Meaning of Para loka vs paro loko

Explore the ancient language of the Tipitaka and Theravāda commentaries
Victorious
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:28 pm

Re: Meaning of Para loka vs paro loko

Post by Victorious »

Thanks!

Will do!

/Victor
Seeker12
Posts: 34
Joined: Mon May 15, 2017 12:33 pm

Re: Meaning of Para loka vs paro loko

Post by Seeker12 »

Kare wrote:paro loko means "another world". "Paro" generally means "other", and not "next".
Kare - you seem relatively good with the linguistic side of this.

Have you ever come across the website puredhamma.net?

The author of that, briefly, has looked into the root Pali and has some interesting interpretations of certain things.

For example, in regard to the paraloka/paralowa, he interprets this as being basically the realm of the 'gandhabbaya' or the 'tirokudda'.

In brief, he discusses about how one human "bhava" may actually result in more than one human "jati" because we are actually born into a subtle body called the gandhabbaya, which then basically takes birth in the human bodies at conception. At death of a human body, if the bhava still has karmic energy left for a human existence, the gandhabbaya basically leaves the body and goes to the paraloka until a new suitable body is found.

If the bhava's karmic energy is finished, then a cuti-patisandhi moment occurs and leads to the next bhava/jati.

This is, incidentally, basically 100% in line with teachings I have heard from a Tibetan Vajrayana teacher who teaches "Phowa" or transference of consciousness at death in regard to the 'in-between' state, although the words used were different. It also seems to explain many rebirth stories, whether Buddhist or not.

The author of this website says that the Tirokudda Kanda is discussing this, as well as various other suttas.

Here is one link discussing the Paralowa : https://puredhamma.net/abhidhamma/gandh ... -paralowa/

And another discussing the Manomaya Kaya : https://puredhamma.net/abhidhamma/manom ... ical-body/

Any thoughts? By the way, I'm sorry that I know this is an old thread - I actually signed up for an account just to ask you this, but since it's a new account it didn't allow me to do a PM.

Thanks.
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