Naraka

Chiisai_Pholcidae68

I'm learning about the Hell Realms in Buddhism from Wikipedia.com. The description of Naraka's traditional representation is vivid, but the type of karma behind the perpetuation of Naraka wasn't mentioned. The article just tells me that it happens as a result of "bad karma". I want to know what kind of karma is specific to Naraka (for example, Hungry Ghost realm is a product of karma of possessiveness ). Please help!

federica

naraka describes more than one realm. There is the animal realm, the hungry Ghost and the hell realm where people really suffer.

The Human realm is the only one in which people can consciously, actively and wilfully escape samasara.

http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/tp/Six-Realms-of-Existence.htm

federica

By the way, could you have chosen a more difficult name to get to grips with?
it's ok when we refer to you in posts, we'll probably all shorten your name to 'Chii'... but mentioning you specifically to attract your attention is going to be.... a challenge....! I predict a lot of copy/paste!!

Chiisai_Pholcidae68

In Wikipedia's Desire Realm article, it treats the Hungry Ghost and Naraka realms as separate things. The article you sent me treats them the same way, but I interpreted what you said as the Hungry Ghost and Animal realms are sub-realms of Naraka rather than individual things.

Thank you for the article. It explained more than Wikipedia. Unless I misinterpreted it, Hell-beings (I suppose that's what they're called) are people engrossed in aggression.

Chiisai_Pholcidae68

Yes, you can call me "Chii", "CP" or anything else easily recognized as being short for my name

matthewmartin

see the Pancagatidipani, "Illumination of the Five Realms of Existence"

Here: http://www.floweringofgoodness.org/buddhist-scriptures-61.php

And for a good book that includes this plus commentary: Chapter 1 of D Lopez's Buddhist Scriptures:

http://books.google.com/books?id=6Pd-2IIzip4C&lpg=PT65&ots=oq4mS1m-j8&dq=illumination of the five realms of rebirth&pg=PT65#v=onepage&q&f=false

Let it be noted many modern Buddhists see the realms as a metaphor for states of mind or irrelevant. A literal interpretation would have to be contingent on what school of Buddhism-- for example, in Chinese Buddhism, King Yama & his aids work very much like the Chinese imperial Bureaucracy, something that the author of the Pancagatidipani would have been oblivious to.

anataman

@matthewmartin said Let it be noted many modern Buddhists see the realms as a metaphor for states of mind

I am at one with that view

federica

ditto....

Ethan_McCune

I know animals have ignorant karma, hungry ghost have greedy karma, and hell beings are every bad thing like murder and rape and stuff like that.

how

Whether they are "real" realms or not, the manifestation of those classifications in daily life are clearly visible to anyone willing to look and are useful teachings.