A forum for beginners and members of other Buddhist traditions to ask questions about Theravāda (The Way of the Elders). Responses require moderator approval before they are visible in order to double-check alignment to Theravāda orthodoxy.
jbrooks79 wrote:I have this idea what Christian hell looks like, but are there pictures, or descriptions of Buddhist hell, that are reliable, from Buddha, or good sources . .
They're both similar in the sense that hell is a concrete realm of existence just like the animal or the human realms. And the Buddha quite explicitly said so throughout his Teaching, in many suttas with the common stock phrase:
MN 129 wrote:Having done bad things by way of body, speech, and mind, when their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
Now comes the big difference, unlike the Christian hell where the victims are subjected to eternal damnation, those in the Buddhist hell will get a chance to be reborn again in one of the 31 planes of existence once one's served his sentence.
Yes, in the suttas it's more like a game of snakes and ladders, moving between various realms, according to kamma.
There is very little support in the suttas for the idea that the realms were intended metaphorically as states of mind, though predictably this is a popular view with the skeptics. But if you impose a modern mind-set onto ancient texts, you will invariably miss the point. It's like an atheist trying to read the Bible, they just wouldn't get it. I think that to really understand an ancient text, you need to make some effort to understand or imagine the mindset of the authors, and to understand the cultural context.
jbrooks79 wrote:I have this idea what Christian hell looks like, but are there pictures, or descriptions of Buddhist hell, that are reliable, from Buddha, or good sources . .
They're both similar in the sense that hell is a concrete realm of existence just like the animal or the human realms. And the Buddha quite explicitly said so throughout his Teaching, in many suttas with the common stock phrase:
MN 129 wrote:Having done bad things by way of body, speech, and mind, when their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell.
Now comes the big difference, unlike the Christian hell where the victims are subjected to eternal damnation, those in the Buddhist hell will get a chance to be reborn again in one of the 31 planes of existence once one's served his sentence.
Yes, in the suttas it's more like a game of snakes and ladders, moving between various realms, according to kamma.
There is very little support in the suttas for the idea that the realms were intended metaphorically as states of mind, though predictably this is a popular view with the skeptics. But if you impose a modern mind-set onto ancient texts, you will invariably miss the point. It's like an atheist trying to read the Bible, they just wouldn't get it. I think that to really understand an ancient text, you need to make some effort to understand or imagine the mindset of the authors, and to understand the cultural context.
those who think other realms dont exist are holding wrong view. they ssupport the view that everything ends in this one physical death and no more continution of fruits of karma which didnt fruit this life. it also contradicts monks who have seen their past life and can also see other life and changed their lifestyle based on that by striving for enlightment.
confusedlayman wrote: it also contradicts monks who have seen their past life and can also see other life and changed their lifestyle based on that by striving for enlightment.
Can you share the details of your own personal conversations with "monks who have seen their past life" and can also see other's past lives, please? What did they actually "see"? Did they say it was visions or hallucinations of some description ?
No videos or quotes from articles or books please, they're not examples of personal conversations!
I recall asking a Tibetan teacher (who was a Tulku) if he remembered his past lives and he said : "No".
confusedlayman wrote: it also contradicts monks who have seen their past life and can also see other life and changed their lifestyle based on that by striving for enlightment.
Can you share the details of your own personal conversations with "monks who have seen their past life" and can also see other's past lives, please? What did they actually "see"? Did they say it was visions or hallucinations of some description ?
No videos or quotes please, they're not examples of personal conversations!
I recall asking a Tibetan teacher (who was a Tulku) if he remembered his past lives and he said : "No".
Ajhan maha bua, ven moggalana, buddha itself, reincarnation of dalai lama etc
confusedlayman wrote: it also contradicts monks who have seen their past life and can also see other life and changed their lifestyle based on that by striving for enlightment.
Can you share the details of your own personal conversations with "monks who have seen their past life" and can also see other's past lives, please? What did they actually "see"? Did they say it was visions or hallucinations of some description ?
No videos or quotes please, they're not examples of personal conversations!
I recall once asking a Tibetan teacher (who was a Tulku) if he remembered his past lives and he said : "No".
Ajhan maha bua, ven moggalana, buddha itself, reincarnation of dalai lama etc
Can you share the details of your own personal conversations with "monks who have seen their past life" and can also see other's past lives, please? What did they actually "see"? Did they say it was visions or hallucinations of some description ?
No videos or quotes please, they're not examples of personal conversations!
I recall once asking a Tibetan teacher (who was a Tulku) if he remembered his past lives and he said : "No".
Ajhan maha bua, ven moggalana, buddha itself, reincarnation of dalai lama etc
That isn't answering my question!
.
I never spome to monk but seeing video of great monks is true story unless u know for sure its false. also monks dont talk about this if u ask straight
Last edited by confusedlayman on Mon Mar 16, 2020 3:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
Aloka wrote:
I recall asking a Tibetan teacher (who was a Tulku) if he remembered his past lives and he said : "No".
A tulku is a reincarnate custodian of a specific lineage of teachings in Tibetan Buddhism
Cappuccino, unlike you, I was deeply involved offline with Tibetan Buddhism and its teachings and practices for years, before eventually taking an interest in Theravada. The teacher I said I spoke to was my own late teacher. Its therefore extremely likely that I know a lot more about Vajrayana and tulkus than you do yourself, because I've never just been an internet Buddhist. My teacher was simply being honest, he didn't remember any past lives.
Stop making unnecessary comments after my posts please, and have a nice day.
I hadn't thought about it until Bhante Anandajoti brought it up @ 5:50 - 8:00...could it be that God/Yahweh/Allah is none other than Mara? If we look at the old testament, God is a jealous and vengeful being...Mara is also a jealous and vengeful being...
"He, the Blessed One, is indeed the Noble Lord, the Perfectly Enlightened One;
He is impeccable in conduct and understanding, the Serene One, the Knower of the Worlds;
He trains perfectly those who wish to be trained; he is Teacher of gods and men; he is Awake and Holy. "
-------------------------------------------- "The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One,
Apparent here and now, timeless, encouraging investigation,
Leading to liberation, to be experienced individually by the wise. "
Kusala wrote:
could it be that God/Yahweh/Allah is none other than Mara?
No, he's the Great Brahma
All of which is just speculation....
Metta,
Paul.
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Now I have dreamt of hell several times so let me describe ...
1. Always dark the deeper you go.
2. The surface of hell is like normal day.
3. There are plenty of doors to come out from (waited and met my departed aunt outside the one of the door).
4. In one location the whole lake was full of corpses like one of the movie clip from Lord of the Ring.
5. I saw a woman wearing white gown (think there were 4 but could not see the rest clearly) long hair very sad face undergoing severe punishment wearing belt with spikes attached to their waist pulling a giant granite stone mill then stopped to take a break.
6. Saw a "study room" full of people in a cave room with light from torches on the wall. They stopped and lifted their heads to see me then I moved on.
7. Met the King of "hell" who seem very friendly to me and he gave me something. He is a giant with fangs with green skin colour. Very muscular and body shape is wide could win bodybuilding contest anytime. About 6' 5'' to 7 foot tall.
8. On top of the surface of hell there seem to be a place where the "guardians or torturers" take their rest or break. I was sitting amongst them but very relax looking out to the field (some sort of grave mountain). Saw two different types of torturers. One in the form of giant with very white skin (smiling to me and seem friendly) while the rest like ordinary people but with red eyes and very fierce. They just asked me about shopping so my response to them was "just buy whatever you wish".
9. The air is very fresh on the surface but I could not smell those in the darker level.
10. The rebirth room was dark where everyone stood in rows on a staircase naked and a person gave them a glass of water to drink.
11. Other location above hell seem to look like our dimension.
------------------------------------------------------------------- ~Actively trying to destroy the Three Unwholesome Roots of Greed, Hatred and Ignorance~ ~ Greed is the greatest danger of them all ~
Ordinaryperson wrote:Now I have dreamt of hell several times so let me describe ...
Possibly caused by indigestion ?
I don't normally dream at all - but last night I dreamt I was stuck in a lift...which could have been because of boredom after 3 months of corona virus lockdown.
I think its a good idea for us not to get too supersititious about our insubstantial dreams - and instead make sure to eat a healthy diet along with getting some regular exercise.
.
Last edited by Aloka on Thu Jul 02, 2020 10:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
Ordinaryperson wrote: ↑Wed Jul 01, 2020 10:16 pm
Now I have dreamt of hell several times so let me describe ...
1. Always dark the deeper you go.
2. The surface of hell is like normal day.
3. There are plenty of doors to come out from (waited and met my departed aunt outside the one of the door).
4. In one location the whole lake was full of corpses like one of the movie clip from Lord of the Ring.
5. I saw a woman wearing white gown (think there were 4 but could not see the rest clearly) long hair very sad face undergoing severe punishment wearing belt with spikes attached to their waist pulling a giant granite stone mill then stopped to take a break.
6. Saw a "study room" full of people in a cave room with light from torches on the wall. They stopped and lifted their heads to see me then I moved on.
7. Met the King of "hell" who seem very friendly to me and he gave me something. He is a giant with fangs with green skin colour. Very muscular and body shape is wide could win bodybuilding contest anytime. About 6' 5'' to 7 foot tall.
8. On top of the surface of hell there seem to be a place where the "guardians or torturers" take their rest or break. I was sitting amongst them but very relax looking out to the field (some sort of grave mountain). Saw two different types of torturers. One in the form of giant with very white skin (smiling to me and seem friendly) while the rest like ordinary people but with red eyes and very fierce. They just asked me about shopping so my response to them was "just buy whatever you wish".
9. The air is very fresh on the surface but I could not smell those in the darker level.
10. The rebirth room was dark where everyone stood in rows on a staircase naked and a person gave them a glass of water to drink.
11. Other location above hell seem to look like our dimension.
