People who have everything but always want more may be Hungry Ghosts. Hungry Ghosts are associated with addictions, compulsions and obsessions. Greed and jealousy lead to rebirth as a Hungry Ghost. The Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Hungry Ghosts have huge, empty stomachs but their thin necks don't allow nourishment to pass so they are constantly hungry. Animals are not capable of rational thought or logic therefore they are unable to reflect on their situation or practice the ‘Dharma’. The Animal Realm: The Animal Realm is marked by ignorance and complacency. Human Realm: Liberation from the Wheel is possible only from the Human Realm and this Realm is considered to be the most suitable for practising ‘Dharma’ as humans are not completely distracted by pleasure like Gods & Demi-Gods or by pain and suffering like the beings in the lower realm. The Demi-Gods suffer from constant fighting and jealousy and from being killed and wounded in their wars with each other and with the Gods. But while making war on the Gods, they always lose, since the Gods are much more powerful. Eventually, their happy lives end and they suffer through rebirth in the lower realm.ĭemi-God Realm: The Demi-Gods have pleasure and abundance almost the same as Gods but they spend their time fighting among themselves or making war on the Gods. But since Gods lead such rich and happy lives, they don’t recognize the truth of suffering and their happiness, in a way is a curse in absence of any motivation to seek liberation from the wheel. WHEEL OF LIFE IMAGES FULLThose born in the God Realm lead long and enjoyable lives full of pleasure and abundance. God Realm: The Realm of the Gods (Devas) is the highest realm of the Wheel of Life and is depicted at the top of the Wheel. These six realms are six different types of rebirth that beings can enter into, each representing different types of suffering. While the lower realms consist of the hell realm, the animal realm and the hungry ghost realm. The higher realms consist of the god realm, the demi-god realm and the human realm. These six realms are divided into three higher realms and three lower realms. The third layer of the wheel is divided into six sections that represent the six realms of samsara. The dark half-circle indicates people experiencing the results of negative actions. The light half-circle indicates people experiencing the results of positive actions. These images represent Karma, the laws of cause and effect. * The other half-circle (usually dark) shows people in a miserable state being led downwards to lower states, possibly to the lower realms. * One half-circle (usually light) shows contented people moving upwards to higher states, possibly to the higher realms. The second layer of the wheel shows two-half circles: Second layer: Karma (Positive & Negative Actions) In Buddhism, ignorance, attachment and aversions are called ‘Three Poisons’ because they poison who harbours them and these are the forces that keep the Wheel of Life turning.
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