Avīci
Lowest and most severe Buddhist hell, also a Hindu naraka.
Within Buddhist cosmology, this Naraka level is the deepest and inflicts the greatest suffering, serving as a potential rebirth destination for those who performed severe misdeeds.[1] The hell is depicted as a cube whose sides measure 20,000 yojanas (equivalent to 240,000–300,000 km), situated far beneath the divine earth.[1]
Quick Facts
- Name meaning
- Without waves
- Dimensions
- Cube 20,000 yojanas (240,000 to 300,000 km / 186,411 mi) on each side
- Location
- Buried deep underneath the divine (non-visible) earth
- Ruler of hindu hells
- Yama
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
In Hinduism, Avīci is one of twenty-eight hells in Yama's kingdom, for those who bear false witness or lie in business or charity.[1] Buddhism teaches that this hell is temporary, allowing offenders to work off karma.[2] Some sources cite its duration as about 3.4 quintillion years.[2] The Lotus Sutra states that anyone who slanders it will enter Avīci at death.[3]
Translations of the name frequently render it as "interminable" or "incessant," highlighting unceasing torment, yet the suffering is considered temporary.[1] After a soul completes one kalpa and dies, it is repeatedly reborn in the same hell until its negative karma is fully expended.[4]
What the cited sources add
The Cula-kammavibhanga Sutta explains that beings are owners of kamma, heir to kamma, and kamma is their arbitrator.[5] According to the Cula-kammavibhanga Sutta, kamma differentiates beings by coarseness and refinement.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Avīci" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bane, "Encyclopedia of Imaginary and Mythical Places", McFarland, 2014-03-08, p. 28; Gray, "Compassionate Violence? On the Ethical Implications of Tantric Buddhist Ritual", Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 2007, p. 238–271; Sadakata, Akira (1997). Buddhist Cosmology: Philosophy and Origins, Tokyo: Kōsei Pub., p. 47 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Avīci" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "A Survey of Buddhist Temples and Monasteries", Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., 2007, p. 50 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Avīci" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mujū Ichien, "Sand and Pebbles: The Tales of Muju Ichien, A Voice for Pluralism in Kamakura Buddhism", SUNY Press, 30 August 1985, p. 19–20 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Avīci" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Shengyan (2002). The Sword of Wisdom: Commentaries on the Song of Enlightenment. Elmhurst, N.Y.: Dharma Drum Publications. p.159. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Cula-kammavibhanga Sutta: The Shorter Analysis of Action. facts only, no text reused. accesstoinsight.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Avīci (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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