Karma and Rebirth by Rev Ryuei Michael McCormick Ryuei.net > Pali Canon > Mahayana > Lotus Sutra > Blog

Six Paths of Rebirth

In explaining the effects of wholesome or unwholesome causes the Buddha referred to the possibility of rebirth in heaven or in hell in addition to rebirth in fortunate or unfortunate circumstances as a human being. How there can be rebirth without a self to be reborn and what it is that passes from the moment of death to the moment of rebirth (or conception) is dealt with in the article on dependent origination. Here we will simply address the various forms of rebirth wherein the effects of karma are made manifest.

In the Mahasihanada Sutta (Greater Discourse on the Lion's Roar) the Buddha specified that beings are reborn through four kinds of generation.

Shariputra, there are these four kinds of generation. What are the four? Egg-born generation, womb-born generation, moisture born generation, and spontaneous generation.

What is egg-born generation? There are these beings born by breaking out of the shell of an egg; this is called egg-born generation. What is womb-born generation? There are these beings born by breaking out from the caul; this is called womb-born generation. What is moisture-born generation? There are these beings born in a rotten fish, in a rotten corpse, in rotten dough, in a cesspit, or in a sewer; this is called moisture-born generation. What is spontaneous generation? There are gods and denizens of hell and certain human beings and some beings in the lower worlds; this is called spontaneous-generation. These are the four kinds of generation.  (MN 12: 32-33, see The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, pp. 168-169)

This was not meant to be a scientific analysis. The four kinds of generation may even have been a type of classification that predated the Buddha and was simply a shorthand way of referring to all possible forms of birth. In the time of the Buddha, and even today, people think in terms of beings arising from eggs (birds, flies and reptiles), from wombs (mammals), in moisture (bacteria and other microorganisms) and through miraculous transformations (butterflies or spiritual beings).

In the same discourse, the Buddha also spoke of the five paths of rebirth and nirvana. All life that arises from the four kinds of generation can be said to follow five paths: the path of hell, of hungry ghosts, of animals, of humanity, and of heaven.

Shariputra, there are these five destinations. What are the five? Hell, the animal realm, the realm of ghosts, human beings, and gods.

I understand hell, and the path and way leading to hell. And I also understand how one who has entered this path will, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell.

I understand the animal realm, and the path and way leading to the animal realm. And I also understand how one who has entered this path will, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in the animal realm.

I understand the realm of ghosts, and the path and way leading to the realm of ghosts. And I also understand how one who has entered this path will, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in the realm of ghosts.

I understand human beings, and the path and way leading to the human world. And I also understand how one who has entered this path will, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear among human beings.

I understand the gods, and the path and way leading to the world of the gods. And I also understand how one who has entered this path will, on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in a happy destination, in the heavenly world.

I understand nirvana, and the path and way leading to nirvana. And I also understand how one who has entered this path will, by realizing for himself with direct knowledge, here and now enter upon and abide in the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints.  (MN 12: 35-36, see Ibid, pp. 169-170)

Later, another path would be added to these, that of the fighting demons. The fighting demons were sometimes considered a part of the heavenly realm due to their power, but later teachings distinguished them from the heavenly beings, placing them even lower than the human realm because they were so irrationally driven by envy and ambition. The early tradition also considered life as a hungry ghost to be marginally better than life as an animal. Presumably this was because hungry ghosts retained a sense of identity and self-awareness, though irrationally overcome by selfish craving. Later tradition would consider the hungry ghost realm to be more akin to the hell realm, though not quite as severe. These six paths are borrowed from the Vedic cosmology and refer to the six realms through which living beings are said to transmigrate. They are also indicative of different states of mind and ways of viewing and interacting with the world based on underlying habits, tendencies, and assumptions. All of these states or potential destinations of rebirth are transcended through the realization of nirvana.

The lowest of the six is the path of hell wherein those who commit the ten courses of unwholesome conduct or other more heinous crimes against family, holy people, or the Dharma receive the karmic retribution for their deeds, esp. when those deeds are motivated by hatred or despair. It is important to remember that in Buddhism one is not thrown into hell or punished by some deity, it is the natural fruition of one s own karma. It is also not a state of eternal damnation, as in some Western conceptions of hell, but a temporary place of expiation, though it may seem interminable. The hell-dwellers are obsessed with their own suffering. The hell-dwellers are in state characterized by intense anguish, they lash out in unthinking rage, and wallow in self-pity, despair, paranoia, and self-destructiveness. The hells are the fruition of misdeeds and the outward reflection of the inhabitant s own character misshapen by their actions.

The path of the hungry ghost is only slightly better and the misdeeds that bring about such a state are of a similar nature to those committed by the hell-dwellers, but motivated by greed. The hungry ghost is said to have a large mouth and belly, but only a tiny throat. Hungry ghosts are obsessed with satisfying a craving that can never be quenched. They are in a state characterized by self-destructive addiction or fixation; the desire itself has become an unceasing source of torment. These addictions can be for drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, power, work, entertainment, or even religion; all these addictions, however, are an attempt to cover up the fundamental sense that life is suffering.

The path of the animals consists of those who commit offenses out of delusion and neglect and who then become those creatures ruled by instinct that inhabit the seas, the land, and the air. This is the path of predator and prey, territoriality, and rule by the alpha male. It is a state of cunning, primitive aggression, and instinctive desires. Animals do not look beyond immediate gratification and pay no heed to consequences or long-term benefit. Here, pleasure and pain reign supreme over reason and there is no sense of morality. Though not as inherently painful as the first two states, those in this state inevitably meet with frustration and confusion if not outright pain and suffering.

The path of the fighting demon originally referred to the arrogant demons that tried to overthrow the Vedic gods in their arrogance. Sometimes it is the ten courses of unwholesome conduct motivated by pride and envy leavened by some wholesome conduct that leads to this path. Sometimes it is the ten courses of wholesome conduct tainted by self-righteousness that leads to this path. Either way, the fighting demons are immensely powerful, quarrelsome, and filled with hubris. They are in a state characterized by jealousy, envy, anger, and aggression, and an inability to compromise with others motivated by insecurity or a feeling of inferiority.

The path of human beings is for those who follow the five precepts or their equivalents and refrain from killing, stealing, engaging in sexual misconduct, lying, and the use of intoxicants that cloud the mind and lower inhibitions. It is a state characterized by enlightened self-interest, the ability to apply reason and insight in order to attain desired objectives for one s own sake or for those with whom one identifies or cares about. This state is considered optimal for attaining enlightenment because human beings are not so overwhelmed by suffering that they feel powerless before it, nor are they so removed from obvious forms of suffering that they can afford to become complacent. As a human being one who is sensitive and takes the time to reflect can begin to ponder the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death, meeting the hateful, parting from what we love, not getting what is desired, and the constant instability of the five aggregates. This reflection can lead to liberation from suffering or even the arousal of the compassionate aspiration to help liberate all beings.

The highest of the six paths are the heavens where the gods make their abodes and is for those who follow the ten courses of wholesome conduct, give generously to good causes, and cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. The highest of the heavens are attained only through the cultivation of advanced states of meditative absorption. Unlike the Western concept of heaven, the Buddhist heavens do not refer to a realm of eternal salvation. Rather, they are temporary realms of bliss, though they may seem everlasting, wherein desires are temporarily satisfied as a reward for virtuous conduct or the attainment of meditative absorption. While their good fortune lasts, those in the heavens are all too prone to fall into a state of heedless bliss, accompanied by complacency, self-satisfaction, and even self-righteousness. Though the heavens seem to be free of suffering, in the fullness of time the karmic merits that allow for existence in them runs out. When this happens to a dweller in the heavens their halos of light becomes dimmed, they become fidgety and uneasy on their lotus seats, their flower garlands begin to wilt, their clothes become worn and dirty, and they start to sweat. The other deities begin to avoid them and before long they vanish from the heavens and are plunged back into rebirth in one of the lower worlds.

There are several important points that should be kept in mind in regard to the six paths. First, these are states of mind which all people experience constantly throughout everyday life. They are all interrelated and mixed; though each person tends to have certain states that predominate. Next, the suffering of the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and fighting demons all lead to either the self-defeating belief that suffering is inevitable or the equally self-destructive belief that suffering can be escaped through the very things which cause it, namely acts motivated by greed, hatred, and delusion; while the state of heaven misleads its inhabitants into disregarding suffering as of no great concern. Only in the human state is there an equal tension between happiness and suffering. For this reason, the human state is the most conducive to the cultivation of the path to liberation. Finally, all of these are states wherein external phenomena are allowed to determine whether one is happy or sad. However, only through the cultivation of right view can sentient beings achieve liberation from the suffering inherent in the conditioned and conditioning six paths of rebirth.