The Trāyastriṃśa ( Sanskrit ; Pali Tāvatiṃsa ) heaven is an important world of the devas in the Buddhist cosmology . The word trāyastriṃśa is an adjective formed from the numeral trayastriṃśat , "33" and can be translated in English as "belonging to the thirty-three [devas]". It is primarily the name of the second in the six heavens of the desire realm in Buddhist cosmology , and secondarily used of the devas who dwell there. Trāyastriṃśa is ruled by Śakra , also known as Indra .
72-522: The Trāyastriṃśa heaven is the second of the heavens of the Kāmadhātu , just above Catumaharajika or the realm of the Four Heavenly Kings , and is the highest of the heavens that maintains a physical connection with the rest of the world. Trāyastriṃśa is located on the peak of Sumeru , the central mountain of the world, at a height of 80 yojanas ; the total area of the heaven
144-563: A downward pointing triangle with a horizontal line through it. Earth is one of the five elements that appear in most Wiccan and Pagan traditions. Wicca in particular was influenced by the Golden Dawn system of magic , and Aleister Crowley 's mysticism which was in turn inspired by the Golden Dawn. Earth is represented in the Aztec religion by a house; to the Hindus , a lotus; to
216-399: A great trichiliocosm. He does so by suffusing the trichiliocosm with his radiance, at which point the inhabitants of those world-system will perceive this light, and then proceeds to extend his voice and powers throughout that realm. Buddhist temporal cosmology describes how the universe comes into being and is dissolved. Like other Indian cosmologies, it assumes an infinite span of time and
288-429: A king to rule them, called Mahāsammata। महासम्मत , "the great appointed one". Some of them begin to hunt and eat the flesh of animals, which have by now come into existence. Earth (classical element) Earth is one of the classical elements , in some systems being one of the four along with air , fire , and water . Earth is one of the four classical elements in ancient Greek philosophy and science. It
360-474: A layer of water, which is 8,000,000 yojanas in depth, going down to 8,400,000 yojanas below sea level. Below the layer of water is a "circle of wind", which is 16,000,000 yojanas in depth and also much broader in extent, supporting 1,000 different worlds upon it. Yojanas are equivalent to about 13 km (8 mi). Naraka नरक or Niraya निरय ( Tibetan : དམྱལ་བ་ , Wylie : dmyal ba ; Vietnamese : Địa Ngục hoặc Na-Lạc-Ca ; Burmese : ငရဲ ; Thai : นรก )
432-831: A location and bodies of a sort, though those bodies are composed of a subtle substance which is of itself invisible to the inhabitants of the Kāmadhātu. According to the Janavasabha Sutta, when a brahma (a being from the Brahma-world of the Rūpadhātu) wishes to visit a deva of the Trāyastriṃśa heaven (in the Kāmadhātu), he has to assume a "grosser form" in order to be visible to them. There are 16–22 Rūpadhātu in Buddhist texts,
504-411: A small chiliocosm. A collection of a million systems is a "thousandfold to the second power middling world-system" ( Dvisahassi Majjhima Lokadhātu ) or a medium dichiliocosm. The largest grouping, which consists of a billion world-systems, is called ( Trisahassi Mahasassi Lokadhātu ), a great trichiliocosm or The Galaxy . The Tathagata , if he so wished, could effect his voice and divine power throughout
576-427: A spatial cosmology. The temporal cosmology describes the timespan of the creation and dissolvement of alternate universes in different aeons. The spatial cosmology consists of a vertical cosmology, the various planes of beings, into which beings are reborn due to their merits and development; and a horizontal cosmology, the distribution of these world-systems into an infinite sheet of existential dimensions included in
648-471: Is 80 yojanas square. This heaven is therefore comparable to the Greek Mount Olympus in some respects. According to Vasubandhu , inhabitants of Trāyastriṃśa are each half a krośa tall (about 1500 feet) and live for 1000 years, of which each day is equivalent to 100 years of our world: that is, for a total of 36 million of our years. Since Trāyastriṃśa is physically connected to
720-536: Is Ghob, and the earth elementals (following Paracelsus ) are called gnomes . Earth is considered to be passive; it is represented by the symbol for Taurus , and it is referred to the lower left point of the pentagram in the Supreme Invoking Ritual of the Pentagram. Many of these associations have since spread throughout the occult community. It is sometimes represented by its Tattva or by
792-456: Is cyclical. This does not mean that the same events occur in identical form with each cycle, but merely that, as with the cycles of day and night or summer and winter, certain natural events occur over and over to give some structure to time. The basic unit of time measurement is the mahākalpa or "Great Eon" (Chinese: 大劫 dàjié /Japanese: 大劫 daigō ; Thai: มหากัปป์ or มหากัลป์; Devanagari: महाकल्प / महाकप्प). The length of this time in human years
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#1732765685945864-483: Is divided into four kalpas or "eons" (Chn/Jpn: 劫 kō ; Thai: กัป; अन्तरकल्प), each distinguished from the others by the stage of evolution of the universe during that kalpa. The four kalpas are: Each one of these kalpas is divided into twenty antarakalpas अन्तरकल्प (Pāli: antarakappa अन्तरकप्प ; Chn/Jpn: 中劫, "inside eons"; Thai: อันตรกัป) each of about the same length. For the Saṃvartasthāyikalpa this division
936-402: Is ever born in these worlds, as a Bodhisattva must ultimately be reborn as a human being. Since these devas rise from lower planes only due to the teaching of a Buddha, they can remain empty for very long periods if no Buddha arises. However, unlike the lower worlds, the Śuddhāvāsa worlds are never destroyed by natural catastrophe. The Śuddhāvāsa devas predict the coming of a Buddha and, taking
1008-463: Is expressed in yojanas , a measurement of very uncertain length, but sometimes taken to be about 4,000 times the height of a man, and so approximately 4.54 miles (7.31 km). The Śuddhāvāsa ( Sanskrit : शुद्धावास ; Pali : सुद्धावास , romanized: suddhāvāsa ; Tibetan : གནས་གཙང་མ་ , Wylie : gnas gtsang ma ; Vietnamese : Tịnh Cư Thiên ; Chinese : 净居天/凈居天 ; Thai : สุทฺธาวาส ) worlds, or " Pure Abodes ", are distinct from
1080-453: Is merely nominal, as nothing changes from one antarakalpa to the next; but for the other three kalpas it marks an interior cycle within the kalpa. The Vivartakalpa begins with the arising of the primordial wind, which begins the process of building up the structures of the universe that had been destroyed at the end of the last mahākalpa. As the extent of the destruction can vary, the nature of this evolution can vary as well, but it always takes
1152-410: Is never defined exactly, but it is meant to be very long, to be measured in billions of years if not longer. The word kalpa, means 'moment'. A maha kalpa consists of four moments (kalpa), the first of which is creation. The creation moment consists of the creation of the "receptacle", and the descent of beings from higher realms into more coarse forms of existence. During the rest of the creation moment,
1224-690: Is not always clear which world they belong to, although it must always be one of the worlds of the Rūpadhātu. According to the Ayacana Sutta, Brahmā Sahampati, who advises the Buddha to teach Dhamma to the world, resides in the Śuddhāvāsa worlds. The Formless Realm ( Ārūpyadhātu ( Sanskrit ) or Arūpaloka ( Pāli ) ) belongs to those Devas who attained and remained in the Four Formless Absorptions ( catuḥ-samāpatti चतुःसमापत्ति ) of
1296-545: Is not so much a location as it is the beings which compose it; it is sustained by their karma , and if the beings in a world all die or disappear, the world disappears too. Likewise, a world comes into existence when the first being is born into it. The physical separation is not so important as the difference in mental state; humans and animals, though they partially share the same physical environments, still belong to different worlds because their minds perceive and react to those environments differently. In some instances, all of
1368-421: Is the end-product of an analysis and reconciliation of cosmological comments found in the Buddhist sūtra and vinaya traditions. No single sūtra sets out the entire structure of the universe, but in several sūtras the Buddha describes other worlds and states of being, and other sūtras describe the origin and destruction of the universe. The order of the planes are found in various discourses of Gautama Buddha in
1440-485: Is the four lower dhyānas or rūpadhyānas (रुपध्यान) . However, although the beings of the Rūpadhātu can be divided into four broad grades corresponding to these four dhyānas, each of them is subdivided into further grades, three for each of the four dhyānas and five for the Śuddhāvāsa devas, for a total of seventeen grades (the Theravāda tradition counts one less grade in the highest dhyāna for a total of sixteen). Physically,
1512-407: Is the name given to one of the worlds of greatest suffering, usually translated into English as "hell" or "purgatory". These are realms of extreme sufferings. As with the other realms, a being is born into one of these worlds as a result of his karma , and resides there for a finite length of time until his karma has achieved its full result, after which he will be reborn in one of the higher worlds as
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#17327656859451584-480: Is therefore a protector of Buddhism. They guard and protect Buddhism on earth, and will pass into enlightenment as Arhats when they pass away from the Suddhavasa worlds. Brahma Sahampati , an inhabitant from these worlds, who appealed to the newly enlightened Buddha to teach, was an Anagami under the previous Buddha. Because a Śuddhāvāsa deva will never be reborn outside the Śuddhāvāsa worlds, no Bodhisattva
1656-597: The Trāyastriṃśa devas live on its peak, the Cāturmahārājikakāyika devas live on its slopes, and the Asuras live in the ocean at its base. Sumeru and its surrounding oceans and mountains are the home not just of these deities, but also vast assemblies of beings of popular mythology who only rarely intrude on the human world. They are even more passionate than the higher devas, and do not simply enjoy themselves but also engage in strife and fighting. The foundations of
1728-538: The Pāli Vibhajyavāda tradition (represented by today's Theravādins) agrees, despite some minor inconsistencies of nomenclature, with the Sarvāstivāda tradition which is preserved by Mahāyāna Buddhists. The spatial cosmology displays the various worlds in which beings can be reborn. Spatial cosmology can also be divided into two branches. The vertical (or cakravāḍa; Devanagari: चक्रवाड ) cosmology describes
1800-489: The Rigveda , earth and sky are frequently addressed as a duality , often indicated by the idea of two complementary "half-shells." In addition, the element Earth is associated with Budha or Mercury who represents communication, business, mathematics and other practical matters. Jainism mentions one-sensed beings or spirits believed to inhabit the element earth sometimes classified as pṛthvīkāya ekendriya . Earth and
1872-625: The arūpadhyānas in a previous life, and now enjoy the fruits ( vipāka ) of the good karma of that accomplishment. Bodhisattvas , however, are never born in the Ārūpyadhātu even when they have attained the arūpadhyānas. The Formless Realm would have no place in a purely physical cosmology, as none of the beings inhabiting it has either shape or location; and correspondingly, the realm has no location either. The inhabitants of these realms are possessed entirely of mind. Having no physical form or location, they are unable to hear Dhamma teachings. There are four types of Formless Deva planes corresponding to
1944-464: The devas who are said to dwell here: Śakra's wives Śakra's sons Śakra's daughters Others [REDACTED] Media related to Trāyastriṃśa heaven at Wikimedia Commons Buddhist cosmology#Desire Realm (Kāmadhātu) Buddhist cosmology is the description of the shape and evolution of the Universe according to Buddhist scriptures and commentaries . It consists of a temporal and
2016-623: The rūpa jhānas ; and the desire realm ( Kamadhātu ). The three realms contain together thirty-one planes of existence, each corresponding to a different type of mentality. These three realms ( tridhātu , trailokya ) are the Formless Realm ( Ārūpyadhātu ), which consists of four planes; the Form Realm ( Rūpadhātu ), which consists of sixteen planes; and the Pleasure Realm ( Kāmadhātu ), which consists of fifteen planes. A world
2088-576: The Brahmin Subha, how to be born in the world of Brahma, in the Subha Sutta, when asked by him. The beings born in the Kāmadhātu कामधातु ( Pali : कामलोक , romanized: Kāmaloka ; Tibetan : འདོད་པའི་ཁམས་ , Wylie : ' dod pa'i khams ; Vietnamese : Giới Dục ; Chinese : 欲界 ; Japanese : Yoku-kai ; Thai : กามภูมิ ) differ in degree of happiness, but they are all, other than Anagamis , Arhats and Buddhas , under
2160-914: The Buddha ascends to Trāyastriṃśa , or (more often) deities from Trāyastriṃśa descend to meet the Buddha. The Buddha's mother, Maya , was reborn in the Tusita Heaven, and came down to visit Trāyastriṃśa heaven where her son taught her the abhidharma . The "thirty-three" in the name of the heaven is not an enumeration of the gods who live there (there are far more) but a general term inherited from Vedic mythology , implying "the whole pantheon of gods". In Theravada Buddhist legends, there were 33 humans in Sakka's original group (who made enough merit to become devas atop Mount Sineru). In Buddhism, there are " Yāmā devāḥ", " Tushitānāṃ ", "Nirmāṇaratayaḥ devāḥ", and "Paranirmita-vaśavartinaḥ devāḥ" above Trāyastriṃśa and "Catumaharajika" below. They are called
2232-644: The Earth, seasons, crops and fertility, including Demeter and Persephone ; Ceres ; the Horae (goddesses of the seasons), and Proserpina ; and Hades ( Pluto ) who ruled the souls of dead in the Underworld . In ancient Greek medicine , each of the four humours became associated with an element. Black bile was the humor identified with earth, since both were cold and dry. Other things associated with earth and black bile in ancient and medieval medicine included
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2304-418: The Rūpadhātu consists of a series of planes stacked on top of each other, each one in a series of steps half the size of the previous one as one descends. In part, this reflects the fact that the devas are also thought of as physically larger on the higher planes. The highest planes are also broader in extent than the ones lower down, as discussed in the section on Sahasra cosmology . The height of these planes
2376-667: The Sutta Pitaka. In the Saleyyaka Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya the Buddha mentioned the planes above the human plane in ascending order. In several suttas in the Anguttara Nikaya , the Buddha described the causes of rebirth in these planes in the same order. The synthesis of this data into a single comprehensive system must have taken place early in the history of Buddhism, as the system described in
2448-607: The air without mechanical aid, living for a very long time, and not requiring sustenance; they are more like a type of lower deity than present-day humans are. Over time, they acquire a taste for physical nutriment, and as they consume it, their bodies become heavier and more like human bodies; they lose their ability to shine, and begin to acquire differences in their appearance, and their length of life decreases. They differentiate into two sexes and begin to become sexually active. Then greed, theft and violence arise among them, and they establish social distinctions and government and elect
2520-415: The arrangement of worlds in a vertical pattern, some being higher and some lower. By contrast, the horizontal (sahasra) cosmology describes the grouping of these vertical worlds into sets of thousands, millions or billions. The vertical cosmology is divided into three realms, or dhātus : the formless realm ( Ārūpyadhātu ), corresponding to the formless jhanas; the form realm ( Rūpadhātu ), corresponding to
2592-572: The beings born in the Ārūpyadhātu and the Rūpadhātu are informally classified as "Gods" or "Deities" ( devāḥ ), along with the Gods of the Kāmadhātu, notwithstanding the fact that the Deities of the Kāmadhātu differ more from those of the Ārūpyadhātu than they do from humans. It is to be understood that deva is an imprecise term referring to any being living in a longer-lived and generally more blissful state than humans. Most of them are not "gods" in
2664-402: The common sense of the term, having little or no concern with the human world and rarely if ever interacting with it; only the lowest deities of the Kāmadhātu correspond to the gods described in many polytheistic and monotheistic religions. The term Brahmā is used both as a name and as a generic term for one of the higher devas. In its broadest sense, it can refer to any of the inhabitants of
2736-421: The cycle of samsara. The entire universe is said to be made up of five basic elements of Earth , Water , Fire , Air and Space . Buddhist cosmology is also intwined with the belief of Karma . As a result, some ages are filled with prosperity and peace due to common goodness, whereas other eras are filled with suffering, dishonesty and short lifespans. The Buddhist cosmology is not a literal description of
2808-634: The devas and the asuras just as there is between the Æsir and the jötnar in Norse mythology . The chief of the Trāyastriṃśa devas is Śakra (Pāli: Sakka ), also known as Indra . Other Trāyastriṃśa devas who are frequently mentioned are Viśvakarman ( Vissakamma ), the devas' craftsman and builder; Mātali , who drives Śakra's chariot; and Sujā, Śakra's wife and daughter of the Asura chief Vemacitrin ( Vepacitti ). The Trāyastriṃśa heaven appears several times in Buddhist stories, in which either
2880-420: The domination of Māra and are bound by sensual desire, which causes them suffering. Birth into these planes takes place as a result of our Karma. The Sense-Sphere (Desire) Realm is the lowest of the three realms. The driving force within this realm is sensual desire. The following four worlds are bounded planes, each 80,000 yojanas square, which float in the air above the top of Mount Sumeru . Although all of
2952-418: The earth All of the structures of the earth, Sumeru and the rest, extend downward to a depth of 80,000 yojanas below sea level – the same as the height of Sumeru above sea level. Below this is a layer of "golden earth", a substance compact and firm enough to support the weight of Sumeru. It is 320,000 yojanas in depth and so extends to 400,000 yojanas below sea level. The layer of golden earth in turn rests upon
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3024-434: The elements were geometric forms (the platonic solids ) and he assigned the cube to the element of earth in his dialogue Timaeus . Aristotle (384–322 BCE) believed earth was the heaviest element, and his theory of natural place suggested that any earth–laden substances, would fall quickly, straight down, towards the center of the cosmos . In Classical Greek and Roman myth, various goddesses represented
3096-466: The end of a mahākalpa (see Temporal cosmology below), that is, the column of fire does not rise high enough to reach them. After the destruction of the world, at the beginning of the vivartakalpa, the worlds are first populated by beings reborn from the Ābhāsvara worlds. The mental state of the devas of the Brahmā worlds ( Vietnamese : Sơ Thiền ; Chinese : 初禅三天 ; Thai : พรหมภูมิ ) corresponds to
3168-533: The first dhyāna, and is characterized by observation ( vitarka ) and reflection ( vicāra ) as well as delight ( prīti ) and joy ( sukha ). The Brahmā worlds, together with the other lower worlds of the universe, are destroyed by fire at the end of a mahākalpa (see Temporal cosmology below). One way to rebirth in the Brahma world is mastery over the first jhana. Another is through meditations on loving kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity. The Buddha teaches
3240-570: The form of beings from a higher world being born into a lower world. The example of a Mahābrahmā being the rebirth of a deceased Ābhāsvara deva is just one instance of this, which continues throughout the Vivartakalpa until all the worlds are filled from the Brahmaloka down to Avīci Hell During the Vivartakalpa the first humans appear; they are not like present-day humans, but are beings shining in their own light, capable of moving through
3312-498: The form realms (rupa dhatu), a destruction of fire occurs, sparing everything from the realms of the 'radiant' gods and above (abha deva). After 7 of these destructions by 'fire', a destruction by water occurs, and everything from the realms of the 'pleasant' gods and above is spared (subha deva). After 64 of these destructions by fire and water, that is – 56 destructions by fire, and 7 by water – a destruction by wind occurs, this eliminates everything below
3384-444: The four types of arūpadhyānas: The Rūpadhātu ( Sanskrit : रूपधातु ; Pali : रूपलोक , romanized: rūpaloka ; Tibetan : གཟུགས་ཀྱི་ཁམས་ , Wylie : gzugs kyi khams ; Vietnamese : Giới Sắc ; Chinese : 色界 ; Japanese : 色界 , romanized : shiki-kai ; Burmese : ရူပဗြဟ္မာဘုံ ; Thai : รูปโลก / รูปธาตุ ) or "Form realm" is, as the name implies, the first of the physical realms; its inhabitants all have
3456-445: The fourth dhyāna, and is characterized by equanimity ( upekṣā ). The Bṛhatphala worlds form the upper limit to the destruction of the universe by wind at the end of a mahākalpa (see Temporal cosmology below), that is, they are spared such destruction. The mental state of the devas of the Śubhakṛtsna worlds ( Vietnamese : Tam Thiền ; Chinese : 三禅三天 ; Devanagari: शुभकृत्स्न; Thai : ศุภกฤตฺสนาภูมิ ) corresponds to
3528-464: The guise of Brahmins, reveal to human beings the signs by which a Buddha can be recognized. They also ensure that a Bodhisattva in his last life will see the four signs that will lead to his renunciation. The five Śuddhāvāsa worlds are: The mental state of the devas of the Bṛhatphala worlds ( Vietnamese : Tứ Thiền ; Chinese : 四禅九天/四禪九天 ; Japanese : 四禅九天 ; Thai : เวหปฺปผลา ) corresponds to
3600-845: The hell realms. The process by which sentient beings migrate from one state of existence to another is dependent on causes and conditions. The three causes are giving or charity, moral conduct, meditative development, and their opposites. Rebirth in the Kama-loka (desire realm) depends on a person's moral conduct and practice of giving. Rebirth in the Rupa-loka (form realm) and Arupa-loka (formless realm) also requires meditation development. Liberation from all rebirth requires eons upon eons of perfecting charity, moral conduct, and meditative development, in order to achieve Buddhahood. The Buddhist cosmology as presented in commentaries and works of Abhidharma in both Theravāda and Mahāyāna traditions,
3672-473: The human lifespan descending from 80,000 years to 10, and then back up to 80,000 again. The interval between 2 of these "intermediate" moments is the "seven day purge", in which a variety of humans will kill each other (not knowing or recognizing each other), some humans will go into hiding. At the end of this purge, they will emerge from hiding and repopulate the world. After this purge, the lifespan will increase to 80,000, reach its peak and descend, at which point
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#17327656859453744-558: The lower five fetters, consisting of self-view, sceptical doubt, clinging to rites and ceremonies, sense desires, and ill-will. They will destroy their remaining fetters of craving for fine material existence, craving for immaterial existence, conceit, restlessness and ignorance during their existence in the Pure Abodes. Those who take rebirth here are called "non-returners" because they do not return from that world, but attain final nibbana there without coming back. Every Śuddhāvāsa deva
3816-632: The lower world. In the Western sense of the word "heaven", the term best applies to the four worlds listed below: The world-mountain of Sumeru सुमेरु ( Vietnamese : Tu Di ; Sineru सिनेरु; Thai : เขาพระสุเมรุ, สิเนรุบรรพต ) is an immense, strangely-shaped peak which arises in the center of the world, and around which the Sun and Moon revolve. Its base rests in a vast ocean, and it is surrounded by several rings of lesser mountain ranges and oceans. The three worlds listed below are all located on, or around, Sumeru:
3888-480: The most commonly given number being 18. The beings of the Form realm are not subject to the extremes of pleasure and pain, or governed by desires for things pleasing to the senses, as the beings of the Kāmadhātu are. The bodies of Form realm beings do not have sexual distinctions. Like the beings of the Ārūpyadhātu, the dwellers in the Rūpadhātu have minds corresponding to the dhyānas (Pāli: jhānas). In their case, it
3960-568: The other Greek classical elements were incorporated into the Golden Dawn system. Zelator is the elemental grade attributed to earth; this grade is also attributed to the Sephirot of Malkuth . The elemental weapon of earth is the Pentacle . Each of the elements has several associated spiritual beings. The archangel of earth is Uriel , the angel is Phorlakh, the ruler is Kerub, the king
4032-452: The other worlds of the Rūpadhātu in that they do not house beings who have been born there through ordinary merit or meditative attainments, but only those Anāgāmins ("Non-returners"), the third level on the path of enlightenment, who are already on the path to Arhat -hood and who will attain enlightenment directly from the Śuddhāvāsa worlds without being reborn in a lower plane. These Pure Abodes are accessible only to those who have destroyed
4104-473: The planes, from the plane of neither perception nor non-perception (nevasanna-asanna-ayatana) down to the Avīci – the "without interval" niraya – constitutes the single world-system, Cakkavāla (intimating something circular, a "wheel" or one Planetary system , but the etymology is uncertain ), described above. A collection of one thousand systems are called a "thousandfold minor world-system" ( Culanika Lokadhātu ) or
4176-473: The purge will happen again. Within the duration 'moment', this purge and repeat cycle seems to happen around 18 times, the first "intermediate" moment consisting only of the descent from 80,000 – the second intermediate moment consisting of a rise and descent, and the last consisting only of an ascent. After the duration 'moment' is the dissolution moment, the hells will gradually be emptied, as well as all coarser forms of existence. The beings will flock to
4248-485: The realms of the 'fruitful' devas (vehapphala devas, literally of "great fruit"). The pure abodes (suddhavasa, meaning something like pure, unmixed, similar to the connotation of "pure bred German shepherd"), are never destroyed. Although without the appearance of a Buddha, these realms may remain empty for a long time. The inhabitants of these realms have exceedingly long life spans. The formless realms are never destroyed because they do not consist of form (rupa). The reason
4320-547: The result of an earlier karma that had not yet ripened. The mentality of a being in the hells corresponds to states of extreme fear and helpless anguish in humans. Physically, Naraka is thought of as a series of layers extending below Jambudvīpa into the earth. There are several schemes for counting these Narakas and enumerating their torments. One of the more common is that of the Eight Cold Narakas and Eight Hot Narakas. Sahasra means "one thousand". All of
4392-424: The season of fall, since it increased the qualities of cold and aridity; the melancholic temperament (of a person dominated by the black bile humour); the feminine ; and the southern point of the compass. In alchemy , earth was believed to be primarily dry, and secondarily cold, (as per Aristotle). Beyond those classical attributes, the chemical substance salt , was associated with earth and its alchemical symbol
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#17327656859454464-419: The second dhyāna, and is characterized by delight ( prīti ) as well as joy ( sukha ); the Ābhāsvara devas are said to shout aloud in their joy, crying aho sukham! ("Oh joy!"). These devas have bodies that emit flashing rays of light like lightning. They are said to have similar bodies (to each other) but diverse perceptions. The Ābhāsvara worlds form the upper limit to the destruction of the universe by fire at
4536-515: The shape of the universe ; rather, it is the universe as seen through the divyacakṣus ( Pali : dibbacakkhu दिब्बचक्खु ), the "divine eye" by which a Buddha or an arhat can perceive all beings arising (being born) and passing away (dying) within various worlds; and can tell from what state they have been reborn , and into which state they will be reborn. Beings can be reborn as devas (gods and Brahmas), humans, animals, asuras (demons), pretas ("hungry ghosts"), and as inhabitants of
4608-468: The six heavens together with Śakro devānām (Śakra). More heaven "Sunirmita devāḥ" is sometimes added to these depending on sūtras . In Mahayana literature, Trāyastriṃśa is composed of thirty-three levels. These are enumerated in the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna Sūtra . The original Sanskrit names occasionally vary between extant Sanskrit manuscripts and Chinese texts. Below is a list of
4680-509: The third dhyāna, and is characterized by a quiet joy ( sukha ). These devas have bodies that radiate a steady light. The Śubhakṛtsna worlds form the upper limit to the destruction of the universe by water at the end of a mahākalpa (see Temporal cosmology below), that is, the flood of water does not rise high enough to reach them. The mental state of the devas of the Ābhāsvara आभास्वर worlds ( Vietnamese : Nhị Thiền ; Chinese : 二禅三天 ; Thai : อาภัสสราภูมิ/อาภาสวราธาตุ corresponds to
4752-452: The world is destroyed by fire, water and wind, and not earth is because earth is the 'receptacle'. After the dissolution moment, this particular world system remains dissolved for a long time, this is called the 'empty' moment, but the more accurate term would be "the state of being dissolved". The beings that inhabited this realm formerly will migrate to other world systems, and perhaps return if their journeys lead here again. A mahākalpa
4824-402: The world is populated. Human beings who exist at this point have no limit on their lifespan. The second moment is the duration moment, the start of this moment is signified by the first sentient being to enter hell (niraya), the hells and nirayas not existing or being empty prior to this moment. The duration moment consists of twenty "intermediate" moments (antarakappas), which unfold in a drama of
4896-417: The world through Sumeru, unlike the heavens above it, the Trāyastriṃśa devas are unable to avoid being entangled in worldly affairs. In particular, they frequently find themselves in quarrels with the asuras , a separate set of divine beings who were expelled from Trāyastriṃśa and who now dwell at the foot of Sumeru, plotting for ways to recover their lost kingdom. There is, however, marriage between
4968-458: The worlds inhabited by devas (that is, all the worlds down to the Cāturmahārājikakāyika world and sometimes including the Asuras) are sometimes called "heavens". These devas enjoy aesthetic pleasures, long life, beauty, and certain powers. Anyone who has led a wholesome life can be born in them. These devas live in four heavens that float in the air, leaving them free from contact with the strife of
5040-407: The Ārūpyadhātu and the Rūpadhātu. In more restricted senses, it can refer to an inhabitant of one of the eleven lower worlds of the Rūpadhātu, or in its narrowest sense, to the three lowest worlds of the Rūpadhātu (Plane of Brahma's retinue). A large number of devas use the name "Brahmā", e.g. Brahmā Sahampati (ब्रह्मा सहम्पत्ति), Brahmā Sanatkumāra (ब्रह्मा सनत्कुमारः), Baka Brahmā (बकब्रह्मा), etc. It
5112-556: Was a downward-pointing triangle, bisected by a horizontal line. Prithvi ( Sanskrit : pṛthvī , also pṛthivī ) is the Hindu earth and mother goddess . According to one such tradition, she is the personification of the Earth itself; according to another, its actual mother , being Prithvi Tattwa , the essence of the element earth. As Prithvi Mata , or " Mother Earth ", she contrasts with Dyaus Pita , " father sky ". In
5184-449: Was commonly associated with qualities of heaviness, matter and the terrestrial world. Due to the hero cults , and chthonic underworld deities , the element of earth is also associated with the sensual aspects of both life and death in later occultism . Empedocles of Acragas (c. 495 – c. 435 BCE) proposed four archai by which to understand the cosmos : fire , air , water , and earth . Plato (427–347 BCE) believed
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