constantly killing each other and being killed by humans or enslaved (zoo, chicken farms). Other animals like horses, buffaloes are restrained and whipped.
HUNGRY GHOSTS REALM “Hungry ghosts always feel hungry and thirsty And they use filth as food.” … Verse 38 Page 68 TWTB • Most suffer from constant extreme hunger and thirst, and are different from ghosts of Chinese tradition. According to Dharma, 3 main groups of classification: • 1) Those With No Wealth - 3 subgroups • a) torch or flaming mouth, food turns into flames; • b) needle mouths whose throats are so tiny that no food pass through; • c) vile mouths whose mouths are so decomposed and smelly that ingestion is not possible.
HUNGRY GHOSTS REALM • 2) Those With Little Wealth Able to eat with small amounts. 3 subgroups (named after specific body characteristics): needle like hair, stinking hair and wens. Some found the food turned into pus and blood. Some eat filthy sputa, saliva, urine and feces or swallow filth as food.
HUNGRY GHOSTS REALM 3) Those With Great Wealth They have sumptuous enjoyments. 3 subgroups: a) those living off the sacrifices offered by humans b) those living off the objects lost from humans c) powerful rulers of ghosts viz yaksas, raksas; pleasures close to divine beings.
3 Evil Realms “The evil destinies come from the 3 unwholesome roots That lead to evil deeds and their retribution.” … Verse 39 Page 69 TWTB • The 3 unwholesome roots of afflictions: killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. • Desire realm: greed, anger and deviant views – 3 roots of unwholesomeness. • The most serious evil karma = hells • The less serious = animals • The least serious = hungry ghosts (Page 69 TWTB) Without deep afflictions nor perpetration of serious offences, one will not fall into these 3 unhappy realms.
Asuras or Demigods • The demigods and gods do not experience very great suffering compared with humans and lower realms beings. The asuras are demigods who are like gods, but have inferior bodies, possessions and enjoyments. Because they are able to see the status and enjoyments of the gods, demigods are propelled by their envy to try to compete with the gods. They are afflicted by deep jealousy, hostility and obstructions.
ASURAS “The demigods have great suffering Through natural hostility to the glory of the gods. Though intelligent, they cannot see the truth, Due to the lower obstructions.” ... Nagarjuna • To add to the miseries of the demigods, • the gods steal their most beautiful maidens • and take the fruits from their wish-fulfilling tree. • The demigods often battle • with the gods but always end up the losers • because the gods have more power than them.
THE TWO GOOD PATHS 1) Human Realm 2) Heavenly Realm
HUMAN REALM “Humans, vexed with suffering and happiness, Are the pivot of ascent and descent. Humans are the true pivot, not ghosts; But this traditional misconception about ghosts still lingers.” … Verse 40 Page 70 TWTB • Human Realm is conducive for practising the Dharma. Rapid fluctuation between suffering and happiness. Can be compared to sharpening a knife on a stone; it becomes sharper with efforts. • It’s the pivot of ascent and descent. The good and bad karma forces of humankind determines the ascent or descent of one’s destiny.
HUMAN • The Hindus believe that all dead people must face Yama’s sentence. • The Chinese believe that all dead people become ghosts. They prepare the deceased with the rites befitting a ghost; paper money/houses etc as a sign of piety – an insult to their loved ones. To the Chinese, ghosts and hell beings are the same.
HUMAN c) Only humans’ ability to practice meditation (possible consequence of being born in heaven), precept keeping, cultivation and by ending the cycle of birth and death can Buddhahood be achieved – an opportunity to be cherised. d) On the other hand, humans can be extremely evil too and are subject to falling into evil destinies.
