What are the six realms?

The six realms are the different kinds of existence in which, according to Buddhist teaching, beings are reborn. Together they make up samsara, the cycle of birth and death. They are often shown on the wheel of life, a painting found at the entrance of many Tibetan temples.

The six

• Gods (deva): beings who live in great pleasure and beauty, for a very long time, but not for ever.
• Demigods or titans (asura): powerful beings driven by jealousy and conflict.
• Humans: a mix of pleasure and pain, with the ability to reflect and choose.
• Animals: beings driven mostly by instinct, fear and the need to survive.
• Hungry ghosts (peta, preta): beings tormented by craving that can never be satisfied, often pictured with huge bellies and tiny mouths.
• Hell beings: those who experience intense suffering as the result of very harmful actions.

The early Pali texts usually list five destinations, counting the demigods with the gods or other groups. Later traditions, especially in Tibet and East Asia, commonly speak of six.

None of them is permanent

Rebirth in any realm is the result of karma, and it lasts only as long as that karma does. Even the gods eventually die and are reborn elsewhere. Even hell is not eternal. That is why no realm is the final goal. The aim of the path is to leave the whole cycle, which is nirvana.

The human realm is considered especially fortunate. There is enough suffering to motivate practice, enough happiness to allow it, and the chance to hear the teaching.

Realms as states of mind

Many teachers also read the six realms as states we pass through in this life. A moment of pride and comfort can feel like the god realm. Jealous rivalry is like the demigods. Endless wanting is the hungry ghost’s world, and rage can make life feel like hell. Seen this way, the teaching is a mirror for the mind.

Both readings are found in Buddhist traditions, and many people hold them together.

On the wheel of life

On the traditional painting, the realms are held in the grip of a fearsome figure representing impermanence. At the centre, a rooster, a snake and a pig stand for greed, hatred and delusion, which keep the wheel turning. Outside the wheel, a buddha figure points to the way out, a reminder that the cycle can end.