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| Hell Courtesan by Kawanabe (1870s) |
In Buddhism the lowest and most miserable form of existence is hell (naraka). Most living beings are susceptible to repeated visits to hell, unless they are ascendant Buddhists who have attained the state of non-regression (avaivartika).
Getting to Hell
In Theravada / Nikaya Buddhism it is taught that beings experience hell as a karmic consequence of wrong conduct, which have their origin in wrong views:
“Just as, when a seed of neem, bitter cucumber, or bitter gourd is planted in moist soil, it transforms any nutrient it obtains from the soil and the water into a fruit with a bitter, harsh and disagreeable taste, even so is it for a person of wrong view. For what reason? Because the view is bad [Bodhi at 214-15].”
Views that are particularly wrong include not believing in karma, not believing in rebirth, and not believing there are good and virtuous people “who have themselves realised by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world” (Bodhi at 158).
Wrong actions that lead to hell include killing living beings, inflicting violence, mercilessness, being a thief, speaking falsely, and speaking in a way that harms others. There are also wrong actions that are sex-specific – for men this involves having sex with underage girls, or women who are engaged or married to another, and for women this means being a terrible wife. There are three kinds of ways to be a terrible wife:
- The slayer-wife – “with hateful mind, cold and heartless, lusting for others, despising her husband; who seeks to kill [her husband]”.
- The thief-wife – “when her husband acquires wealth [through his work or trade] … she tries to filch a little for herself”.
- The tyrant-wife – “the slothful glutton, bent on idling, harsh, fierce, rough in speech, a woman who bullies her own”.
