BUDDHIST HELL in Sri Lanka: Demons and Devils: Dickwella Temple (Wewurukannala Vihara)

a reply to: peacefulpete

Heaven and hell the same coin, no one wants to move to Mexico, but everyone wants to go there. Some people like the summer others like the winter. The Asuras and Devas are the one after humans, and they both have there limits in the cycle.

I never really figured that Buddhists believe in the traditional sense of the western concept of hell. More less a nether/under world of sorts that stem from earlier believes. Eastern philosophy or metaphysics usually tend to go with flow, instead going against the grain.

Lust is one of the seven sins while being a basic instinct and is usually a big taboo, and last as long as celebrity marriages.

originally posted by: i77oomiknotti
a reply to: peacefulpete

but what seclion of history do you NOT want trolled and where has it been placed. When it was ordered to be placed there?

What?

originally posted by: Specimen
a reply to: peacefulpete

Heaven and hell the same coin, no one wants to move to Mexico, but everyone wants to go there. Some people like the summer others like the winter. The Asuras and Devas are the one after humans, and they both have there limits in the cycle.

I never really figured that Buddhists believe in the traditional sense of the western concept of hell. More less a nether/under world of sorts that stem from earlier believes. Eastern philosophy or metaphysics usually tend to go with flow, instead going against the grain.

Lust is one of the seven sins while being a basic instinct and is usually a big taboo, and last as long as celebrity marriages.

I think most Western / modern folks consider the 6 realms mostly as metaphor for our mental states.

Buddhism also has always believed in infinite different realms, dimensions, worlds, etc. including spirit realms.

So naturally there must be spirit realms that are manifestations of our mental states, like of course there are demon realms as manifestations of anger and hatred.

You're right that Buddhism does NOT believe in the western version of hell (which is one reason that the temple is so unusual).

The biggest difference is that hell is not a PERMANENT afterlife because nothing is permanent, and the 6 realms are constantly being wandered through. (Again this might make more sense to consider as metaphor of our mental states that are always changing.)

Another huge difference is that Western religions have automatic reasons that people get sent to hell, such as being the wrong religion, or infidelity or something.

Buddhism doesn't have automatic reasons for people to go to hell. So for the very few souls who really make it to a literal hell afterlife, they would have to be terrible sinners, murderers and people like that. And if you think about it, such people DO need to have some kind of afterlife like that (at least for the non-repentent murderers and people like that). However, even then, hell is not forever.

If the afterlife is proportionate to our actions in life, then by far, most people would not deserve a hell afterlife.

Basically, people die and keep wandering among the 6 realms including being reborn, according to each person's karma, actions, desires, etc.

Which is really just saying that people will continue on, similar to how they wandered through their lives.

I choose to believe that rebirth is not an automatic thing. I don't want to come back after I'm gone. Maybe I'd fly around as a spirit but actual physical life on Earth is ridiculous lol.

a reply to: peacefulpete

If only...

I tend to find that Buddhism tries to to be more grounded in a sense and, refrains it self from some of the older supersitions of spirits and souls, which is said to differ from Hinduism and Christianity theology.

As for renditions of mental states or psychological interpretation of consciousness and it countless interactions, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

As for rebirth or the after life, I try not worry or get attached to such ideals, since I tend to find, one does not really live if they are jumping to far ahead. I find that the Dharma and Karma is like a butterfly gently flapping it wings, while else where a shat storm brewed elsewhere. Sci fi call it a butterfly effect.

originally posted by: peacefulpete

originally posted by: oldcarpy
a reply to: peacefulpete


Yet another thread of yours where you are misrepresenting what other posters are saying, slagging them off and arguing about petty semantic points until the cows come home.

Well no, just another thread with the troll factory crapping up my thread with such garbage posts as yours. I haven't been misrepresenting anything or arguing petty semantics, because...

Global anthropology and world history are not petty semantics lol.

So, I'm from a "troll factory" and my posts are "garbage"?

I am afraid that you are indeed arguing petty semantics and generally being rude to anyone who has the temerity to take issue with your various delusions. Not just in this thread, but also in virtually all of your other threads, too.

Please, grow up.

originally posted by: Specimen
a reply to: peacefulpete

If only...

I tend to find that Buddhism tries to to be more grounded in a sense and, refrains it self from some of the older supersitions of spirits and souls, which is said to differ from Hinduism and Christianity theology.

As for renditions of mental states or psychological interpretation of consciousness and it countless interactions, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

As for rebirth or the after life, I try not worry or get attached to such ideals, since I tend to find, one does not really live if they are jumping to far ahead. I find that the Dharma and Karma is like a butterfly gently flapping it wings, while else where a shat storm brewed elsewhere. Sci fi call it a butterfly effect.

Thank you for the thoughtful post.

If only... I tend to find that Buddhism tries to to be more grounded in a sense and, refrains it self from some of the older supersitions of spirits and souls, which is said to differ from Hinduism and Christianity theology.

If you're disagreeing with my descriptions of Buddhism: We can agree that Buddhism is very much open to interpretation by each individual person. And the interpretations are diverse, around the world.

But regardless, ghosts / spirits / demons etc. are built into Buddhism from the very beginning. Even if we take it as metaphor.

Enlightenment (nirvana) is freedom from samsara, which is the wandering through the 6 realms.

The 6 realms (of unenlightened existence) are:

-- Humans
-- Animals

-- Heavenly beings
-- Fighting demons

-- Hungry ghosts realm
-- hell realm



So those are the 6 realms which represent the 6 types of existence (for unenlightened beings to wander through).

Wandering the 6 realms is what samsara is: Unenlightened existence.

Enlightenment is freedom from wandering the 6 realms of unenlightened existence.

Anyway, I was just trying to show that ghosts and different spirit-realms are built right into the most basic concept of Enlightenment that Buddhism is based on.

We can consider it all as metaphor but I imagine that less modernized countries would probably take such teachings more literally as describing real ghosts and spirits.

originally posted by: oldcarpy

originally posted by: peacefulpete

originally posted by: oldcarpy
a reply to: peacefulpete


Yet another thread of yours where you are misrepresenting what other posters are saying, slagging them off and arguing about petty semantic points until the cows come home.

Well no, just another thread with the troll factory crapping up my thread with such garbage posts as yours. I haven't been misrepresenting anything or arguing petty semantics, because...

Global anthropology and world history are not petty semantics lol.

So, I'm from a "troll factory" and my posts are "garbage"?

I am afraid that you are indeed arguing petty semantics and generally being rude to anyone who has the temerity to take issue with your various delusions. Not just in this thread, but also in virtually all of your other threads, too.

Please, grow up.

The problem is that I always do think you are just trolling lol.

And I can't take things seriously, even if I wanted to. Like you're talking about me arguing semantics, but I haven't lol. If you're referring to discussion of world religion and world history, those are important topics and it's not semantics to discuss such topics.

And tell me what "delusions" you think I have? The temple is REAL. It's a physical temple in Sri Lanka. That's the topic of the thread. Tell me what delusions you think you're seeing because I think you're just a troll.

My other threads are also not delusional. I made a thread about an interesting photo. Big deal. You're being ridiculous to say there's anything delusional about such topics.

"Grow up?" How do you want me to respond to you trolls? I've been at least responding with realistic answers to most of the posts from you guys.

a reply to: peacefulpete

The problem is that I always do think you are just trolling lol.

Therein lies your problem. You are an extremely unpleasant poster who labels anyone who disagrees with you "trolls" and then gratuitously insults them. It's beyond tedious so I will leave you to this steaming pile of ordure of a thread.

originally posted by: oldcarpy
a reply to: peacefulpete

The problem is that I always do think you are just trolling lol.

Therein lies your problem. You are an extremely unpleasant poster who labels anyone who disagrees with you "trolls" and then gratuitously insults them. It's beyond tedious so I will leave you to this steaming pile of ordure of a thread.

Well judging by your posts and their frequency, and their abrasiveness and negativity: You seem to absolutely love my threads, and clogging them up with dozens of insults and meaningless tangents off topic.

Right?

a reply to: peacefulpete


Wrong on all counts. You are the one calling everyone else trolls. Anyway, I will leave you to argue with yourself.

Here are some more photos of the temple that were not in the video.

A very colorful Buddha:


A clutter of beautiful figures:


I really like this cluttered shot with a Buddha on the left side of the photo:




An outside shot, showing the building that the Buddha statue sits against:


Looks like a stairwell with everything painted:


And of course, a couple hell shots.

This shows people breathing out fire... I'm guessing that someone imagined that this would happen if it was really, really hot lol.


A monkey demon or something:


A peaceful outside photo:


What a place!!