Regular events

Sangha night

The six realms of the wheel of life

The hell realm

Sadly, tonight's topic has nothing to do with pizza. As we continue our theme of the Tibetan wheel of life, we look at another realm that unskillful choices can lead us into. You don't need to believe in re-birth to understand the relevance of the six realms of existence. They can be thought of as states in which we can reside at various times in our life, depending on the conditions we experience and our response to them.

Tonight, Vajrasarasi will share her reflections on the hell realm. Hell-beings (as occupants of the hell realm are known) find themselves in great (psychological) pain, traditionally depicted as either burning heat, or freezing cold. When interpreted psychologically, hell beings are often recognized by their acute aggression. Fiery hell beings are angry and abusive, and they drive away anyone who would befriend or love them. Icy hell beings repel others with their coldness. Then, in the torment of their isolation, their aggression increasingly turns inward, and they become self-destructive.

We can probably think of people in our lives who have behaved in this way. We may even have visited the hell realm ourselves at some stage. Even when our greatest need is friendship, kindness and compassion, we find ourselves in such a chaotic state of anguish that we become locked in a small black ball of isolation, seemingly impervious even to metta (loving-kindness).

Join us as Vajrasarasi reflects on the situations in life that can draw us into the hell realm, and how we work with ourselves and others to ensure we don't become a hell-being.

Wednesday nights are a place for people who have attended our foundation courses to come together and celebrate community, deepen their knowledge of Buddhism, and their understanding of how to practice it. They generally include a talk and discussion, a social cup of tea and meditation.

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