How many realms are there?

[Quintessence]

Examining different cosmological models of the universe is an interesting component of comparative religion. Does a religious tradition tell stories about the universe as being composed of only one realm (aka, plane, dimension, world), two realms, three realms, or more? For example, contemporary Druidry often teaches about a three realms model consisting of land, sea, and sky. In Christianity, there are realms called heaven, hell, and of course our mundane plane of existence.

What realms do you believe in? How does believing in this model impact your life (or does it)?

 

[Lunarious]

In islam Allah is the lord of the worlds.
In the Quran there are the left hand, right hand, and nearest (fastest to God) people.

My theory, have only read it:

The right hand are the lost, like wandering outside the village into the woods, they have tooooo much freedom, we call them Christians and Polytheists (Different things). Rejectors of truth.

The left hand are the bluntly truthfull (however much they try to hide it, if you know you know), those are the ones God is angry at.

The fastest/nearest are the middlepath people, thei'r not self-concious and that's IMO a good thing.

This has impacted my life by becoming a Devil, because i know. I'm destinied to hell. I don't know how i can unlearn what i've learnt. Painfully. Not by choise but because for some reason these factions are fighting.

Peace

 

[sun rise]

In Meher Baba's formulation, there are multiple planes and subplanes. There's the gross, physical world. Then there's a subtle, energy world, a mental world and finally the realm of the Divine.

 

[Srivijaya]

In Buddhism we have:

Thirty-one Planes of Existence

The realms of existence are customarily divided into three distinct "worlds" (loka), listed here in descending order of refinement:

• The Immaterial World (arupa-loka). Consists of four realms that are accessible to those who pass away while meditating in the formless jhanas.
• The Fine-Material World (rupa-loka). Consists of sixteen realms whose inhabitants (the devas) experience extremely refined degrees of mental pleasure. These realms are accessible to those who have attained at least some level of jhana and who have thereby managed to (temporarily) suppress hatred and ill-will. They are said to possess extremely refined bodies of pure light. The highest of these realms, the Pure Abodes, are accessible only to those who have attained to "non-returning," the third stage of Awakening. The Fine-Material World and the Immaterial World together constitute the "heavens" (sagga).
• The Sensuous World (kama-loka). Consists of eleven realms in which experience — both pleasurable and not — is dominated by the five senses. Seven of these realms are favorable destinations, and include our own human realm as well as several realms occupied by devas. The lowest realms are the four "bad" destinations, which include the animal and hell realms.

 

[Lunarious]

Additionally. Abrahamic and Buddhist believe in a later world, after the last day when everyone will be reborn (we say sent) by the Chosen one (ones) AKA Maitreya or Jesus or Imam Mehdi.

 

[Phantasman]

Examining different cosmological models of the universe is an interesting component of comparative religion. Does a religious tradition tell stories about the universe as being composed of only one realm (aka, plane, dimension, world), two realms, three realms, or more? For example, contemporary Druidry often teaches about a three realms model consisting of land, sea, and sky. In Christianity, there are realms called heaven, hell, and of course our mundane plane of existence.

What realms do you believe in? How does believing in this model impact your life (or does it)?

The Universe is perishable, As well as the Earth. And man. Christ taught of the infinities. The perfect Aeons (created by the perfect Father who is spirit). A place where life is ever (lasting) as well as the Aeon itself. There are many infinities (Aeons). Paul said he knew of a man caught up to the third (heaven/Aeon/infinity). He had a vision of being in the 7th and traveling beyond that to the ninth.


He called out, saying: "Whoever has ears to hear about the infinities, let him hear!"; and "I have addressed those who are awake." Still he continued and said: "Everything that came from the perishable will perish, since it came from the perishable. But whatever came from imperishableness does not perish but becomes imperishable. So, many men went astray because they had not known this difference and they died."- Sophia of Jesus Christ

Spiritual knowledge (gnosis) teaches us the difference.

It was the whole reason Christ came and taught the good news to man (Gospel).

 

[shunyadragon]

In the Baha'i Faith there are three divisions of the realms of existence; First the world of God, second the world of the manifestations of God, the third is Creation including the physical existence.

The concept of the realms of existence, there are five, but this is more complex and I will follow up.

 

[Buddha Dharma]

In Buddhism we believe there are several realms, that are all contained within one actual reality. The divisions are a product of the limitations of the faculties of the beings inhabiting the realm. The Buddha and Deva realms are the highest, while the hell realms are the lowest. The human realm is important because it is the best fertile ground for seeking spirituality and enlightenment. The god realm isn't the most ideal for this because gods have no motivation to seek anything that is inherent in their nature. They are almost infinitely blessed and gifted with unbelievable powers. However, in the view of Tendai historically, most gods are good. They pity humans because we're mortal. They develop love for us. They assist us in our spiritual aspirations and protect philosophy and practice. Some of them even recognize that the immortal lifespan is not truly eternal, and those gods have taken refuge in a philosophy like the Buddha's. Those gods are my brothers and sisters in the Sangha.

Some of these gods are stated to be Indra, Brahma, Vishnu, and so on from the Indian pantheon. I reverence these deities with especial affection because they are my fellow walkers in the path. I love them like I would any brother or sister. They protect the teaching and the world, and assist people with kind actions- both Buddhist and other.

 

[Phantasman]

In the Baha'i Faith there are three divisions of the realms of existence; First the world of God, second the world of the manifestations of God, the third is Creation including the physical existence.

The concept of the realms of existence, there are five, but this is more complex and I will follow up.

Interesting. These are a similar teaching of early Christian gnostics, especially Valentinus:

It is significant that Valentinus himself is credited with having written a treatise upon the threefold nature of man,[19] who is represented as at once spiritual, psychical, and material. In accordance with this there also arise three classes of men: the pneumatici, the psychici, and the hylici. This doctrine dates at least as far back as Plato’s Republic.

• The first, the material, will return to the grossness of matter and finally be consumed by fire.
• The second, or psychical, together with the Demiurge as their master, will enter a middle state, neither heaven (Pleroma) nor hell (matter).
• The third, the purely spiritual men will be completely freed from the influence of the Demiurge and together with the Saviour and Achamoth, his spouse, will enter the Pleroma divested of body and soul.

 

[Lunarious]

In islam Allah is the lord of the worlds.
In the Quran there are the left hand, right hand, and nearest (fastest to God) people.

My theory, have only read it:

The right hand are the lost, like wandering outside the village into the woods, they have tooooo much freedom, we call them Christians and Polytheists (Different things). Rejectors of truth.

The left hand are the bluntly truthfull (however much they try to hide it, if you know you know), those are the ones God is angry at.

The fastest/nearest are the middlepath people, thei'r not self-concious and that's IMO a good thing.

This has impacted my life by becoming a Devil, because i know. I'm destinied to hell. I don't know how i can unlearn what i've learnt. Painfully. Not by choise but because for some reason these factions are fighting.

Peace

Interestingly, the character for "body" is composed of that for "bone" on the left and that for "ritual vessel" on the right.






Bone





Vessel, ritual vessel

 

[SalixIncendium]

I've personally experienced at least three to which I can attest.

• Dream reality, that which is experienced during REM sleep.
• Temporal reality, which, if you're reading this, is the 'realm' you are experiencing right now.
• Absolute reality, the 'realm' of Brahman, from which the other two realities listed above exist upon, described by some as 'subtle,' but which I personally struggle to describe with words.

There is two others that I've experienced, only quite subtly, which I won't say with confidence they exist, but appeared to me as a dream within a dream (within a dream), if that makes any sense.

 

[Phantasman]

Interestingly, the character for "body" is composed of that for "bone" on the left and that for "ritual vessel" on the right.






Bone





Vessel, ritual vessel

Interesting.

Right and left was used by Jesus to show extremes, IMO.

Light and Darkness, life and death, right and left, are brothers of one another. They are inseparable. Because of this neither are the good good, nor evil evil, nor is life life, nor death death. For this reason each one will dissolve into its earliest origin. But those who are exalted above the world are indissoluble, eternal.- Gospel of Philip

They tether in opposites but are still attached at the common, until the common is perfected as "one" instead of two. We cannot know evil unless good exists to compare it to. Same with death, light, etc.

Spirit is void of two's to be one (with God).

Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one, and when you make the inside like the outside and the outside like the inside, and the above like the below, and when you make the male and the female one and the same, so that the male not be male nor the female female; and when you fashion eyes in the place of an eye, and a hand in place of a hand, and a foot in place of a foot, and a likeness in place of a likeness; then will you enter the kingdom."- Gospel of Thomas.

There is no inside/outside, above /below, even male/female. Those are of this Aeon (material). Even time itself (rate of decay) is absent. It's almost impossible to conceive with our limited knowledge, yet we receive a small understanding to build on to have faith in the greater existence.

Just the elation of the message makes this existence bearable and better. It's a seed (as Jesus said) that either grows in us, or dies, depending on our reaction to it.

Just my view.

 

[arthra]

different cosmological models of the universe is an interesting component of comparative religion.

In the Baha'i Faith there is a paradigm with three worlds: 10 The World of God; 2) the World of the Manifestation and 3) the World of the Creation.
THe concept is represented as follows:

We will begin with basic pattern of the design and, as we proceed, the picture will be complete:

+P14
This part of the symbol comprises three levels, each level indicated by a number. Together they represent the underlying belief which is the basis of all the religions of God. They are as follows:

(1) The World of God – The Creator
(2) The World of the Prophets or Manifestation – Cause, or Command
(3) The World of Man – Creation.

Explanation of the Symbol of the Greatest Name

 

[Willamena]

Examining different cosmological models of the universe is an interesting component of comparative religion. Does a religious tradition tell stories about the universe as being composed of only one realm (aka, plane, dimension, world), two realms, three realms, or more? For example, contemporary Druidry often teaches about a three realms model consisting of land, sea, and sky. In Christianity, there are realms called heaven, hell, and of course our mundane plane of existence.

What realms do you believe in? How does believing in this model impact your life (or does it)?

Just the one.

Believing in it impacts my life in that it's true.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Additionally. Abrahamic and Buddhist believe in a later world, after the last day when everyone will be reborn (we say sent) by the Chosen one (ones) AKA Maitreya or Jesus or Imam Mehdi.

There is no later world nor last days in Buddhism comparable with Abrahamic religion.

 

[Twilight Hue]

Examining different cosmological models of the universe is an interesting component of comparative religion. Does a religious tradition tell stories about the universe as being composed of only one realm (aka, plane, dimension, world), two realms, three realms, or more? For example, contemporary Druidry often teaches about a three realms model consisting of land, sea, and sky. In Christianity, there are realms called heaven, hell, and of course our mundane plane of existence.

What realms do you believe in? How does believing in this model impact your life (or does it)?

I avoid the term belief. There are many realms listed in Buddhism applicable to existence by way of whatever form manifests. It seems more of a characteristic by the way a person acts, thinks, and desires from which a particular realm relates.

I think one could traverse and experience many realms in a lifetime that can be as real as metaphorical imagery depicted on walls and various items that one comes across and connects.

Realms themselves are empty, for which no particular localisation or identification exists.

I think one of my favorite ways is creating a depictive realm with a sand mandala, then whisking all of it away with an understanding of the nature of such realms which come and go by way of form.
Any realm I happen to "believe" in arise and go via "original face" for which the term itself is empty in nature.