- For non-Buddhist uses of the term Naraka, see Naraka. Naraka is the Sanskrit word for the Underworld; literally of man.
|
Part of a series on |
|
 |
|
|
Religions:
Words: Related: |
|
|
Part of a series on
|
|
|---|---|
|
Four Noble Truths |
|
|
Three marks of existence |
|
|
Gautama Buddha |
|
|
Practices and Attainment |
|
|
Buddhahood · Bodhisattva |
|
|
Bhutan · Cambodia · China |
|
|
Comparative Studies |
|
|
|
|
Naraka नरक (Sanskrit) or Niraya निरय (Pāli) (Ch: 那落迦 (variant 捺落迦) Nàlùojiā or 地獄 Dì Yù; Jp: Jigoku or 奈落 Naraku; Tib: དམྱལ་བ་ dmyal ba; Thai: นรก nárók; Malay neraka) is the name given to one of the worlds of greatest suffering in Buddhist cosmology. Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering In the study of Mythology and Religion, the underworld (gr κάτω κόσμος) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term Afterlife Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient Niflheimr or Niflheim (" Mist Home" the "Abode of Mist" or "Mist World" Nifl being cognate with the Old English Diyu ( literally "earth prison" is the realm of the dead or " Hell " in Chinese mythology. Naraka is the Sanskrit word for the Underworld; literally of man. Jahannam (جهنم(in Turkish: cehennem in Bosnian: džehennem is the Islamic equivalent to Gei Hinnom, or Hell. for the Polish film see Gehenna (film See also Jewish eschatology Gehennam (or gehenom or gehinom (גהינום is Diyu ( literally "earth prison" is the realm of the dead or " Hell " in Chinese mythology. In Egyptian mythology, Duat (or Tuat (also called Akert, Amenthes, or Neter-khertet) is the Underworld. for the Polish film see Gehenna (film See also Jewish eschatology Gehennam (or gehenom or gehinom (גהינום is Hades (from Greek, Hadēs, originally, Haidēs or, Aidēs, probably from Indo-European *n̥-wid- 'unseen' refers both to the ancient See also Death in Norse paganism In Norse mythology, Hel, the location shares a name with Hel, a female figure associated with the location Jahannam (جهنم(in Turkish: cehennem in Bosnian: džehennem is the Islamic equivalent to Gei Hinnom, or Hell. See also Intermediate state Purgatory|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity In Roman Catholic theology Limbo (Latin limbus Naraka is the Sanskrit word for the Underworld; literally of man. See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification Sheol (pronounced "Sheh-ole" in Hebrew שאול (Sh'ol is the "abode of the dead" the " Underworld " "the common In classic Greek mythology below Heaven, Earth, and Pontus is Tartarus, or Tartaros ( Greek Τάρταρος deep place Yomi (黄泉 the Japanese word for the underworld in which horrible creatures guard the exits according to Shinto mythology as related in Kojiki The Devil is the The Harrowing of Hell is a doctrine in Christian theology referenced in the Apostles' Creed and the Athanasian Creed (Quicumque vult, which states that The problem of hell is an argument against the existence of God. In Christianity, the outer darkness is a place referred to three times in the Gospel of Matthew (812 2213 and 2530 into which a person may be "cast out" Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices The History of Buddhism spans the 6th century BCE to the present starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama. Foundation to the Common Era Some sources give the date of the Buddha's birth as 563 BCE and others as 624 BCE Theravada Buddhist countries tend to use the latter figure Lists and numbering of Buddhist councils vary between and even within schools Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term Background Why the Buddha is said to have taught in this way is illuminated by the social context of the time in which he lived In sramanic philosophy Nirvana (निर्वाण| Nirvāṇa; निब्बान Nibbāna; Prakrit: णिव्वाण The Three Jewels, also called the Three Treasures, the Three Refuges, or the Triple Gem, are the three things that Buddhists take refuge Several Buddhist terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term According to the Buddhist tradition all phenomena other than Nirvana, ( sankhara) are marked by three characteristics sometimes referred to as the Dharma seals In Buddhist phenomenology and Soteriology, the five skandhas ( Sanskrit) or khandhas ( Pāli) are five "aggregates" Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries Rebirth in Buddhism is the doctrine that the consciousness of a person (as conventionally regarded upon the death or dissolution of the aggregates ( Skandhas Dhamma ( Pāli: धम्म or Dharma (धर्म in Buddhism has two primary meanings the teachings of the Buddha which lead to enlightenment The doctrine of pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit paticcasamuppāda; rten Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्मन karman, Pāli: कमा Kamma) means "action" or "doing" whatever A number of noted individuals have been Buddhists. Historical Buddhist thinkers and founders of schools Individuals are grouped by nationality except in cases where the Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder A number of noted individuals have been Buddhists. Historical Buddhist thinkers and founders of schools Individuals are grouped by nationality except in cases where the In Buddhism, buddhahood ( Sanskrit: buddhatva. Pali: buddhatta. In the Buddhist context a bodhisattva (बोधिसत्त्व bodhisattva;; Vietnamese Bồ Tát; बोधिसत्त bodhisatta The four stages of Enlightenment in Buddhism are the four degrees of approach to full enlightenment as an Arahant which a person can attain in this life Theravada Buddhism Theravada Buddhism 's teachings on the paramitas can be found in late canonical books and post-canonical commentaries Buddhist meditation encompasses a variety of Meditation techniques that develop Mindfulness, concentration, tranquility and insight In English translations of Buddhist literature, householder denotes a variety of terms Obtaining exact numbers of practicing Buddhists can be difficult and may be reliant on the definition used Buddhist beliefs and practices vary according to region There are distinctions between and within the Buddhism practised in various regions including In South Asia Mahayana Buddhism is the State religion of Bhutan, and Buddhists comprise 98% of its population. History See also History of Buddhism in Cambodia Unconfirmed Singhalese sources assert that missionaries of King Asohka introduced Buddhism into Chinese Buddhism ( Pinyin fójiào refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that have flourished in China proper since ancient times Buddhism is a world religion which arose in Bihar, India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, who is known as the Buddha (literally Among the five official religions of Indonesia, according to the state ideology of Pancasila According to Suharto, Buddhism and Hinduism were Indonesia's classical The history of Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods namely the Nara period (up to 784 the Heian period (794–1185 and the post-Heian period Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what it sees as inconsistencies in Mahayana Buddhism Buddhism is the primary religion of Laos. The Buddhism practiced in Laos is of the Theravada tradition Buddhism is the second largest religion in Malaysia after Islam, with 19 Buddhism in Mongolia is essentially Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelugpa school History The history of Buddhism in Burmaextends nearly a millennium Buddha was born in Shakya kingdom which lies in Rupandehi district Lumbini zone of Nepal Historically Buddhism was incorporated into Russian lands as early as the late 16th century, when Russian explorers travelled to and settled in As of 2000 425% of the Singaporeans register themselves as Buddhist by religion General Buddhism in Sri Lanka is primarily of the Theravada school and constitutes the religious faith of about 70% of the populationAccording to traditional Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school Nearly 95% of Thailand 's population is Buddhist of the Theravada school though Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including Buddhism came to Vietnam in the first century CE By the end of the second century Vietnam developed a major Buddhist centre in the region commonly known as the Luy Lâu Buddhism in the West broadly encompasses the knowledge and practice of Buddhism outside of Asia. The Schools of Buddhism. Buddhism is classified in various ways History Origin of the school The Theravāda school is ultimately derived from the Vibhajjavāda (or 'doctrine of analysis' grouping which was a continuation Mahayana ( Sanskrit: mahāyāna, Devanagari: महायान 'Great Vehicle' is one of the two main existing schools of Buddhism and a term for Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and The Early Buddhist schools are those schools into which according to most scholars the Buddhist monastic Sangha initially split due originally to differences in The term pre-sectarian Buddhism is used by some scholars to refer to the Buddhism that existed before the various subsects of Buddhism came into being Buddhist texts can be categorized in a number of ways The Western terms "scripture" and "canonical" are applied to Buddhism in inconsistent ways by Western scholars Historicity and Background Place in the Canon Various Mahayana Sutras have been included in the Tibetan Canon and the Chinese Canon. The Tibetan Buddhist canon is a loosely defined list of Sacred texts recognized by various sects of Tibetan Buddhism. The cultural elements of Buddhism vary by region and include Buddhist Festivals and Observances Vesak The following is a List of Buddhist topics: A Abhidharma Aggañña Sutta Ahimsa Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Pali ( ISO 15919 / ALA-LC: Pāḷi is a Middle Indo-Aryan language or Prakrit of India. Diyu ( literally "earth prison" is the realm of the dead or " Hell " in Chinese mythology. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities Tibetan refers to a group of languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia as well as by overseas Thai (th ภาษาไทย, transcription: phasa thai, transliteration:; pʰāːsǎːtʰāj is the national and The Malay language ( ISO 639-1 code MS is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people and people of other ethnic groups who reside in the Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries
Naraka is usually translated into English as "hell" or "purgatory". Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering See also Intermediate state Limbo|Heaven|Sheol|Hades in Christianity|Hell in Christianity Purgatory, in the original sense is the condition or process of purification The Narakas of Buddhism are closely related to 地獄 Dì Yù, the hell of Chinese mythology. Diyu ( literally "earth prison" is the realm of the dead or " Hell " in Chinese mythology. A Naraka differs from the hells of western religions in two respects. First, beings are not sent to Naraka as the result of a divine judgment and punishment; second, the length of a being's stay in a Naraka is not eternal, though it is usually very long.
Instead, a being is born into a Naraka as a direct result of his or her previous karma (actions of body, speech and mind), and resides there for a finite length of time until his karma has achieved its full result. Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्मन karman, Pāli: कमा Kamma) means "action" or "doing" whatever After his karma is used up, he will be reborn in one of the higher worlds as the result of an earlier karma that had not yet ripened.
The mentality of a being in the hells corresponds to states of extreme fear and helpless anguish in humans.
Physically, Naraka is thought of as a series of cavernous layers which extend below Jambudvīpa (the ordinary human world) into the earth. Jambudvīpa ( Devnagari: जम्बुद्वीप is the name of the Dvipa ("continent" of the terrestrial world as envisioned in the cosmologies There are several schemes for enumerating these Narakas and describing their torments. One of the more common is that of the Eight Cold Narakas and Eight Hot Narakas, which are described below.
Contents |
Cold Narakas
- Arbuda – the "blister" Naraka. This is a dark, frozen plain surrounded by icy mountains and continually swept by blizzards. Inhabitants of this world arise fully grown and abide life-long naked and alone, while the cold raises blisters upon their bodies. The length of life in this Naraka is said to be the time it would take to empty a barrel of sesame seed if one only took out a single seed every hundred years.
- Nirarbuda – the "burst blister" Naraka. This Naraka is even colder than the one above, and here the blisters burst open, leaving the beings' bodies covered with frozen blood and pus.
- Aṭaṭa – the Naraka of shivering. Here the beings shiver in the cold, making an aṭ-aṭ-aṭ sound with their mouths.
- Hahava – the Naraka of lamentation. Here the beings lament in the cold, going ha, ho in pain.
- Huhuva – the Naraka of chattering teeth. Here the beings shiver as their teeth chatter, making the sound hu, hu.
- Utpala – the "blue lotus" Naraka. Here the intense cold makes the skin turn blue like the color of an utpala waterlily. Nymphaea caerulea, also known as the Egyptian blue lily or sacred blue lily, is a Blue water-lily in the Genus
- Padma – the "lotus" Naraka. In this Naraka the blizzard cracks open the frozen skin leaving one raw and bloody.
- Mahāpadma – the "great lotus" Naraka. Here the whole body cracks into pieces and the internal organs are exposed to the cold and they also crack.
Each lifetime in these Narakas is twenty times the length of the one before it.
Hot Narakas
- Sañjīva – the "reviving" Naraka. In this Naraka the ground is made out of hot iron heated by an immense fire. Beings in this Naraka appear fully grown, already in a state of fear and misery. As soon as the being begins to fear being harmed by others, their fellows appear and attack each other with iron claws. Or else, the attendants of Yama appear and attack the being with many fiery weapons. Yama is the name of the Buddhist Dharmapala and judge of the dead who presides over the Buddhist Narakas ( Pāli: Nirayas "Hells" As soon as the being experiences an unconsciousness like death, they are suddenly restored to full health and the attacks begin again. Other tortures experienced in this Naraka are having melted metal drop on them, being sliced into pieces, and suffering from the heat of the iron ground. Life in this Naraka is 162*1010 years long. It is said to be 1000 yojanas beneath Jambudvīpa and 10,000 yojanas in each direction. A yojana (Hindi: योजन) is a Vedic measure of distance used in ancient India. Jambudvīpa ( Devnagari: जम्बुद्वीप is the name of the Dvipa ("continent" of the terrestrial world as envisioned in the cosmologies
- Kālasūtra – the "black thread" Naraka. Here, in addition to the torments mentioned above, black lines are drawn upon the body, and Yama's servants cut the beings upon the lines with fiery saws and sharp axes. Life in this Naraka is 1296*1010 years long.
- Saṃghāta – the "crushing" Naraka. This Naraka is also upon a ground of hot iron, but is surrounded by huge masses of rock that smash together and crush the beings to a bloody jelly. When the rocks move apart again, life is restored to the being and the process starts again. Life in this Naraka is 10,368*1010 years long.
- Raurava – the "screaming" Naraka. Here beings run here and there looking for refuge from the burning ground. When they find an apparent shelter, they are locked inside it as it blazes around them, while they scream inside. Life in this Naraka is 82,944*1010 years long.
- Mahāraurava – the "great screaming" Naraka. Similar to the Raurava Naraka, but with greater pains. Life in this Naraka is 663,552*1010 years long.
- Tapana – the "heating" Naraka. Here Yama's servants impale the beings on a fiery spear until flames issue from their noses and mouths. Life in this Naraka is 5,308,416*1010 years long.
- Pratāpana – the "great heating" Naraka. The tortures here are similar to the Tapana Naraka, but the beings are pierced more bloodily with a trident. Life in this Naraka is 42,467,328*1010 years long. It is also said to last for the length of half an antarakalpa. Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the universe according to the canonical Buddhist scriptures and commentaries
- Avīci – the "uninterrupted" Naraka. In Buddhism Avīci ( Sanskrit and Pali: "without waves" also transliterated Avichi, Japanese and Chinese language: Beings are roasted in an immense blazing oven with terrible suffering. Life in this Naraka is 339,738,624*1010 years long. It is also said to last for the length of an antarakalpa.
These Narakas by no means exhaust the tale of possible sufferings. Some sources reckon five hundred or even hundreds of thousands of different Narakas. In Chinese Buddhist texts, the numbers and types of Narakas were elaborated in a variety of creative ways; see Di Yu for examples of this sort of treatment. Diyu ( literally "earth prison" is the realm of the dead or " Hell " in Chinese mythology.
The sufferings of the dwellers in Naraka often resemble those of the Pretas, and the two types of being are easily confused. Preta ( Sanskrit) or Peta ( Pāli) Tibetan yidvags, is the name for a type of Supernatural being described in Buddhist The simplest distinction is that beings in Naraka are confined to their subterranean world, while the Pretas are free to move about.
Narakas in Buddhist literature
Descriptions of the Narakas are a common subject in some forms of Buddhist commentarial and popular literature, as a caution against the fate that befalls evildoers and an encouragement to virtue.
The Mahāyāna Sūtra of Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha (Dìzàng or Jizō) graphically describes the sufferings in Naraka and explains how ordinary people can transfer merit in order to relieve the sufferings of the beings there. Mahayana ( Sanskrit: mahāyāna, Devanagari: महायान 'Great Vehicle' is one of the two main existing schools of Buddhism and a term for Kṣitigarbha is a Bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in The Orient. Merit ( Sanskrit puṇya, Pāli puñña) is a concept in Buddhism, and particularly in Theravada
A traditional Chinese Buddhist story of Mulian (Maudgalyayana) explains how this disciple of the Buddha spiritually journeyed to Naraka to help his mother, who had been reborn there, obtain a better rebirth. Chinese Buddhism ( Pinyin fójiào refers collectively to the various schools of Buddhism that have flourished in China proper since ancient times Maudgalyayana ( Pali: Moggallāna also known as Mahamaudgalyayana or Mahamoggallāna, was one of the Buddha Shakyamuni 's closest disciples
The Japanese monk Genshin began his Ōjōyōshu ("Essentials of Salvation") with a description of the suffering in Naraka. Genshin (源信 942&ndash1017 also know as Eshin Sozu, was the most influential of a number of Tendai scholars active during the eleventh and twelfth centuries Tibetan Lamrim texts also included a similar description. Lam Rim (Tibetan lam "path" rim "stages" is a Tibetan Buddhist textual form for presenting the complete path to enlightenment
Chinese Buddhist texts considerably enlarged upon the description of Naraka (Dì Yù), detailing additional Narakas and their punishments, and expanding the role of Yama and his helpers, Ox-Head and Horse-Face. Diyu ( literally "earth prison" is the realm of the dead or " Hell " in Chinese mythology. Yama is the name of the Buddhist Dharmapala and judge of the dead who presides over the Buddhist Narakas ( Pāli: Nirayas "Hells" Ox-Head ( and Horse-Face ( are two fearsome guardians of the Underworld in Chinese mythology where the dead face judgement (and punishment prior to reincarnation In these texts, Naraka became an integral part of the otherworldly bureaucracy which mirrored the Imperial Chinese administration.
See also
- Bon Festival
- Ghost Festival
- Hell Bank Notes
- Ksitigarbha
- Maudgalyayana
- Ox-Head and Horse-Face
- Ullambana Sutra
- Yama (Buddhism and Chinese mythology)
External Links
For the spanish municipality see Obón. or just is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed (deceased Spirits The Ghost Festival ( is a traditional Chinese Festival and Holiday, which is celebrated by Chinese in many countries Hell bank notes are a special and more modern form of Joss paper, an Afterlife monetary paper offering used in traditional Kṣitigarbha is a Bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in The Orient. Maudgalyayana ( Pali: Moggallāna also known as Mahamaudgalyayana or Mahamoggallāna, was one of the Buddha Shakyamuni 's closest disciples Ox-Head ( and Horse-Face ( are two fearsome guardians of the Underworld in Chinese mythology where the dead face judgement (and punishment prior to reincarnation The Ullambana Sutra is a Mahayana Sutra which consists in a brief discourse given by the Gautama Buddha principally to the monk Maudgalyāyana Yama is the name of the Buddhist Dharmapala and judge of the dead who presides over the Buddhist Narakas ( Pāli: Nirayas "Hells"Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic