In Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, there are some sayings reflecting a tradition that the manner of a sentient being's death indicates the world in which it will be reborn. Close examination will show that the Buddha is shown as being present in every one of these realms. In this depiction, the realm of the Devas is shown at the top, followed clockwise by the realms of the Asuras, the Animals, Naraka, the Pretas, and the Humans. It is a kind of diagram which portrays these realms and the mechanism that causes these samsaric rebirths. The Bhavachakra or "Wheel of Life" is a popular teaching tool often used in the Indo-Tibetan tradition. The sentient beings in Naraka stay there until their negative karma is spent, at which point they are reborn into another domain. The Naraka domain (also known as the Niraya domain or the Hell domain) is a rebirth based on strong states of hatred cultivated in a previous life or lives. In the lower domains, such as the animal domain, it is a very slow and difficult process to accumulate enough merit to achieve a human rebirth once again, so it may be countless lifetimes before one has another chance. Because of this, it is almost always the case that one descends to a lower domain of rebirth after a human life, rather than immediately going on to another human birth, or going up to a higher domain. Humans have just the right balance: enough suffering to motivate them to achieve liberation, but not too much that every moment of their lives is consumed by it.Ī human rebirth is considered to have tremendous potential when used correctly, however in most cases humans waste their lifetimes in materialistic pursuits rather than working towards enlightenment, and so end up reinforcing their unhelpful emotions, thoughts, and actions, rather than letting go of them. This is because of the unique possibilities that a human rebirth offers: beings in higher domains just choose to enjoy the pleasures of their realms and neglect working towards enlightenment, while beings in lower domains are too busy trying to avoid the suffering and pain of their worlds to give a second thought to liberation. Although it may not be the most pleasurable domain to live in, a human rebirth is in fact considered to be by far the most advantageous of all possible rebirths in samsara, because a human rebirth is the only samsaric domain from which one can directly attain Bodhi (enlightenment), either in the present rebirth (for Buddhas and Arhats) or in a future rebirth in a Deva domain (for Anagamis). The Manuṣya domain (also known as the Human domain) is based on passion, desire, doubt, and pride.īuddhists see this domain as the realm of human existence. The 8th century Buddhist monument Borobudur in Central Java incorporated the trailokya into the architectural design with the plan of mandala that took the form of a stepped stone pyramid crowned with stupas. A sentient being may also ascend to one of the higher realms beyond the six domains of the desire realm by practicing various types of meditation, specifically the Eight Dhyānas. In schools of thought that use the ten realms system, these six domains are often contrasted negatively with the "four higher realms" of Śrāvaka, Pratyekabuddha, Bodhisattva and full Buddha, which are considered to be the spiritual goals of the different Buddhist traditions.Ī being's karma (previous actions and thoughts) determines which of the six domains it will be reborn into. The six domains of the desire realm are also known as the "six paths of suffering", the "six planes", and the "six lower realms". The Śūraṅgama Sūtra in Mahayana Buddhism regarded the 10 kinds of Xian as separate immortal realms between the deva and human realms. The concept of these five realms is also to be found in Taoism and Jainism. In Tibetan Buddhism, there are six domains ( Wylie: rigs drug gi skye gnas), and in Theravada Buddhism there are only five, because the domain of the Asuras is not regarded as separate from that of the Nāgas. Within the desire realm are either five or six domains (Sanskrit: gati, also sometimes translated as "realm"). The other two are the Form Realm, (Sanskrit rūpadhātu) and the Formless Realm (S. The desire realm ( Sanskrit: कामधातु, kāmadhātu) is one of the trailokya or three realms ( Sanskrit: धातु, dhātu, Tibetan: khams) in Buddhist cosmology into which a being caught in saṃsāra may be reborn.
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