The Existence of Heaven and Hell in Buddhism
Buddhism is more of a philosophy although some people turned it into a religion. There’s no omnipotent God; in fact, the Buddha is a teacher of humans and also gods. Scientists use a way to visualise the working of electric and magnetic fields; we visualise lines of forces or fluxes due to the presence of charges, static vs. dynamic. In a similar way, the Buddha used a way to visualise the working of this world. The fluxes are called Asava. Just like scientists consider that everything is influenced by physical laws, the Buddha considers humans and also gods are under the influence of different sets of laws. For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction. Scientists call it Newtonian law, but the Buddha calls it karma and fruit.
Everything is impermanent. Everything is empty of substance. This is the way of thinking taught by the Buddha. One may see suffering or problems from this theory, another see the way to liberation or opportunities to gain by overcoming the problems.
Humans are born into the human realm, ghosts into the ghost realm, animals into animal realm, Hell beings into Hell realm, and Deva into Heaven realm. Are these really different spaces? We know humans and animals live in the same space. Therefore, it is completely possible that all the different beings share the same “space”; we can’t see each other due to limitation of the six sense organs. It is likely that some Enlightened persons can see other types of beings and travel through “space” from one realm to another. However, this “space” is also empty of substance. It is all an illusion or a dream. We are all “living” in the Matrix, interdependently with each other. From nothing, the Matrix and beings are formed. The extinction of beings must also mean extinction of the Matrix, into nothingness.
Hell will disappear when there are no Hell beings. Similarly, Heaven will disappear when there are no Devas. Nama and Rupa come into existence together; they will also cease together. All beings have limited lifespan, because nothing is permanent. Devas are born when other Devas die at the same time. Therefore, Heaven will continue to exist although in theory it is also impermanent. The same goes for Hell and human realms. Heaven and Hell are the byproducts of the existences of Devas and Hell beings.
What is the condition for the existence of Devas and Hell beings? Naturally, it is the result of karma and its fruit. The cause of all existences is ignorance (avijja). Ignorance of the Four Noble Truths leads to the subsequent rebirth. However, not all ignorance is created the same. Some kinds of ignorance lead to rebirth as Devas. Other kinds of ignorance lead to rebirth as humans, ghosts, animals, or Hell beings. If one has the Right View about the Four Noble Truths, walks the Noble Eightfold Path (instead of just knowing the path), breaks all craving and clinging through the abandonment of greed, hatred and delusion, he will attain Enlightenment and reach the state of Nirvana. All the fetters which bind him to samsara or cycles of rebirth will be broken. Thus, he is liberated and never to be reborn again. He is called an Arahant; one who has broken the spokes of the wheel of rebirth.
A person who wishes to be reborn will be reborn. However, a person who wishes never to be reborn again may still get a rebirth. Greed, hatred and delusion are the fuels for a person to be reborn. Upon breaking up of the body, a person will get a rebirth if the fuels are not exhausted or totally cooled down. Some people don’t see life as a suffering; naturally, they have no problem being reborn again, and their wish will come true. Some people see life as a suffering but do nothing other than enduring it or even commit suicide; they will still get a rebirth although they don’t like it. Some people see life as a suffering but practice the wrong ways; they will unfortunately be reborn again. Some people see life as suffering but not unbearable; they wish to have fun again in the next life, and they will get it. However, they will only get the fun they wanted if they are reborn as Devas or humans. If they don’t cultivate themselves in terms of virtue, equanimity and wisdom, they will probably be reborn as ghosts, animals, or Hell beings.
The training for lay followers of Buddhism is not too different from that for monks. Whether one is a lay follower or a monk, he may still be reborn as Deva, human, ghost, animal or Hell being. There is no guarantee for success. It all depends on the self-cultivation and length of time one has practiced well. Nevertheless, a monk should aim to escape the cycles of rebirth if he really has faith in the Buddha and Dharma. If he fails although he has done his best, he may be reborn as a Deva, or better still as a human of which he can continue his training and take the “examination” again. He must look after his body and mind so that he has enough time to prepare for the “examination”; he must not get overconfident and try to attempt for the “examination” earlier. Desire for non-existence is as bad as desire for existence and desire for sensual pleasure. To cross the floods of suffering, one must not stand still nor strive too hard. He must follow the middle path.
Monks who wish to be reborn, for whatever excuses, will not practice hard enough for the “examination”. The Buddha said that there are five factors which will lead to the disappearance of true Dharma: 1) disrespecting the Buddha, 2) disrespecting the Dharma, 3) disrespecting the Sangha, 4) disrespecting the training, and 5) disrespecting Samadhi or equanimity. Some monks are not real monks; they commit some of these five sins.
Anybody who slanders monks as being selfish is blaming the blameless instead of praising the praiseworthy. The unwholesome karma can lead to bad outcomes. Is the business of going-forth — as the Buddha and his disciples did — one that benefits countless beings, or only one being? Of these two practices — going-forth compared to making sacrifices — which appeals to you as the less difficult, the less violent, the more fruitful, and the more rewarding? — Sangarava Sutta AN 3.60. Monks who teach, practice and live according to Dhamma benefit countless beings. It is much more difficult and less violent to go forth than making sacrifices. It is much more fruitful and more rewarding to go forth than making sacrifices.
Some monks see others from a different sect as inferiors, belittling the fellow brothers and calling them with derogative or insulting names. It just goes to show that the non-virtuous monks have a strong ego, puff up with pride, are greedy for fame, and immoral with their speech of contempt and slander, thus not abiding by Right Speech and breaking one of the Five Precepts. They denigrate other sects to uplift themselves. It violates the Right Livelihood of the Noble Eightfold Path for their survival. According to the Buddha, an individual who committed this kind of unwholesome karma, causing schism or division of Sangha (Anantarika-karma), will yield unwholesome fruit of being reborn in Hell. Anantarika-karma is a heinous crime that through the karmic process brings immediate disaster or comes to fruition in the next life. The five crimes are: 1) Intentionally murdering one’s mother, 2) Intentionally murdering one’s father, 3) Killing an Arahant, 4) Shedding the blood of a Buddha, 5) Creating a schism within the Sangha. There is only one Gotama Buddha, and sectarianism should never exist. I don’t believe any virtuous monk would agree to split his sangha into multiple competing groups.
According to Buddha’s teaching, the body is not the “self”, neither is the “self” inside the body. Perception and consciousness of the body as the “self”, or thinking that the “self” is inside the body, is the root cause of suffering because one will then have the desire to protect the “self” which then leads to the arising of greed, hatred and delusion. Having the ego to self-glorify and defame others is against the Buddha’s teaching. The empty boasting will cause more harm to themselves because they will be drifting further away from Nirvana due to their ego, self-identification and clinging to the “self” when they should instead let go of all attachments. They also do disservice to their followers; like blind leading the blind, or like a person sinking into a cesspool trying to save another person to get out of the cesspool. If they continue to cause division of Buddhism into various sects, and trying to fool people with their excuses, they will not find peace in themselves. The Buddha taught us to abolish greed, hatred, and delusion. The continued use of untruthful downgrading remarks about the monks from other sects don’t really hurt anyone that much but themselves. Buddha needs no protection, and no Sangha should seek for fame (creating a sect or a “self” which then requires protection) but focus on attaining Enlightenment and helping others to walk on the spiritual path. There is inferiority within superiority, and superiority within inferiority (小中有大，大中有小).
‘Those who teach a doctrine other than this are lacking in purity, imperfect.’ That’s what the many sectarians say, for they’re smitten with passion for their own views. ‘Only here is there purity, in no other doctrine is purity,’ that’s what they say. That’s how the many sectarians are entrenched, speaking firmly there concerning their own path. Speaking firmly concerning your own path, what opponent here would you take as a fool? You’d simply bring quarrels on yourself if you said your opponent’s a fool. Taking a stance on your decisions, and yourself as your measure (执于我), you dispute further down into the world. But one who’s abandoned all decisions (is nonpartisan and has no attachment to either views) quarrels no more. — Sutta Nipata KN 4.12
Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias toward a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher.’ Kalamas, when you yourselves know: ‘These things are bad; these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill,’ then you should abandon them. — Kalama Sutta AN 3.65
One should say and do what is right but refrain from making decisions that others are wrong for rejecting the doctrine. Disagreeing with someone’s view doesn’t necessarily mean deciding that the view is wrong; it only means the view is not right, although we may linguistically say “it is wrong”, for ease of expression (所言善法者，如来说即非善法，是名善法). Stay equanimous and unmoved by provocations for debates. “All Beings are owners of their karma. Whatever volitional actions they do, good or evil, of those they shall become the heir.” No amount of debates will change the fruit of karma.
RESILIENT KID 