Question : (Unedited)
Who are those beings that torture the sufferring beings in the hell? What/Who gave them the right and do they accumulate bad karma for doing the job?
My comment:
Frankly, I don't believe in this torturing business. I think it was the result of our little deluded mind that conjured up these fancy and terrible stories to scare evil doers and potential ones. (This is just my personal opinion.)
The Law of Kamma takes its due in the natural process of things. It does not need others to implement punishment.
4 comments:
There is a sutta called Devadutha, where it can be found on MAJJHIMA NIKAAYA. It clearly describes there is a place called niraya or hell where evildoers are reborn after death according to their evil kamma. And it also describes the guardians of the hell.
You can find the Devadutha Sutta at: http://www.vipassana.info/130-devaduta-e.htm
As far as I know, I maybe wrong, the concept of hell and heaven is not part of Buddha's teaching. We should not equate Nibbana with heaven.
In essence, no one has the rights to punish the other. Law of karma takes it own course, whether one believes it or not.
Hi Charm Girl,
I consulted one of my learned teachers, Rev. Dhammika and this is what he said:
"The Buddha said that there are two types of suttas, those of direct or literal meaning (nitattha) and those of indirect or allegorical meaning (neyyattha, Anguttara Nikaya I, 59). The sutta you refer to is clearly one of the second. Negative kamma certainly does have painful and distressing results but no one inflicts that pain (i.e. devils and demons in hell torturing). Rather, it is created in and experienced in the evil-doers mind. The Buddha put it in these words and used this imagery to make the idea of kammic consequences more understandable. The Buddha also says that the if you mistake a sutta of allegorical meaning with a sutta of literal meaning you might misrepresent the Buddha."
You can read his wonderful blog @
http://sdhammika.blogspot.com/
Hi Justin,
If someone says there is no hell then that person can’t accept different realms described by Buddha. He doubts about four realms out of six which were taught by Buddha. Six realms are Deva realm, Human Realm, Asura Realm, Animal realm, Preta realm, Naraka (Hell) realm. It is not wise to think that there is no Deva/Asura/Preta/Hell because the existence of these realms is clearly mentioned by Buddha to his great understanding which is not mere knowledge, but insight wisdom arising from spiritual realization into the actual nature of this universe.
These suttas are not just stories taught by Buddha to scare to evil doers and potential ones. If we think like that we may have to reject several other suttas as well. Buddha just wanted to teach the reality of this nature and help others to end this suffering.
I really appreciate if you can send me the direct link to the relevant sutta where Buddha has said there are two categories of Sutta taught by him as I couldn’t find it in the Blog you have mentioned.
Thanks,
May the triple gem bless you…!!!
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