地獄

Readings

Pinyin: dìyù

Wade-Giles: ti-yü

Hangul: 지옥

Korean MC: jiok

Korean MR: chiok

Katakana: ジゴク

Hepburn: jigoku

địa ngục

hell

• Or purgatory. Literally indicates a prison in the bowels of the earth where its prisoners are subject to all kinds of torture as a result of their extensive evil activities in their prior life (such as violating the precepts 破戒). The original Indic terms of naraka and niraya (Sanskrit and Pāli) are transliterated into Chinese as 奈落, 那落, 那落迦, 捺落迦, 泥黎, etc. It is considered as one of the three evil destinies 三惡道 (三惡趣) five destinies 五趣, six destinies 六道, and ten realms 十界. The scriptures have extensive categories and lists of the hells. In general, the hells are divided into three classes:
  1. Central, or radical, 根本地獄 consisting of, among the most well-known are the eight hot hells 八熱地獄 (八大地獄) and eight cold hells 八寒地獄 that extend between the saṃjīva 等活 and avīci 阿鼻 hells.
  2. The secondary hells are called 近邊地獄 adjacent hells or 十六遊增 each of its four sides, opening from each such door are four adjacent hells, in all sixteen; thus with the original eight there are 136. A list of eighteen hells is given in the 十八泥梨經.
  3. A third class is called the 孤地獄 (獨地獄) Lokāntarika, or isolated hells in mountains, deserts, below the earth and above it. Eitel says in regard to the eight hot hells that they range "one beneath the other in tiers which begin at a depth of 11,900 yojanas and reach to a depth of 40,000 yojanas."
  The composition of and relationship between the hells is explained in detail in such scriptures as the Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya 倶舍論. This extensive theory of hells developed over a long period of time, based on numerous sources and influences in Indian religion. All of the Buddhist dictionaries listed in the references for this entry contain extensive detail regarding the lists and attributes of the hells. [resp. Charles Muller; source(s): JEBD]
• The Sanskrit niraya is rendered into Chinese as explained by 不樂 joyless; 可厭 disgusting, hateful; 苦具, 苦器 means of suffering. "Earth-prison" is generally interpreted as hell or the hells; it may also be termed purgatory; one of the six gati or ways of transmigration.

  The cold hells are under "the two Tchahavālas and range shaft-like one below the other, but so that this shaft is gradually widening to the fourth hell and then narrowing itself again so that the first and last hell have the shortest, those in the centre the longest diameter."  "Every universe has the same number of hells, " but "the northern continent has no hell whatever, the two continents east and west of Meru have only small Lokāntarika hells... whilst all the other hells are required for the inhabitants of the southern continent." It may be noted that the purpose of these hells is definitely punitive, as well as purgatorial. Yama is the judge and ruler, assisted by eighteen officers and a host of demons, who order or administer the various degrees of torture.   "His sister performs the same duties with regard to female criminals," and it may be mentioned that the Chinese have added the 血盆池 Lake of the bloody bath, or "placenta tank" for women who die in childbirth. Release from the hells is in the power of the monks by tantric means.

  [resp. Charles Muller; source(s): Soothill]
• (Skt. apāya-bhūmi, avīci, naraka-gati, nāraka, nairayika, sanaraka; Pāli niraya; Tib. dmyal ba) [resp. Charles Muller; source(s): Hirakawa, YBh-Ind]

Dictionary References:

Bukkyō jiten (Ui), 731

Bulgyo sajeon, 823a

Zengaku daijiten (Komazawa U.), 428a

Iwanami bukkyō jiten, 347

Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha), 135a/148

Koga, 181

Japanese-English Zen Buddhist Dictionary (Yokoi), 274

Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura), 561d

Fo Guang Dictionary, 2311

Ding Fubao

Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa), 0292

Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki), (v.1-6)3574c

Bukkyō daijiten (Oda), 532-1-9*1094-3-24*1215-3*1421-1-8

(Soothill's) Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms, 207

Copyright © 2010 -- Charles Muller

generated: 2014-02-10