31 Planes Of Existence...





The suttas described 31 distinct “planes” or “realms” of existence into which beings can be reborn during their long wandering through samsara.  These range from the extraordinarily dark, grim and painful hell realms all the way up to the most sublime, refined and exquisitely blissful heavenly realms.  Existence in every realm is impermanent; in the cosmology taught by the Buddha there is no eternal heaven or hell.  Beings are born into a particular realm according to both their past kamma and their kamma at the moment of death.  When the kammic force that propelled them to that realm is finally exhausted, they pass away, taking rebirth once again elsewhere according to their kamma.  And so the wearisome cycle continues on and on into the deepest recesses of infinity.


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