{"id":278,"date":"2019-11-26T14:58:10","date_gmt":"2019-11-26T19:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/encyclopediabuddhicaf19.andrewquintman.wescreates.wesleyan.edu\/blog\/?p=278"},"modified":"2019-11-26T14:58:10","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T19:58:10","slug":"six-realms-of-transmigration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/encyclopediabuddhicaf19.andrewquintman.wescreates.wesleyan.edu\/blog\/s\/six-realms-of-transmigration\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Realms of Transmigration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Six Realms of Transmigration can be defined as the essence of Buddhist philosophy in regards to reincarnation and the cycle of life. The Wheel of Life, or Bhavachakra, depicts and explains the cyclical nature of reincarnation, along with the multiple aspects of our perceived reality as normal beings. The six realms also show the importance of our actions and how they can dictate the results of our existence – this is the essential point in Buddhism called Karma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Wheel of Life is driven by the inner circle, which is powered by three animals that represent the three poisons in life: greed, hatred, and ignorance. The rooster represents greed, the snake represents hatred, and the pig represents ignorance. These three poisons trap us in the wheel of life, and the goal is to escape from this infinite cycle of reincarnation and ultimately reach nirvana. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

YAMA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Wheel is divided into six sections, and is upheld by Yama, the lord of death. The wrathful dharmapala represents impermanence, and in spite of his physical appearance, is not evil. He is a blood-curdling creature who is devoted to maintaining and protecting key Buddhist ideals. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

THE GOD REALMS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The higher realms of the wheel are known as the ‘God Realms’, which are the most ideal places to live within the Bavachakra; however, it comes at a price. The lives of the beings in this realm are so happy and perfect that they have no desire to seek liberation from the wheel. Eventually, their perfect lives end, and they are reincarnated into an adjacent, less perfect, realm. The Three God Realms are the realm of the Gods, the realm of the demi-gods, and the human realm. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

THE HELL REALMS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ‘Hell Realms’ make up the three lower sections of the Six Realms of Transmigration. The effect of bad karma as a result of immoral actions is what brings beings to these insufferable realms filled with eternal fires and constant torment. The realms vary in intensity, but the punishments within all of them bare heavy weight and require patience and good virtue to escape. While a fundamental element of Buddhist thought and practice is mental and philosophical awareness, the Hell realms specialize in physical retribution for bad karma. The Three Hell Realms are the realm of animals, the realm of hungry ghosts, and the Hell realm.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Within the Hell realms, the punishments given to the convicted sinners are usually quite specific to the crime they committed, which is ultimately done to show the power and influence that karma has on our existence. The Nakara Section<\/em> of The Realms of Rebirth <\/em>reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Those who kill (creatures) born in water, such as fish, go to the terrible river Vetarani whose running water is like blazing copper; (there) one is consumed by fire for a long time\" (35)<\/em>.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
While there are many heavens and hells with eternal lasting punishments, nothing is permanent. The Wheel of Life is strict, but fluid, and beings can get in and out of any realm to enter a new realm or eventually reach nirvana. Leaving the hells of the wheel does not guarantee an escape from the bad karma that was accumulated in a past rebirth. This is shown in the story of Isidasi<\/em> within the Therigatha<\/em> text which reads:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"When I died, I cooked in hell for a long time, and then rising from there, I entered the womb of a monkey. A great monkey, the leader of the troop, castrated me when I was seven days old, this was the karmic fruit for the adultery\" (439)<\/em>.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
The Six Realms of Transmigration represent all the possible states of existence in Buddhist philosophy. While originally they were perceived as real places, they can all be interpreted as symbolic locations of the mental state of reincarnation. Karma dictates birth within any of the states, as virtuous actions lead to good karma and rebirth into the realms of the gods, and bad actions lead to bad karma and rebirth into the realms of hell. The realms are not permanent and there is a chance within all of them to exit and enter at any given time. Moving from one realm to another does not guaranteed the cleanse from bad karma, as it can always greatly impact the future rebirths in a negative way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
REFRENCES<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n