Page 259
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 5:27 pm
A kadamba tree grows on this continent. The inhabitants of this continent have no houses and sleep on the ground. They are 25 feet tall and live for 500 years. The continent of Uttarakuru lies to the north and has a square shape. Its perimeter is 8,000 yojanas, with each side measuring 2,000 yojanas. The Kalpavriksha or Kalpa Tree grows there, a tree said to live for an entire kalpa. The inhabitants of Uttarakuru are very prosperous. They do not need to work for food — food grows by itself — and they have no personal property. Their cities are built in the air. They are 48 feet tall and live for 1,000 years. Their protector is Vaiśravaṇa.
Animals — All types of animals live in this world, experiencing suffering, from the smallest insects to elephants.
Pretas — hungry spirits who are unable to satisfy their desires. Despite the abundance of food in the world of pretas, they cannot feel full, for their bellies are enormous while their mouths are no larger than the eye of a needle. Those who are born as pretas were greedy, cruel, and gluttonous in a past life. They dwell in deserts and abandoned places.”
Just so you understand, these are all social strata of society, not physical ones — don’t imagine literal deserts. This is all allegory, all sacred language.
Now then, what follows is the most intriguing part.
“Hells (Naraka)
Main article: Hell (Buddhism)
In the world of hellish beings, inhabitants are subjected to severe torments as a result of their karmic actions (i.e., deeds from previous lives). Unlike the Christian or Muslim concept of hell, these torments are not eternal: after a rather long period of atonement, the negative karma is cleansed, and beings may be reborn into higher worlds.
It is generally believed that the hellish dungeons in this world are located beneath the continent of Jambudvīpa. At the same time, it is noted that in an innumerable number of worlds, there also exists an innumerable number of hells.
Animals — All types of animals live in this world, experiencing suffering, from the smallest insects to elephants.
Pretas — hungry spirits who are unable to satisfy their desires. Despite the abundance of food in the world of pretas, they cannot feel full, for their bellies are enormous while their mouths are no larger than the eye of a needle. Those who are born as pretas were greedy, cruel, and gluttonous in a past life. They dwell in deserts and abandoned places.”
Just so you understand, these are all social strata of society, not physical ones — don’t imagine literal deserts. This is all allegory, all sacred language.
Now then, what follows is the most intriguing part.
“Hells (Naraka)
Main article: Hell (Buddhism)
In the world of hellish beings, inhabitants are subjected to severe torments as a result of their karmic actions (i.e., deeds from previous lives). Unlike the Christian or Muslim concept of hell, these torments are not eternal: after a rather long period of atonement, the negative karma is cleansed, and beings may be reborn into higher worlds.
It is generally believed that the hellish dungeons in this world are located beneath the continent of Jambudvīpa. At the same time, it is noted that in an innumerable number of worlds, there also exists an innumerable number of hells.