Samsara literally means the "continued wandering on" through cyclic death/rebirth.
The inescapable natural-law of
karma holds that each of our actions — whether of body, speech, or mind — has consequences in line with the skillfulness or unskillfulness of that action. We can often witness this process firsthand in our own lives, even if the effects may not be immediately apparent.
But the Buddha also taught that our intentions and actions (again whether mental, verbal, or physical) have effects that extend far beyond our present life, determining the quality of rebirth we can expect after death: Actions which are wholesome and skillful destine one for a favorable rebirth. Deeds which are unwholesome and unskillful lead to an unpleasant rebirth. Thus, we coast for aeons through
Samsara, the Wheel of Existence, propelled from one birth to another by the quality of our choices and our actions.
The discourse describe thirty-one distinct "planes" or "realms" (it might be better to say categories or types) of existence into which beings can be reborn during this long wandering on through Samsara. These range from the extraordinarily dark, grim, and painful infernal realms all the way up to the most sublime, refined, and exquisitely blissful celestial worlds, with much in between.
Existence in every realm is impermanent. In Buddhist cosmology there is no eternal heaven or unending hell, though it may seem that way given the immense lifespans in each. Beings are born into a particular realm according to both their past karma and their karma at the moment of death (often only mental). When the karmic force that propelled them to that realm is finally exhausted, they pass away, taking rebirth once again elsewhere according to previous karma. And so the wearisome cycle wears on without an end in sight.
The realms of existence are customarily divided into three distinct "worlds" (lokas), listed here in descending order of refinement:
The Fine-Material World (
rupa-loka). Consists of sixteen realms whose inhabitants (the
devas, or "shining ones") experience extremely refined degrees of mental pleasure. These realms are accessible to those who have attained at least some level of
jhana and who have thereby managed to (temporarily) suppress hatred and ill-will. They are said to possess extremely refined bodies of pure light. The highest of these realms, the "Pure Abodes," are accessible only to those who have attained to the partially-awakened stage known as "non-returning" (
anagami), which is the third stage of enlightenment. The Fine-Material World and the Immaterial World together constitute Buddhist "
heavens" (
sagga).
The Sensuous World (
kama-loka). Consists of eleven realms in which experience — both pleasurable and painful — is dominated by the five senses. Seven of these realms are fortunate destinations and include our own human realm as well as several realms occupied by
bhumma-
devas (earth-deities, elementals, fairies). The lowest realms are the four unfortunate destinations, which include the animal, ghost, and hellish realms.
It is futile to debate whether these realms are literal or merely metaphorical descriptions of the various mind-states we might experience in a single lifetime. Mere reasoning could never determine that. The tradition holds that, as hard as it is to believe in what we have ourselves not yet seen or personally experienced, these worlds are literally existing states.
Instead, the overarching message of this cosmology is this. Unless we take steps to break free of the steel grip of karma, we are doomed to wander aimlessly from one state of being to another, with true peace and satisfaction constantly out of reach.
The Buddha's revolutionary discovery was finding that there is a way to break free of this miserable wandering. It is the
Noble Eightfold Path, which equips us with precisely the tools needed to escape from this wearisome trek once and for all, to a
true and unshakable freedom.
The information in this article was assembled from a variety of sources. In the interest of economizing space not all facts have been attributed to their respective sources.
Factors of Dependent Origination (Paticca Samupada) which give rise to Samsaric wanderingI. The Immaterial World (arupa-loka)
REALM: (
31st) Neither-perception-nor-non-perception (
nevasaññanasaññayatanupaga deva)
COMMENT: The inhabitants of these worlds are possessed entirely of mind. Having no physical basis, they are unable to hear Dharma teachings and thereby advance.
(
30) Nothingness (
akiñcaññayatanupaga deva)
CAUSE: 7
th Jhana (
Third Formless jhana)
(
29) Base of Infinite Consciousness (
viññanañcayatanupaga deva)
(
28) Infinite Space (
akasanañcayatanupaga deva)
Tibetan Wheel of Rebirth, a popular pictorial representation of Samsara
II. The Fine-Material World (rupa-loka) REALM: (
27) Peerless
devas (
akanittha deva)
(
26) Clear-sighted
devas (
sudassi deva)
(
25) Beautiful
devas (
sudassa deva)
(
24) Untroubled
devas (
atappa deva)
(
23)
Devas not Falling Away (
aviha deva)
(
22) Unconscious beings (
asaññasatta)
COMMENTS: Only unconscious body is present, no mentality.
(
21) Very Fruitful
devas (
vehapphala deva)
COMMENTS: Beings in these planes enjoy varying degrees of jhanic bliss.
(
20)
Devas of Refulgent Glory (
subhakinna deva)
CAUSE:
Third jhana (highest degree when divided into three phases: mastery, middling, and sufficient). See, for example,
AN 4.123.
(
19)
Devas of Unbounded Glory (
appamanasubha deva)
CAUSE:
Third jhana (middling or medium degree of proficiency)
(
18)
Devas of Limited Glory (
parittasubha deva)
(
17)
Devas of Streaming Radiance (
abhassara deva)
(
16)
Devas of Unbounded Radiance (
appamanabha deva)
(
15)
Devas of Limited Radiance (
parittabha deva)
(
14) Great Brahmas (
Maha Brahma)
COMMENT: One of this realm's most famous inhabitants is the Great God, a divinity (
brahma) whose delusion leads Him to regard Himself as the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe (
DN 11).
(
13) Ministers of Brahma (
brahma-purohita deva)
COMMENT: Beings in these planes enjoy varying degrees of jhanic bliss.
(
12) Retinue of Brahma (
brahma-parisajja deva)
The planes of existence in Samsara depicted in Japanese iconography
III. The Sensuous World (kama-loka)
The "Happy Destinations" (sugati)
REALM: (
11)
Devas Wielding Power over the Creation of Others (
paranimmita-vasavatti deva)
COMMENT: These devas enjoy sense pleasures created by others for them. Mara -- a kind of Buddhist "Lucifer" (Mara Devaputra, lit. "the Killer, Son-of-God") a figurative personification of delusion and desire -- lives here.
CAUSES:
Ten wholesome actions (
MN 41)
(
10)
Devas Delighting in Creation (
nimmanarati deva)
COMMENT: These devas delight in the sense objects of their own creation.
(
9) Contented
devas (
tusita deva)
COMMENT: A realm of pure delight and gaiety. Bodhisattas ("beings destined for full enlightenment") abide here prior to their final human birth. This is where the Bodhisatta Metteya (Sanskrit, Maitreya), the next buddha, is said to dwell.
(
8)
Yama devas (
yama deva)
COMMENT: These
devas live in the air, free of all difficulties.
(
7) The Thirty-three Deities (
tavatimsa deva)
Sakka, a
stream-enterer (
sotapanna) and devotee of the Buddha, presides over this realm. Many
devas dwelling here live in mansions in the air. He is king of this realm, often referred to as the "Gods of the Thirty-Three," as well as King of Kings lording over the Four Great Kings of the next realm down. He achieved this station due to wholesome karma he developed as a human.
(
6)
Devas of the Four Great Kings (
catumaharajika deva)
COMMENT: These four kings or better "regents" preside over the four cardinal directions in the sky above the human world. This is the home of
gandhabbas, which are celestial musicians,
yakkhas, ogres, and
bhumma-devas, tree spirits of varying degrees of ethical purity. These are analogous to the sylphs, trolls, and fairies that populate Western
fairytales.
(
5) Human beings (
manussa loka)
COMMENT: You are here (for now). Rebirth as a human being is extraordinarily rare (
SN 56.48). It is the lowest of the fortunate rebirth destinations. Thus, it is extraordinarily precious, perfect for stirring one to strive for enlightenment with its unique balance of pleasure and pain (
SN 35.135). The mix of circumstances, being visibly impermanent but not excessively chaotic, facilitates the development of virtue and wisdom to the degree necessary to set one free from the entire
cycle of rebirths. It may not be a real and literal world, maybe just metaphorical, but the tradition holds that it is an actually-existing place.
CAUSES:
Death (Marana) consuming all the planes of Samsaric existence
"States of Deprivation" (apaya)
COMMENT: World of titans — a kind of "demons" if you will — engaged in relentless conflict with each other, Sakka, and devas.
CAUSE: Ten courses of unwholesome action (
MN 10)
(
3) Hungry Ghosts (
peta loka)
COMMENT: "Unclean spirits," poltergeists, unhappy ghosts that wander hopelessly about this realm, searching in vain for sensual fulfillment. The Buddhist writer Egerton C. Baptist has written extensively and in detail on this subject, and an entire book of the Pali Canon, the
Petavatthu (PTS), tells of their suffering. Read also
Ajahn Lee's colorful description of this realm.
CAUSES:
Ten unwholesome actions (
MN 10)
Lack of virtue, holding to wrong views (
AN 10.177)
(2) Animals (tiracchana yoni)
This realm includes all the non-human forms of life that are visible to us under ordinary circumstances: animals, insects, fish, birds, worms, and so on. May also not exist literally, but the tradition holds that it is an actual world, a real place of rebirth.
CAUSES:
Ten unwholesome actions (
MN 10)
Lack of virtue, holding to wrong views. If one is generous to monks and nuns, however, one may be reborn as an "ornamented" animal (i.e., a bird with bright plumage, a horse with attractive markings, etc. See
AN 10.177).
Behaving like an animal (
MN 57)
(1) Hell (niraya)
COMMENT: These are realms of unimaginable suffering and anguish (described in graphic detail in MN 129 and 130). They should not, however, be confused with the "eternal hell" suggested by other religions since lifespans here, though unimaginably long and seemingly insufferable, are -- as with every realm — impermanent.
CAUSES:
Ten unwholesome actions (
MN 10)
Lack of virtue, holding to wrong views (
AN 10.177)
The Four Karmas with Fixed Results: murdering your parents, murdering an
arahant, injuring a
buddha, or creating a schism in the
Sangha (
AN 5.129)
Being quarrelsome and annoying to others (
Snp II.6)
Sources
Buddhist Dictionary, Nyanatiloka Mahathera (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1980).
The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction (4th ed.), by R.H. Robinson & W.L. Johnson (Belmont, California: Wadsworth, 1997).
The Long Discourses of the Buddha (introduction), translation by Maurice Walshe (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1987).
A Manual of Abhidhamma, Ven. Narada Thera (Kuala Lumpur: Buddhist Missionary Society, 1979).
The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha (introduction), translation by Bhikkhu Ñanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995).
Teacher of the Devas (Wheel Publication 414/416), Susan Elbaum Jootla (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1997).
The Three Worlds (wall chart), compiled by Ven. Acaro Suvanno (printed for free distribution by devotees and Mr. & Mrs. Lim Say Hoe and family).
*For free distribution. This work may be republished, reformatted, reprinted, and redistributed in any medium. It is the author's wish, however, that any such republication and redistribution be made available to the public on a free and unrestricted basis and that translations and other derivative works be clearly marked as such.
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