Naraka (Buddhism)
Naraka is a term in Buddhist cosmology usually referred to in English as "hell" or "purgatory". Another term used for the concept of hell in earlier writings is niraya. In Cambodia, Naraka was part of Buddhist cosmology and indeed also a Khmer word for hell. The Narakas of Buddhism are closely related to Diyu, the hell in Chinese mythology. A naraka differs from the concept of hell in Christianity in two respects: firstly, beings are not sent to Naraka as the result of a divine judgment or punishment; secondly, the length of a being's stay in a naraka is not eternal, though it is usually incomprehensibly long.
A being is born into naraka as a direct result of its accumulated actions and resides there for a finite period of time until that karma has achieved its full result. After its karma is used up, it will be reborn in one of the higher worlds as the result of karma that had not yet ripened.
The eight hot naraka appear in Jātaka texts and form the basis of the hell system in Mahayana Buddhism. According to them, the hells are located deep under the southern continent of Jambudvīpa, denoting India. They are built one upon the other like stories, the principle being that the more severe kind of damnation is located under the previous one. There are differences in the conception of the naraka's height, breadth, length, depth, and distance, meaning that there is not a clear canonic system of naraka at this point of time besides their size.
Historical background
Dating the idea of hell within Buddhist tradition proves to be difficult, since ideas were orally transmitted until about 100 BCE when the Pali canon was written down in Ceylon.However, the concept of hell played a significant role since the early stage of Buddhism, since it is closely connected to the concept of karma. Karma determines into which realm a soul is born. Good actions cause someone to be reborn in heaven or as a human on earth. Bad actions cause one to be reborn in "bad states" like animals, hungry ghosts, and as a hell resident. There is barely dharma within these existences and a rebirth in a higher realm is very difficult.
In the Kathāvatthu, one of the earliest Buddhist writings written around 250—100 BCE, a version of hell is fully developed, described, and discussed. It is probably one of the earliest religious works offering a presentation of hell imagery. It discusses related topics such as whether hell is the result of particular bad actions or the committed bad actions themselves. It further is argues that hell is a state experienced in another life as the result of a bad action, connecting hell to the concept of the retribution for bad actions and compensation for good actions.
The historical Buddha rejected the reliance upon deities in order to encourage individuals to take responsibility for their own morality. He and other buddhists encouraged this, especially in the laity that demanded a tangible goal, with the comprehensible symbolism of hell. Just as hell served as a symbol, heaven did as well and acted as a temporary imagining that one could progress beyond and achieve enlightenment. In contrast hell was utilised as a deterrent to actions that would create an opposition to enlightenment.
If the understanding of these dates is correct then the Buddhist concept of hell predates the concept of hell in Mediterranean cultures, although these cultures communicated with each other over land and sea.
Descriptions of ''Narakas''
There are several schemes for counting these narakas and enumerating their torments. Some sources describe five hundred or even hundreds of thousands of different narakas. One of the most common scheme is that of the Eight Great Hot Narakas and Eight Great Cold Narakas. Physically, Naraka is thought of as a series of layers extending below Jambudvīpa. There are also series of isolated and boundary hells called Pratyeka ''naraka and Lokantarikas.The sufferings of the dwellers in naraka often resemble those of the pretas, and the two types of being are easily confused. The simplest distinction is that beings in Naraka are confined to their subterranean world, while the pretas are free to move about.
As for how beings come into hell, they are not born in these naraka'' but appear by means of manifestation as adults under the influence of the karmic force. The bodies they are manifested in are made of resilient matter that can withstand even the most extreme pain. In some texts, it is reported that the bodies are large to extend the suffering.
Eight Hot ''Narakas''
The Uṣṇanaraka, also called Eight Hot Hells or Eight Great/Major Hells, are described below.Hells for committers of "physical" crimes
1. ''Sañjīva''
Sañjīva, the "Reviving" Naraka, has ground made of hot iron heated by an immense fire. This is the designated realm for those who commit acts of violence and murder with the clear intent of killing living beings, out of a desire to destroy their source of life. Beings in this naraka appear fully grown, already in a state of fear and misery. As soon as the being begins to fear being harmed by others, their fellows appear and attack each other with iron claws, and hell guards appear and attack the being with fiery weapons. As soon as the being experiences an unconsciousness like death, they are suddenly restored to full health as a cold wind revives them and the attacks begin anew. This circle of torture continues until their bad karma is exhausted. Other tortures experienced in this Naraka include: having molten metal dropped upon them, being sliced into pieces, and suffering from the heat of the iron ground by the hell wardens.Killing that is purely accidental does not lead to this hell. Examples of killing that does not lead to this hell include: accidental crushing of an insect, killing while driving a stake to the ground, a doctor attempting to treat the sick but involuntarily killing his patient, a parent who tries to correct their child's behavior and accidentally kills them, and when a flame attracts an insect to its destruction. Consuming meat is also not an act of bad karma in the circumstances that the individual did not see or hear the killing of the animal or let the animal be killed specifically for them. This hell should make the practitioners aware of their dependence upon sentient life around them. The purpose is to discourage unnecessary suffering of animals but not totally prohibit the consumption of meat.
It is said to be 1,000 yojanas beneath Jambudvīpa and 10,000 yojanas in each direction.
The saddharmasmṛtyupasthānasūtra names sixteen subsidiary hells to this one and discusses seven of them in detail. The subsidiary hells are: the Region of the Mud Excrement, which is full of boiling excrements and insects; the Region of the Wheel of Swords, where iron falls from the sky like rain and is covered in a forest of swords; the Region of the Roasting Skillet, where people who roasted animals will have the same done to them; the Region of Numerous Sufferings; the Region of Darkness, which is a dark space and the people there are burned by opaque fire while a fiery wind blows that tears their skin; the Region of Unhappiness, where great fires burn and while the residents are devoured by animals; and finally the Region of Extreme Suffering, where lazy people who committed murder burn.
2. ''Kālasūtra''
Kālasūtra, the "Black Thread" Naraka, includes the torments of Sañjīva. The pains experienced in this hell are ten times more severe than those suffered in Sañjīva. In addition, black lines are drawn upon the body, which hell guards use as guides to cut the beings with fiery saws and sharp axes. A second version of this hell describes it as a place where black ropes are stretched across the mountains and hot cauldrons are placed underneath. The wardens of this hell force the dwellers to carry heavy iron bundles and walk across the rope until they fall into the cauldrons below. This is the place for those who have committed murder, robbery, or lied, as well as those who were bad sons or two-faced women.This naraka includes places such as the Chandala hell for those who steal from the sick or take objects that they are not worthy of using. They are tormented by giant evil birds that disembowel them. Other punishments include being forced to eat molten copper and being pierced by spears.
Genshin describes the subsidiary hells within this region in more detail. One example is the Region of Equal Wailing and Reception of Suffering, where the inmates tied to black ropes that are on fire and fall into swords below. Hounds with hot fangs then proceed to take the bodies apart.
3. ''Saṃghāta''
Saṃghāta, the "Crushing" Naraka, is surrounded by huge masses of rock that smash together and crush beings into a bloody jelly. When the rocks move apart again, life is restored to the being, and the process starts again. Within this naraka corpses are eaten by demons, bears, and birds. Eagles with flaming beaks tear out their organs. The saddharmasmṛtyupasthānasūtra provides another depiction of this hell. The wardens then continue hang them on hooks.The rebirth into this hell is caused by the improper attitude toward love and sexual indulgence combined with acts of murder. The residents of this hell are firstly brought to a beautiful woman who reminds them of the woman they once loved sitting upon a tree and who beckons them to climb up. While climbing, hot sword-leaves slice into the body, but the inmate is filled with so much desire that they reach the top, discovering that the woman is below the tree beckoning them down. This is repeated and the prisoner spends hundreds of thousands of years in this cycle. This represents the people who stay ignorant in life possess ego-centric love, as they have no awareness of being in their own hell of self-deception. They blame their suffering upon their circumstances instead of taking a look at their own prisoned mind.
The first subsidiary hell, the Region of Evil Views, is described by Genshin as a place for those who have molested children. Those who end up in this hell are forced to watch their children being stabbed by the hell wardens. While this happens they experience unspeakable suffering as they are hung down and molten copper is poured into their bodies through the anus. Another hell is the Region of Suffering Enduring. Men who kidnap the women of others are hung upside down from a tree and roasted under a fire that enters their mouths and burns their insides as they try to scream. Another hell is the Region of Many Suffering and Anguish where men who committed homosexual rape are reborn. These men are embraced by figures of the people who they molested. After being incinerated in this manner, they revive and in fear they attempt to flee just to fall off a cliff, ending up being consumed by birds with flaming beaks and foxes.