hells - naraka - di-yu - hell realms

"The term 'hell' is a translation of two Chinese characters which literally mean 'ground prison'. Just as there are prisons made by governments to punish offenders in the human realm, so too are there prisons in the shadowy places within the ground. Those prisons, or hell, differ from those among human beings in that they are not prepared by a governmental authority to await the arrival of criminals. The hells have no concrete form, only names. When a being is due to fall into one, however, it is manifested as a result of that being's powerful karma." (SPV 141)

Within the three seas are hundreds of thousands of great hells, each one different. There are eighteen that are specifically known as great hells. In succession there are five hundred with unlimited cruel sufferings, and further there are over one hundred thousand with limitless sufferings. (SPV 84-85)

"The word 'sea' represents a large quantity and does not necessarily denote an actual body of water. Here it symbolizes the powerful karma of living beings, as vast as a boundless sea. The three seas represent the deeds done by the bodies, mouths, and minds of living beings.

"There are hundreds of thousands of then thousands of hells, each one with its own attributes, each hell corresponding to an evil deed done by a living being. Hells are not prepared before living beings fall into them; rather they are manifestations of the various particular karmas of beings. Whatever evil deed a being has done elicits a corresponding hell.

"For example, in the roasting hell there is a large hollow brass pillar full of fire. Those guilty of sexual misconduct fall into this hell and see the roasting pillar as a person. Men, for example, see it as a beautiful woman who they rush to embrace, only to find themselves burned so badly that they cannot pull their seared flesh away from the pillar. A woman sees the pillar as her most beloved partner in life and rushes to him only to be seared to death.

"As soon as death occurs in the roasting hell, a wind called the 'Clever Breeze', a wonderful dharma, blows and revives the dead, who then forget the painful consequences of their behavior, recalling only its pleasurable aspects. Driven by this memory, they rush to the pillar again, only to find the cycle repeated. The roasting hell is only one of the many hells, and each one is unique. Eighteen are called great, and within each of these eighteen there are eighteen subsections." (SPV 85-86)

1) Chinese Mandarin: di yu , 2) Sanskrit: naraka, 3) Pali: naraka, 4) Alternate Translations: purgatory, a place of torment for the deceased.

Buddhist Text Translation Society (http://www.BTTSonline.org) References: SPV 84-6, 141-3; TD 52-54; FAS-VP 24; SS VII 128-155.

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These Good and Wise Advisors (Kaliyanamitra) Dharma Master teachers include Arya Venerables Nagarjuna, Ashvaghosha, Aryasura, Kumarajiva, Shantideva, Chandrakirti, Chandragomin, Vasubandhu, Asanga, Hui Neng, Atisha, Kamalashila, Dharmarakshita, Tsong Khapa, Thogme Zangpo, Patanjali, Sushruta, Charaka, Vagbhata, Nichiren, Hsu Yun, Hsuan Hua, Shen Kai, Tenzin Gyatso, Kyabje Zopa, Ajahn Chah, Vasant Lad, and other modern day masters. We consider them to be in accord with Master Hsuan Hua’s "Seven Guidelines for Recognizing Genuine Teachers"

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See also: Tripitaka (1. Sutras, 2. Vinaya, 3. Shastras or Abhidharma, or Tantra), Taisho Catalog Numbering System, Dharma, and names of individual sutras (such as Shurangama Sutra, Avatamsaka Sutra [Flower Adornment Sutra], Lotus Sutra [Wonderful Dharma Flower Sutra], Earth Store Sutra, Dharani Sutra, Brahma Net Sutra, Medicine Master Buddha Sutra, Sixth Patriarch Platform Sutra, Sutra in 42 Sections, Sutra on the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching, et al.

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         Name Recitation of Buddhas Amitabha-Amitayus, Medicine Buddha - Bhaisajya Guru - Akshobhya,
         and Bodhisattvas: Avalokiteshvara-Guanyin-Chenrezig-Mahakala, Tara, Samantabhadra Universal Worthy,
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Compilation Sources for the Above Material on the Teachings of the Buddha:

Primary Compilation Source: Epstein, Ronald B., Ph.D, compiler, Buddhist Text Translation Society's Buddhism A to Z, Burlingame, California: Buddhist Text Translation Society, 2003. ISBN: 0881393533 Paperback: 284 pages. www.BTTSOnline.org www.Amazon.com
http://www.bttsonline.org/product.aspx?pid=118 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0881393533/ref=ase_medicinebuddh-20

Secondary Compilation Source: The Seeker’s Glossary of Buddhism, 2nd ed., San Francisco, California: Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada, 1998: www.budaedu.org.tw

Secondary Compilation Source: Muller, Charles, editor, Digital Dictionary of Buddhism [DDB], Toyo Gakuen University, Japan, 2007: Username is "guest", with no password.
http://buddhism-dict.net/ddb - Based in large part on the Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms with Sanskrit and English Equivalents (by Soothill and Hodous) Delhi, India: Motilal Banarsidass, 1997.

Secondary Compilation Source: Ehrhard, Diener, Fischer, et al, The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen, Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala Publications, 1991. 296 pages. ISBN 978-0-87773-520-5 www.Shambhala.com, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0877735204/ref=ase_medicinebuddh-20,
http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-0-87773-520-5.cfm

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Updated May 10, 2008

(mwd)	=	Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon
(cap)	=	Capeller's Sanskrit-English Dictionary
(otl)	=	Cologne Online Tamil Lexicon
(cpd)	=	Concise Pahlavi Dictionary

1	(mwd)	naraka	(Nir. ; %{nara4ka} TA1r.) m. or n. hell , place of torment Mn. MBh. &c. ; (distinguished from %{pAtAla} q.v. ; personified as a son of Anr2ita and Nirr2iti or Nirkr2iti Ma1rkP. ; there are many different hells , generally 21 Mn. iv , 88-90 Ya1jn5. Pur. &c.) ; m. N. of a demon (son of Vishn2u and Bhu1mi or the Earth , and therefore called Bhauma , haunting Pra1g-jyotisha and slain by Kr2ishn2a) MBh. Pur. Ra1jat. &c. ; of a son of Vipra-citti VP. ; = %{deva-rAtriprabheda} (?) L. ; m. or n. N. of a place of pilgrimage MBh. (v.l. %{anaraka}) ; (%{ikA}) f. Pa1n2. 7-3 , 44 Va1rtt. 4 Pat.
2	(cap)	naraka	or {nara3ka} m. (n.) the lower world, hell (also personif.); m. N. of a demon killed by Kr2s2n2a.
3	(cap)	nAraka	, f. {I} 1 hellish, infernal; m. inhabitant or lord of the infernal regions.
4	(cap)	nAraka	2 m. hell or the infernal regions.