Buddhism Has a Lot of Hells

Summary

Dive into the fascinating depths of Buddhist cosmology where hell isn't eternal but a transformative stop on the journey of rebirth, sprinkled across various Asian cultures in unique, narrative-enriched tapestry. Learn about the vivid and elaborate depictions of numerous hell realms that serve as temporary punitive and corrective stations within the cycle of reincarnation based on karma. From foreboding parables, festival celebrations, to cultural incorporations, Buddhist 'Nara' realms reflect diverse and imaginative interpretations beyond serene meditative stereotypes in the West.

Highlights

• Buddhist hells are elaborate realms found in early texts like the Deuta Sutra. 📜
• Hell is a temporary state for working off bad karma, leading to eventual rebirth in a better realm. 🔁
• Cultural practices like life-size hellscapes in Asia showcase these beliefs vividly. 🎭
• Narratives of monks and laypersons traveling through hells inspire Buddhist practice and stories. 🚶‍♂️
• The Ghost Festival in China merges Confucian and Buddhist elements in honoring ancestors. 🏮

Key Takeaways

• Buddhism hosts a surprisingly detailed and varied vision of hell, contrary to popular Western peaceful stereotypes. 🙏
• Hell in Buddhism is not eternal; it's a temporary state for purging bad karma before rebirth. 🔄
• Cultural festivals like China's Ghost Festival emphasize community engagement with these beliefs. 🎆
• Stories of beings traveling through hell, like Mulan's tale, highlight Buddhist teachings and communal rituals. 📚
• Orientalism influences Western perceptions of Buddhism, often missing its complex and diverse realities. 🌏

Overview

Unbeknownst to many, Buddhism shares a vivid and intricate portrayal of hells within its scriptures, a stark contrast to its serene image in the West. The hells, or 'Nara', serve as temporary stations for cleansing one's soul through suffering based on karma, with the promise of eventual better rebirth. These realms are more extensive and elaborate than any others explored in ancient religious texts.

Across several Asian cultures, this belief system has given birth to unique traditions and festivals. The Ghost Festival in China stands out for blending Buddhist and Confucian traditions, offering families a way to aid their ancestors through offerings. Similarly, in some locales, immersive hell-themed dioramas educate and deter people via visceral portrayals of the repercussions for bad karma.

Western perceptions often stereotype Buddhism as entirely peaceful and gentle, neglecting the richness of its teachings and traditions involving punishment and correction through the hell realms. This idealized view stems from 'orientalism', romanticizing and simplifying Buddhist practices. Yet, scholarly work emphasizes the authentic diversity and depth within Buddhism, allowing a more nuanced understanding of its cultural significance.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Buddhist Hell Realms The chapter introduces the concept of Buddhist hell realms, known as Naraka in Sanskrit, which are vividly described in early Buddhist texts. Descriptions include people suffering extreme torture, such as lying on iron beds with nails or being filled with burning iron pellets. These depictions contrast sharply with the peaceful image of Buddhism often held in the western world, which is typically centered on meditating monks and mindfulness contemplation.
• 00:30 - 01:30: Descriptions from Early Buddhist Texts In the chapter titled 'Descriptions from Early Buddhist Texts,' Buddhist texts are explored with a focus on their detailed depictions of hell realms. It highlights the "deuta Sutra" from the Pali Canon, which is a significant collection of Buddhist teachings. Within these texts, there is a narrative about an evil man who is taken to hell after his life's end. In hell, he encounters Yama, the king of hell, who questions him about his openness to Buddhist practices while he was alive. The story includes a reflection on whether the man acknowledged the divine signs around him during his lifetime.
• 01:30 - 02:30: Theological Perspective on Buddhist Hell The chapter titled "Theological Perspective on Buddhist Hell" discusses the concept of hell from a Buddhist viewpoint, specifically the consequences of one's actions leading to rebirth and suffering in hell. It illustrates the story of a man who fails to realize his own subjection to rebirth and the repercussions of his evil deeds. As a result, he endures torturous punishments in hell, such as being sliced by leaves, boiled in a river of fire, and having molten metal poured into his mouth. The chapter explores these grim depictions to emphasize moral conduct as per Buddhist theological teachings.
• 02:30 - 03:30: Contemporary Interpretations and Representations This chapter explores how different religions interpret and represent the concept of hell. Specifically, it contrasts the Christian view of hell as a place of eternal torment with the Buddhist understanding of hell as a temporary state. In Buddhism, hell is one of the six realms into which a person can be reborn based on their karma. Although someone may endure suffering in hell for a long period, it is not eternal, and rebirth into another realm is possible once the person's bad karma has dissipated. Consequently, hell serves a functional purpose in Buddhism as a realm of punishment and eventual transformation.
• 04:30 - 06:30: Hell Realms and Ghost Festival in China The chapter discusses the perspective of hell in Buddhist tradition, highlighting that Yama, the god of the dead, is seen as a compassionate figure who helps beings achieve a better rebirth by dealing with their bad karma. Despite this, Buddhists do not welcome the idea of going to hell. There is a strong emphasis on promoting Buddhist practices to avoid negative outcomes in the afterlife. This is depicted through various representations like the life-size hellscapes in Vietnam, specifically the Am Fu Cave in the Marble Mountains.
• 06:30 - 08:30: Buddhist Hell Journeys by Monks and Women This chapter explores the theme of Buddhist interpretations of hell as depicted through various artistic and cultural expressions. It begins by describing a cave in Vietnam filled with life-sized dioramas that illustrate scenes of torment in hell. This cave includes a shrine for visitors to confess sins before ascending to a pavilion, symbolizing a movement towards enlightenment. The chapter compares this with similar hell-themed parks found in Thailand and Japan, specifically mentioning Osaka's Senco G Temple which offers illuminated displays to guide visitors through a reflective journey. Part of these experiences sometimes includes interactive elements, such as questionnaires that prompt visitors to contemplate their own lives and moral standings.
• 08:30 - 11:30: Contemporary Understandings of Buddhist Hell The chapter explores Contemporary Understandings of Buddhist Hell, focusing on experiences and practices designed to educate people about moral actions and Buddhist teachings related to the concept of hell. It describes a temple feature where individuals can hear supposed screams of those in hell by sticking their head in a stone with a hole. This concept extends to the Tiger Balm creators' park in Singapore named Haar Villa, aimed at teaching visitors about morality and Buddhist practices. Furthermore, the chapter mentions a historical text, the Abhidharma, from the 4th Century CE, which outlines eight cold hell realms within Buddhist cosmology.
• 11:30 - 15:30: Orientalism and Stereotypes in Buddhism This chapter delves into the concept of hells in Buddhism, highlighting the intriguing idea of differentiated hells such as the Blue Lotus hell, which is characterized by extreme cold, and the Black Line hell, where inflicted black lines dictate how hell workers torment the souls. These descriptions aim to emphasize the symbolic representation of suffering in Buddhist ideology and potentially challenge common stereotypes and orientalist views regarding Buddhism's portrayal of pain and afterlife.
• 15:30 - 16:30: Conclusion and Sponsorship The chapter titled 'Conclusion and Sponsorship' explores how the concept of hell in Buddhism provides a framework for understanding the religion's transformation as it spread to new regions. It highlights the role of imaginative and expansive depictions of places of torment, which allowed local communities to create their own relevant practices, texts, and narratives. A common theme is the story of a devout Buddhist venturing through hell and returning with insights on the torments observed and ways to avoid such a fate.

Buddhism Has a Lot of Hells Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 brought to you by wri descriptions of people laying on iron beds with nails driven through their bodies or having their intestines filled with blazing iron pellets these might not sound like any Buddhist text you've ever heard of but in fact they come from some of the earliest Buddhist texts these are descriptions of Buddhist hell Realms called Nara in Sanskrit while hell Realms seem pretty distant from the Serene meditating monks and mindful contemplation that Buddhism is usually associated with in the western imagination when compared to other
• 00:30 - 01:00 religious Traditions Buddhism actually has some of the most elaborate and most extensive hell Realms in the history of religion Buddhist texts first describe hell in detail in the deuta Sutra which is part of the poly Canon or the first collection of Buddhist teachings in this text the Buddha tells the story of an evil man who gets dragged to hell at the end of his life while there the man is interrogated by Yama the king of Hell on whether he turned his mind to Buddhist practice while alive Yama says did you notice the Divine signs around you a
• 01:00 - 01:30 child being born a man getting old sick and dying and not realize that you too were subject to rebirth and must one day pay for your evil Deeds the man of course did not and is subsequently condemned to torture in hell for his poor conduct while alive the text describes him as running through a forest of leaves that slice off his fingers and toes one by one of being boiled alive in a river of lie of having molten metal poured into his mouth really gruesome stuff but from theological perspective of the text's
• 01:30 - 02:00 cosmology this is all for his benefit see while in religions like Christianity many adherents view hell as a place of eternal torment in Buddhist Traditions hell is more of a temporary State one of the six Realms into which someone can be reborn based on their karma someone may suffer in hell for hundreds of thousands of years but eventually once their Bad Karma has been burned off they'll be reborn in a different realm what this means is that hell has an important function in Buddhism as a place to be punished so that a practitioner can have
• 02:00 - 02:30 a better rebirth free of that bad karma in fact several texts describe Yama as a Buddha himself who is actually acting compassionately for beings this does not mean that Buddhists are excited to go to hell many contemporary Buddhists are deeply invested in encouraging others to Buddhist practice by communicating the potential future that awaits those who earn Bad Karma in this life this is most obvious in the variety of Life-Size hellscapes built to communicate hell's realities in Vietnam the Subterranean am Fu Cave in the marble mountains is beli
• 02:30 - 03:00 to provide a glimpse of what hell might look like local Vietnamese artists have filled the cave with life-sized diaramas of hellish torment and the cave features a shrine where visitors can repent and confess their sins before climbing the stairs to the sunlet Pavilion above many temples in Thailand feature similar hell theme parks as does Japan's Senco G temple in Osaka which features a similar display complete with presentations that light up as you walk along the path as part of the experience visitors complete a question a detailing their own
• 03:00 - 03:30 activities in this life to determine How likely they are to go to hell themselves the temple also features a large stone with a hole cut into it if you stick your head inside the hole you can supposedly hear the screams of those in Hell the brothers behind the popular herbal lotion called Tiger Balm built a similar Park in Singapore called haar Villa where visitors can come to learn the importance of moral action and Buddhist practice one version of Buddhist cosmology about these hell Realms is laid out in the text Abid darosha which dates to the fourth Century CE the text describes eight cold
• 03:30 - 04:00 Hells and eight hot Hells with a near endless supply of what are called neighboring hells that allow for some local variation there is the Blue Lotus hell where it's so cold that frostbite blisters form all over the skin the liquid inside then freezes causing the blisters to burst open making it appear that the suffering being is covered in blue lotuses there is the black line hell where black lines spontaneously appear on one's body hell workers then use knives to slice and dice the indiv idual up along these lines the recently
• 04:00 - 04:30 chopped up person then spontaneously reforms to do it all again hell can provide a useful framework for historians to track how Buddhism transformed as it entered new areas the concept of places of Torment is so expansive and so imaginative that it enabled local Buddhist communities to develop their own hell themed practices texts and stories these usually revolve around the story of a devout Buddhist traveling through hell and returning with information on the horrors that they witnessed and what can be done to avoid that fate this is a major theme of
• 04:30 - 05:00 The Ghost Festival versions of which are celebrated all throughout East Asia but today we'll just focus on his iteration in China in China they celebrate the Ghost Festival every year on the 15th day of the 7eventh lunar month usually around the middle of August Chinese Buddhists believe that if they give offerings of food and money to Buddhist monks on this day it will Aid the suffering of their ancestors in Hell the foundation of this Festival is the story of the Buddha's disciple Mulan or mod godana in Sanskrit after the death of his parents he takes vows to become a
• 05:00 - 05:30 Buddhist monk and gains the ability to travel between Realms from the power of His meditation in this way he discovers that his mother has been reborn in hell for sins like stealing for herself donations that were meant for Buddhist monks despite this Mulan is a devoted son and he searches through hell for his mother finding all sorts of ghastly Horrors along the way Mulan eventually convinces the Buddha to help save his mother and the Ghost Festival is created as a way for those in the future whose relatives may suffer during the ghost Festival families come to the Buddhist
• 05:30 - 06:00 temples to offer money and food to the monks believing that in this way their loved ones will be given comfort and sustenance and hell they may also repeat these offerings individually at Family grave sites or ancestral altars in their homes many monasteries even sponsor performances of the Mulan story that blur the line between religious ritual and entertainment with the families of the recently deceased coming up on stage during the performance with pictures of their loved ones asking Mulan to save them historians of religion are especially interested in the Ghost
• 06:00 - 06:30 Festival as a way to chart how Buddhism was integrated into Chinese Society the Ghost Festival is celebrated all over China but often in ways very different from its Buddhist iterations this indicates that it likely existed in some form prior to buddhism's arrival in the first century CE what's even more interesting is that the Ghost Festival Blends both confusion and Buddhist elements in mulan's quest to rescue his mother from Hell Buddhist monks are supposed to have left home and renounced ties to their families making Mulan cons earned for his mother a bit of a
• 06:30 - 07:00 surprise from a Buddhist perspective however in a society heavily influenced by Confucian values which emphasizes philal piety and children's dedication to their parents a story about a Buddhist monk rescuing his mother from Hell reveals how Buddhists in China may have used narrative to make their religious ideas more inviting to Chinese Confucian Society Mulan is not the only monk known for his journeys in Hell however Buddhists in Thailand celebrate prai who also gains the ability to travel to the hell through his
• 07:00 - 07:30 meditative prowess while he's not there to save his mother like Mulan pral observes the workings of Karma and returns with messages from those suffering in Hell on the centrality of appropriate Buddhist practice and the need to make Buddhist offerings on behalf of those suffering Illustrated palm leaf manuscripts depicting his journeys are very popular most from the 18th and 19th centuries and the text was often chanted by Monks at funerals and weddings depictions of pral are frequently seen in Thai murals and sculptures as well however it's not only Buddhist monks who travel to Hell
• 07:30 - 08:00 Buddhist women often also make the journey a particularly important example is the story of kashii Garba bodhisatwa originally born as a highclass maiden in India she discovers her mother has fallen to Hell after her death for neglecting Buddhist practice she Journeys there to find her mother and becomes so distraught at the suffering that she vows to stay in hell to provide comfort and Buddhist instruction to those reborn there she subsequently reborn as the male bodhisatwa Kiti Garba who remains in hell to provide Comfort to the beings who suffer there there
• 08:00 - 08:30 Scholars have noted the similarities between this story and that of Mulan making it possible that the story was actually composed in China and not in India as it claims in Tibet people perform the story of nanga obam a 12th century woman beaten to death by a jealous husband and father-in-law who were spurred on by malicious lies while dead she Journeys to the hell Realms and meets Yama impressed by her dedication to Buddhist practice he tells her to return to the human realm and preached to everyone on the realities of Buddhist hell nanga obom is not the only Tibetan to return from Hell many villages and
• 08:30 - 09:00 towns have their own stories about local Deo or literally those who die day and return Lok and the tradition continues to this day in some Tibetan communities the US even has its first Buddhist day look Samuel burol who created a graphic novel depicting his own tour of Hell after his heart stopped beating during surgery it's tempting to look at these stories and think maybe these are not meant to be taken literally maybe these are meant as metaphors for the suffering we cause ourselves or the mental anguish
• 09:00 - 09:30 brought about to others by our inappropriate actions and some Buddhists would definitely say that some interpret Nara as mental projections and debate their metaphysical reality but we've also seen lots of examples that for many Buddhists today these are understood as very real places of very real torment and some of us may be surprised to learn about Buddhist hell Realms in the first place especially if we hold a stereotypical understanding of Buddhism as all about peaceful meditation Scholars generally argue that this sort of stereotyping is is rooted in something called orientalism first
• 09:30 - 10:00 coined by the philosopher Edward SED orientalism is the general tendency of thought in which the so-called East was made to be Europe's other a land of exotic beings and exploitable riches that could service the economy and the imagination of the West historically orientalist perspectives have led to all manner of stereotypes including the tendency to represent Eastern cultures as one-dimensional inversions of Western cultures Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom is an explicit example if Indiana
• 10:00 - 10:30 Jones is the rational and scientific Anthropologist from the United States then the high priest of Khali is the ritualistic passion serving madman for anyone who studied orientalism I think negative examples like this are the first to come to mind but there's also what we might call positive orientalism positive not in the sense that this is the good type of orientalism but rather orientalism that romanticizes or idealizes Asian culture if I dislike this thing about Western culture then surely Eastern cultures have it all
• 10:30 - 11:00 figured out for example consider the Beat Generation poets like Jack kowak and Alan Ginsburg their work portrays American culture as strict and uptight and Asian culture as focused on freewheeling journeys of self-discovery we see this in caroak novel The Dharma bums in which kowak employs Buddhism as a countercultural response to American consumerism and materialism we also see this in stereotyped opinions of religion if Christians emphasize hell and etal damnation then surely Buddhism is more
• 11:00 - 11:30 compassionate and gentle while positive orientalism might seem harmless it's something Scholars work really hard to avoid because it focuses our attention on what we want the religion to look like as opposed to what it really looks like on the ground thus Buddhists can become caricatures and we're at risk of overlooking the immense internal diversity of the tradition thanks to wre for sponsoring this video wum is an online learning platform where you can find tons of highquality educational content every from academic lectures to
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