What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Exploring the Dhamma, as understood from the perspective of the ancient Pali commentaries.
canadianbuddhist
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What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by canadianbuddhist »

Hi

Can you explain to me about the Nāga world and Supanna world? Where are they located? Why they are not mentioned in the description of 31 realms of existence?
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Bhikkhu Pesala
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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by Bhikkhu Pesala »

The Dictionary of Pali Proper Names has an article on the Nāgā. They seem to be deities of the lowest celestial realm, the Four Great Kings.
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canadianbuddhist
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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by canadianbuddhist »

I also thought that way. But after reading this information by Malalasekera, It still dosent seem to make clear that Nagas are only the deities from Virupakkha. The issue here is we find Virupakkha is also a type of snakes. Also how we have to take those naga kings that lived in Sri Lanka. Also who are Nagas that protected Buddha's relics? Are they Virupakkha deities? Then again there is a confusion as to how we need to understand this community of Nagas. can you pls explain.
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bazzaman
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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by bazzaman »

If your moniker is accurate then there is a resource in your native GreatWhiteNorth :
https://www.arrowriver.ca/book/cosmoBook.php
Nagas are described in section 3.2.4
There is also YouTube series of the venerable discussing the various realms on Ajahn Sona's channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCRXOn ... gJR4z3qLZA
Atāṇo loko anabhissaro...

Yena yena hi maññanti tato taṃ hoti aññathā,
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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by santa100 »

canadianbuddhist wrote:Then again there is a confusion as to how we need to understand this community of Nagas. can you pls explain.
Of course there's confusion because there're many kinds and types of Nagas, and they live all over the place everywhere:
Dictionary wrote:Nāgā.– A class of beings classed with Garuḷā and Supaṇṇā and playing a prominent part in Buddhist folk-lore. They are gifted with miraculous powers and great strength. Generally speaking, they are confused with snakes, chiefly the hooded Cobra, and their bodies are described as being those of snakes, though they can assume human form at will. They are broadly divided into two classes: those that live on land (thalaja) and those that live on water (jalaja). The Jalaja-nāgā live in rivers as well as in the sea, while the Thalaja-nāgā are regarded as living beneath the surface of the earth. Several Nāga dwellings are mentioned in the books: e.g., Mañjerika-bhavana under Sineru, Daddara-bhavana at the foot of Mount Daddara in the Himavā, the Dhaṭarattha-nāgā under the river Yamunā, the Nābhasā Nāgā in Lake Nābhasa, and also the Nāgā of Vesāli — Tacchaka, and Payāga (D.ii.258).
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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by Lucas Oliveira »

Ghosts of the Mountain

All realms of consciousness, and all living beings
originate from the mind. Because of that, it’s far
better that you focus exclusively on your own
mind. There you will find the whole universe.

...It’s important to understand that these realms exist as dimensions of consciousness and not as physical planes. By characterizing the celestial realms as being progressively “higher” and more refined levels of existence, and the ghostly realms as being correspondingly “lower”, the purely spiritual nature of consciousness is erroneously given a material standard. The terms “going up” and “going down” are conventional figures of speech, referring to the movement of physical bodies. These terms have very little in common with the flow of consciousness, whose subtle motion is beyond temporal comparisons. Physically moving up and down requires a deliberate exertion of effort. But when the mind gravitates to higher or lower realms of consciousness, direction is merely a metaphor and involves no effort. When saying that the heavens and the brahma worlds are arranged vertically in a series of realms, this should not be understood in the literal sense — such as, a house with many stories. These realms exist as dimensions of consciousness, and ascent is accomplished spiritually, by attuning the mind’s conscious flow to a subtler vibration of consciousness. They are ascended in the figurative sense, by a spiritual means: that is, by the heart which has developed this sort of capability through the practices of generosity, moral virtue and meditation. By saying that hell is “down below”, one does not mean going down, physically, into an abyss. Rather, it refers to descent by spiritual means to a spiritual destination. And those who are able to observe the heavens and the realms of hell do so by virtue of their own internal spiritual faculties.

Part Two — Renunciation 115

For those skilled in the mysteries of the samādhi, psychic communication is as normal as any other aspect of human experience. Arising from the flow of consciousness, the essential message is transmitted in the language of the heart as fully-formed ideas, which the inquiring individual understands as clearly as if they were words in conventional language. Each thought current emanates directly from the heart, and so conveys the mind’s true feelings, and precise meaning, eliminating the need for further clarification. Verbal conversation is also a medium of the heart; but its nature is such that spoken words often fail to reflect the heart’s true feelings, so mistakes are easily made in communicating its precise intent. This incongruity is eliminated by using direct heart-to-heart communication.


https://forestdhamma.org/ebooks/english ... e_Kaew.pdf

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=30089&p=434030

Emerging from deep samādhi, late on the first night, the outward flow of Mae Chee Kaew’s consciousness was confronted by a large serpent-like deity, which she immediately recognized as a nāga, a spiritual being whose natural environment was hollow caverns of the earth, and the watery domains beneath them. Nāgas had always fascinated Mae Chee Kaew by their ability to change their physical appearance

Part Two — Renunciation 119

at will, often presenting themselves in human guise. With audacious disregard, the nāga quickly wrapped its spectral coils around her body, arched its reptilian face close to hers and, in a teasing tone, threatened to eat all the nuns before sunrise. Mae Chee Kaew understood the power of not being afraid to die. Face to face with its massive head, she calmly cautioned the nāga to consider the moral repercussions of its rashness. She reminded the nāga that nuns were children of the Lord Buddha, the ideal of spiritual perfection, and they should never be violated. When the nāga maintained its defiant posture, she retorted that if it really intended to eat the nuns, it should take her first. The nāga immediately opened wide its snake-like mouth and prepared to strike her. But, due to the mysterious powers of Mae Chee Kaew’s virtue, its mouth suddenly began to burn so hot that it yelled out in pain. Chastened and humbled, the nāga sheepishly assumed the formal appearance of a young man and became friendly. In the guise of a young man, the nāga agreed to share his abode with the nuns. But he remained a mischievous creature, restlessly flitting about and never staying still. The strange young man liked to sit on a rock in the middle of the cave and play a panpipe very loudly, the sounds echoing playfully around the hollow cavern. But every time he approached Mae Chee Kaew, who was seated in meditation, the sounds from his panpipe became mysteriously muffled, as though the notes could not quite emerge from the mouth of his flute. This enigma puzzled and frustrated him. As time went on, it made him increasingly uncomfortable to think that she could exert control over the sounds he made. At the same time, he grew more and more impressed by her unusual powers, and despaired of ever getting the better of her.

120 Mae Chee Kaew

One day, Mae Chee Kaew saw the young man approaching with his panpipe and asked him where he was going. The nāga teased her, saying that he had intended to flirt with a woman in the village, but thought it might be better to flirt with her instead. She shot him a scolding glance and retorted that she was a woman of moral virtue who had no desire for men. She urged him to develop basic moral principles within himself, insisting that moral virtue was the basis of those special qualities that every living being should cherish and hold onto. She explained that moral restraint formed a barrier that prevented living beings from abusing each other’s material and spiritual wealth; and that it also protected and maintained one’s own inner worth. Without morality’s protective restraint, mistreatment and negligence would run so rampant in the world that there would hardly be an island of peace and security left. Mae Chee Kaew urged the young nāga to cease his callous disregard for spiritual values and to reform his moral outlook in line with Buddhist principles. Eliminating such a blight from his heart would produce only peace and happiness for himself and others. Impressed by her arguments, the young nāga accepted his faults and asked for her forgiveness. Responding to the softening in his heart, Mae Chee Kaew exhorted him to observe the five basic moral precepts: First, you must abstain from harming living creatures...

https://forestdhamma.org/ebooks/english ... e_Kaew.pdf

Supanna, Supaṇṇa: 3 definitions
https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/supanna


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Last edited by Lucas Oliveira on Sun Apr 05, 2020 4:38 am, edited 6 times in total.
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markandeya
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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by markandeya »

Naga’s are gatekeepers

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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by canadianbuddhist »

You guys forgot what is Supanna world.
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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by Dhammanando »

canadianbuddhist wrote: Sun Apr 05, 2020 6:16 pm You guys forgot what is Supanna world.
The DPPN's entry for garuḷas:
Garuḷa


Skt. Garuḍā.– A class of mythical birds generally mentioned in company with Nāgā (e.g., J.iv.181, 202).

They live in cotton-wood (simbali) groves (e.g., J.i.202) and are usually huge in size, sometimes one hundred and fifty leagues from wing to wing (J.iii.397). The flapping of their wings can raise a storm, known as the Garuḷa-wind (J.v.77). This wind can plunge a whole city in darkness and cause houses to fall through its violence (J.iii.188).

A Garuḷa has strength great enough to carry off a whole banyan tree, tearing it up from its roots (J.vi.177). The Garuḷā are the eternal enemies of the Nāgā (J.ii.13; iii.103) and live in places, such as the Seruma Island (J.iii.187), where Nāgā are to be found. The greatest happiness of the Nāgā is to be free from the attacks of the Garuḷā (J.iv.463). A Garuḷa’s plumage is so thick that a man — e.g., Natakuvera (J.iii.91) — could hide in it, unnoticed by the bird. Sometimes Garuḷā assume human form; two Garuḷa kings are said to have played dice with kings of Bārāṇasī and to have fallen in love with their queens, whom they took to the Garuḷa city — one of the queens being Suyonandī (J.iii.187) and the other Kākavatī (J.iii.91). In each case the queen, being found unfaithful to her Garuḷa lover, was returned to her husband. The Garuḷā know the Ālambāyana spell, which no Nāga can resist (J.vi.178, 184). It is said that in olden days the Garuḷā did not know how to seize Nāgā effectively; they caught them by the head, and the Nāgā who had swallowed big stones were too heavy to be lifted from the ground; consequently the Garuḷā died of exhaustion in trying to carry them. Later the Garuḷā learnt this secret through the treachery of the ascetic Karambiya, as related in the Paṇḍaranāgarāja Jātaka (J.vi.175 f).

Garuḷā are mentioned as sometimes leading virtuous lives, keeping the fast and observing the precepts. One such was the Garuḷa king mentioned in the Paṇḍara Jātaka, and another, the son of Vināta, who visited the park of Dhanañjaya Korabya and gave a golden garland as present after hearing Vidhurapaṇḍita teach (J.vi.261 f).

The Garuḷa’s body was evidently considered to be specially formed for quick flight, for the ancient prototype of the aeroplane was based on the Garuḷa (DhA.iii.135). One of the five guards appointed by Sakka to protect Tāvatiṃsa from the Asurā was formed of Garuḷā (J.i.204).

The Bodhisatta (J.iii.187) and Sāriputta (J.iii.400) were both, on different occasions, born as Garuḷa kings. The Simbalī is the special tree of the Garuḷa-world (Vism.i.206). The Garuḷa is often represented in art as a winged man. (See Fergusson: Tree and Serpent Worship, pl.xxvi.1; xxviii.1. etc; also Gründwedel: Buddhistische Kunst, pp.47‑50).

The Garuḷā are sometimes called Supaṇṇas (Suvaṇṇas). VvA.9.
http://www.aimwell.org/DPPN/garula.html
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tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by Lucas Oliveira »

Garuda (Sanskrit: गरुड़ Garuḍa; Pāli: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a legendary bird or bird-like creature in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain mythology.[1][2][3] He is variously the vehicle mount (vahana) of the Hindu god Vishnu, a dharma-protector and Astasena in Buddhism, and the Yaksha of the Jain Tirthankara Shantinatha.[2][3][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda

Buddhism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garuda#Buddhism
Image

Image

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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by Naga108 »

Nagas are snake deities that reside under the Four Heavenly Kings; particularly under the god that guards the Western direction (Virupakkha.) The Naga, Mucalinda, guarded the Buddha after his awakening.

Image

[html]https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comme ... existence/[/html]
Nagas are in the Catummaharajika right above this realm.
Nagas are in the Catummaharajika right above this realm.
:candle: :candle: :candle:
"'What am I becoming as the days & nights fly past?'..." (AN 10.48)

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Lucas Oliveira
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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by Lucas Oliveira »

Naga108 wrote: Mon Apr 06, 2020 9:41 pm The Naga, Mucalinda, guarded the Buddha after his awakening.
That is why there are many images of the Buddha Meditating with snakes guarding the Buddha ..

Image
Mucalinda, the Serpent King
After the Buddha's Enlightenment while seated the Bodhi tree, Barringtonia Acutangula, the Serpent King named Mucalinda come to protect the Lord.
http://www.buddhistelibrary.org/library ... adpath=274

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Image


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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by Lucas Oliveira »

AN 4.67

Ahina Sutta: By a Snake

On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Now, at that time in Savatthi a certain monk had died after having been bitten by a snake. Then a large number of monks went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As they were sitting there they said to him, "Lord, just now in Savatthi a certain monk died after having been bitten by a snake."

"Then it's certain, monks, that that monk didn't suffuse the four royal snake lineages with a mind of good will. For if he had suffused the four royal snake lineages with a mind of good will, he would not have died after having been bitten by a snake. Which four? The Virupakkha royal snake lineage,[1] the Erapatha royal snake lineage, the Chabyaputta royal snake lineage, the Dark Gotamaka royal snake lineage. It's certain that that monk didn't suffuse these four royal snake lineages with a mind of good will. For if he had suffused these four royal snake lineages with a mind of good will, he would not have died after having been bitten by a snake. I allow you, monks, to suffuse these four royal snake lineages with a mind of good will for the sake of self-protection, self-guarding, self-preservation."


I have good will for the Virupakkhas,
good will for the Erapathas,
good will for the Chabyaputtas,
good will for the Dark Gotamakas.

I have good will for footless beings,
good will for two-footed beings,
good will for four-footed beings,
good will for many-footed beings.

May footless beings do me no harm.
May two-footed beings do me no harm.
May four-footed beings do me no harm.
May many-footed beings do me no harm.

May all creatures,
all breathing things,
all beings
— each & every one —
meet with good fortune.
May none of them come to any evil.

Limitless is the Buddha,
limitless the Dhamma,
limitless the Sangha.
There is a limit to creeping things:
snakes, scorpions, centipedes,
spiders, lizards, & rats.
I have made this safeguard,
I have made this protection.
May the beings depart.
I pay homage
to the Blessed One,
homage
to the seven
rightly self-awakened ones.[2]


Notes
1.
The Virupakkhas are the chiefs of the nagas, associated with the western quarter (see DN 20). The other royal lineages of snakes are nowhere else mentioned in the Pali canon. The commentary to this discourse does not identify them.
2.
The seven most recent Buddhas, including "our" Buddha, are mentioned in DN 14 & DN 32: Vipassi, Sikhi, Vessabhu, Kakusandha, Konagamana, Kassapa, and Gotama. It's noteworthy that the concept of the seven Buddhas is associated with protective charms. For example, the heart of the charm given in DN 32 is this:

Homage to Vipassi, possessed of vision & splendor.
Homage to Sikhi, sympathetic to all beings.
Homage to Vessabhu, cleansed, austere.
Homage to Kakusandha, crusher of Mara's host.
Homage to Konagamana, the Brahman who lived
the life perfected.
Homage to Kassapa, entirely released.
Homage to Angirasa [Gotama],
splendid son of the Sakyans,
who taught this Dhamma:
the dispelling of all stress & pain.
Those unbound in the world,
who have seen things as they are,
great ones of gentle speech,
thoroughly mature,
even they pay homage to Gotama,
the benefit of human & heavenly beings,
consummate in knowledge & conduct,
the great one, thoroughly mature.
We revere the Buddha Gotama,
consummate in knowledge & conduct.

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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by thomaslaw »

The following article may be of interest to you:

Choong, Mun-keat. “A comparison of the Pāli and Chinese versions of Nāga Saṃyutta, Supaṇṇa Saṃyutta, and Valāhaka Saṃyutta, early Buddhist discourse collections on mythical dragons, birds, and cloud devas”, in Journal of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies, vol. 18 (May 2020), pp. 42-65.

http://jocbs.org/index.php/jocbs/issue/view/20/showToc

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Re: What is Nāga world and Supanna world? where are they loacted?

Post by confusedlayman »

I hate snakes and im scared of them. how can i avoid reborn as naga?
I may be slow learner but im at least learning...
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