Part 6:
The 6 Paths of Rebirth

In a previous translated text called

'The Long River of Our Spiritual Life', you may encounter the six realms of existence, namely the

• Heavenly Realm,

• Human Realm,

• Asura Realm,

• Animal Realm,

• Hungry Ghost Realm

and

• Hell Realm

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

🌤 1. The Heavenly Realm （天界）

A realm of pleasure, beauty, and long life.

Beings here enjoy the fruits of past good karma—generosity, virtue, and meditation. Yet, their joy is impermanent. When their merit is exhausted, they fall into lower realms.

👤 2. The Human Realm （人界）

We are here today!

The most precious realm for spiritual practice. The human realm offers the rare chance to hear the Dharma (Buddhist teachings) and seek liberation.

Here, beings experience both joy and suffering, making it ideal for cultivating wisdom and compassion, and also a chance to cultivate and practice Buddhism and becoming a Buddha one day.

⚔️ 3. The Asura Realm (阿修羅界)

A realm of strength, pride, and conflict.

Beings here may have power or beauty, but they often fight and feel jealous.

WHY the ASURA Realm? Good karma mixed with anger leads here. It’s hard to find peace in constant struggle.

🐾 4. The Animal Realm (畜生界)

A realm of instinct and survival.

Beings live as animals—cats, dogs, cows, birds, fish—often without understanding or freedom.

WHY the ANIMAL Realm? Ignorance and lack of moral awareness lead here.

🔥 5. The Hungry Ghost Realm (餓鬼界)

A realm of hunger, loneliness, and craving.

Beings here suffer from deep desires they cannot satisfy. Some wander without a home or purpose.

WHY the HUNGRY GHOST Realm? Greed and attachment lead to this realm.

🕳 6. The Hell Realm (地獄界)

A realm of pain, punishment, and darkness.

Beings here suffer from the results of serious harmful actions.

WHY the HELL realm? Anger (among other misconducts). 

--—— Extracted and summarised from an original piece 'The Spirit’s Journey Through the Realms' （《靈的生命》）(by Practitioner Xia Lian Ju, messages received by Venerable Hai Yuan) - You may refer to the original piece in the 'Additional Reading' section in the most bottom part.

The reality of Cause and Effect and Rebirth was experienced firsthand by the Buddha on his night of enlightenment. He clearly saw his own lives, how his soul travelled in the 6 Realms in his spiritual life with an untraceable origin. He also saw those of others, and their connections with him as well as the Oneness of all lives -- The equal Buddha Nature in every being.