Books about Heavens and Hells

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Arkadutta019
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Books about Heavens and Hells

Post by Arkadutta019 »

I have recently read "Pret-vathhu" and now I want to know about the Heavens and Hells in Buddhism. The Tibetan Book Of Dead (Bardo Thodol) has been suggested to me apart from that is there any more books on that? Like Vimanavatthu or etc?
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FiveSkandhas
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Re: Books about Heavens and Hells

Post by FiveSkandhas »

From a Mahayana perspective, the Tendai monk Genshin wrote a book called the Ōjōyōshū that is primarily about pure land practice, but contains lengthy descriptions of various heavens and hells.
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
Brunelleschi
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Re: Books about Heavens and Hells

Post by Brunelleschi »

Check out Hell in Japanese Art. Collection of art depicting hells throughout Japanese history from starting from 12th century.

I know there's descriptions of the lower realms, including the hells, in Lam-rim books like Lamrim Chenmo (Tsongkhapa) and Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand (Pabongka Rinpoche).
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Aemilius
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Re: Books about Heavens and Hells

Post by Aemilius »

There is for example the Devaduta Sutta: The Deva Messengers:
(translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)
"Or how these beings — who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech & mind, who reviled noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views — with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the animal womb. Or how these beings — who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech & mind, who reviled noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views — with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.'

"Then the hell-wardens, seizing (such a being) by the arms, present him to King Yama: 'This is a man, your majesty, with no respect for mother, no respect for father , no reverence for contemplatives, no reverence for brahmans, no honor for the leaders of his clan. Let your majesty decree his punishment. etc..."

complete sutra https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html


Devas and heavenly beings appear in the Mahagovinda sutta:
"Once the Lord was staying at Rajagaha, on Vultures Peak. And when the night was nearly over, Pancasikha of the gandhabbas, lighting up the entire Vultures Peak with a splendid radiance, approached the Lord, saluted him, stood to one side and said: "Lord, I wish to report to you what I have personally seen and observed when I was in the presence of the Thirty-Three Gods." "Tell me then, Pancasikha," said the Lord."

complete sutra http://buddhasutra.com/files/mahagovinda_sutta.htm

The Nanda sutta has interesting material in this respect:
"Then, taking Ven. Nanda by the arm — as a strong man might flex his extended arm or extend his flexed arm — the Blessed One disappeared from Jeta's Grove and reappeared among the devas of the heaven of the Thirty-three [Tāvatiṃsa]. Now on that occasion about 500 dove-footed nymphs had come to wait upon Sakka, the ruler of the devas. The Blessed One said to Ven. Nanda, 'Nanda, do you see these 500 dove-footed nymphs?' "

complete sutra https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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Aemilius
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Re: Books about Heavens and Hells

Post by Aemilius »

Systematic representations of the Buddhist cosmology are found in the books of Abhidharma, for example the Abhidharma Kosha Bhashyam of Vasubandhu, from which this presentation of the different realms in the Buddhist cosmology is taken: https://abhidharmakosa.files.wordpress. ... -3-web.pdf
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
taleen
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Re: Books about Heavens and Hells

Post by taleen »

Read the first quarter of Journey to the West.
Pretty good description of both.

Also this has been translated into english -
http://www.vovi.org/en/PDF/English_VoyagesToHell.pdf
Arkadutta019
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Re: Books about Heavens and Hells

Post by Arkadutta019 »

Aemilius wrote: Mon Dec 28, 2020 12:48 pm There is for example the Devaduta Sutta: The Deva Messengers:
(translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)
"Or how these beings — who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech & mind, who reviled noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views — with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the animal womb. Or how these beings — who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech & mind, who reviled noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views — with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a plane of deprivation, a bad destination, a lower realm, hell.'

"Then the hell-wardens, seizing (such a being) by the arms, present him to King Yama: 'This is a man, your majesty, with no respect for mother, no respect for father , no reverence for contemplatives, no reverence for brahmans, no honor for the leaders of his clan. Let your majesty decree his punishment. etc..."

complete sutra https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html


Devas and heavenly beings appear in the Mahagovinda sutta:
"Once the Lord was staying at Rajagaha, on Vultures Peak. And when the night was nearly over, Pancasikha of the gandhabbas, lighting up the entire Vultures Peak with a splendid radiance, approached the Lord, saluted him, stood to one side and said: "Lord, I wish to report to you what I have personally seen and observed when I was in the presence of the Thirty-Three Gods." "Tell me then, Pancasikha," said the Lord."

complete sutra http://buddhasutra.com/files/mahagovinda_sutta.htm

The Nanda sutta has interesting material in this respect:
"Then, taking Ven. Nanda by the arm — as a strong man might flex his extended arm or extend his flexed arm — the Blessed One disappeared from Jeta's Grove and reappeared among the devas of the heaven of the Thirty-three [Tāvatiṃsa]. Now on that occasion about 500 dove-footed nymphs had come to wait upon Sakka, the ruler of the devas. The Blessed One said to Ven. Nanda, 'Nanda, do you see these 500 dove-footed nymphs?' "

complete sutra https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
Thank You very much sir.... Just what I needed
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Aemilius
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Re: Books about Heavens and Hells

Post by Aemilius »

I kind of concluded that you likely do not value Mahayana very much, but may be I'm wrong. As a young person, in 1970's, I read the Shurangama sutra, which has quite a lot about heavens and other realms of existence. Then I began repeating in my mind the sanskrit names of different heavens, just because they sounded so nice and interesting to me!
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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