Difference Between East and West: Chinese Underworld Mythology

Hi everyone, I’m Ally When I was little, I remember going to this large cave with my family. The cave was huge and deep, and very dark. As I went down the steps, I could see sculptures on both sides lit by spotlights. The sculptures all depicted some sort of torture method, like sawing a person in half, chopping them into pieces, or gouging the eyes and tongues out. It was brutal and the creatures that were inflicting these torments were all scary looking. I later learned that it was a tourist attraction that depicted hell. And it had me wondering, how do people end up in hell? And what can I do to avoid suffering like the people in the sculptures? The concept of hell is universal and exists in all religions. For example in Christianity, the most famous depiction of hell is from the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. He introduced the concept of the Inferno and the Purgatory. According to him, there were nine circles of inferno and seven levels of purgatory. For Chinese people, the concept of afterlife was rooted in Daoism. However after Buddhism was spread to China during the Han dynasty, the concept of hell from Buddhism eventually merged with the concept from Daoism. And today the most common belief among Chinese people is the 18 levels of hell. In the Divine Comedy, each level of hell is clearly described with the reason why people were punished. However, in Buddhism, the number of levels and what each punishment corresponds to are not always clear. In some scriptures, it was recorded there were eight levels of fire hell and ten levels of freezing hell, making a combined total of 18 levels. Some other scriptures recorded there were eight big levels with 16 small levels within each big level. Either way, where a person ends up is an indication of how severe his or her sin was. The worse the sin, the lower the level. So what were the punishments for each sin according to Buddhism? In a Buddist scripture about hell, someone asked the Buddha, “There are people trapped inside a burning city. The four gates of the city are wide open, but once someone runs and reaches the gate, it closes. They would keep running around until they were burned to ashes. What crime did they commit?” The Buddha answered, “They committed arson when they were alive. They burned mountains and villages, and burned people and animals to death.” He asked again, “There are people trapped in a snowy mountain, freezing until their flesh cracks open. They cannot die and suffer endlessly. What crime did they commit?” The Buddha answered, “Some of them were thieves. They stole other people’s clothes and caused their victims to freeze to death. Others were people who skinned cows and sheep alive, inducing excruciating pain.” He asked again, “There are people stuck on mountains full of blades and swords. Their skin is slashed open and joints cut off. What crime did they commit?” The Buddha answered, “They were butchers when they were alive. They chopped up livestock and sold them by the pound.” Now they are suffering the same fate. There were also worse punishments. He asked about those who were chopped up into small pieces little by little from head to toe or from toe to head. Then their body would regenerate and the chopping would restart again. The Buddha said these people were the ones who didn’t believe in the Buddha, or did not respect their parents, or people who were executioners. Some of the other punishments include pulling the tongue off, deep frying in oil, hugging a burning pillar, skinning, being buried in urine and feces, etc. etc. And according to Buddhism, each level’s suffering time is twice as much as the level before. So the more severe the crime, the longer one has to suffer. And how long is the first level of hell? 10 thousand years However these 18 levels of hell are not even the most horrifying thing that could happen. Because the purpose of hell is not just to inflict pain and punish people, but for them to repay for their wrongdoings so they could reincarnate again. The worst of the worst is a level called Avīci. It’s reserved for those with the most evil and severe sins. They would be put into this level and suffer until their souls perish. And then they are truly gone. So the way I see it, the universe is just and fair to everyone. One may think they can get away with crimes and bad deeds, but nothing will go unpunished in the afterlife, not a single misdemeanor, as small as making fun of someone or wasting food. And remember, the examples I mentioned today are all from 2500 years ago during Buddha Shakyamuni’s time. The things people do in modern times have gotten a lot worse, such as organized crime, selling and doing drugs, and sexual promiscuity. The things people do in modern times have gotten a lot worse, such as organized crime, selling and doing drugs, and sexual promiscuity. I can’t imagine what kind of suffering these actions will face. So what’s your thoughts on hell? Do you know of any other punishments? Let me know in the comments Another reminder that I always publish my videos first on Gan Jing World - a pure and clean platform free from violence, crime, and erotic content. Thank you for watching. I’ll see you next time!