Trailokya

Trailokya (Skt., also triloka or trilokya; Pali: tiloka; Tibetan: khams-gsum (Wylie)) has been translated as "three worlds," "three spheres," "three planes of existence," "three realms" and "three regions." These three worlds are identified in Hindu and early Buddhist texts, have counterparts in Brahmanical sources and are elaborated upon by more recent Theosophical theory.

Buddhist theory

In Buddhism, the three worlds refer the following karmic rebirth destinations:

• Kāmaloka:
  world of desire, typified by sexual and other desires, populated by hell beings, animals, ghosts, humans and lower demi-gods.
• Rūpaloka:
  world of form, predominately free of baser desires, populated by jhana-dwelling gods, possible rebirth destination for those well practiced in jhanic absorption.
• Arūpaloka:
  world of formlessness, noncorporal realm populated with four heavens, possible rebirth destination for practitioners of the four formlessness stages.

Brahmanical system

Bhuvanatraya is the brahmanical fourfold division of worlds. These systems can be juxtaposed in the following manner:

Brahmanical Worlds		Buddhist Worlds
1. Bhur, earth.		1. World of desire, Kamadhatu or Kamaloka.
2. Bhuvah, heaven, firmament.		2. World of form, Rupadhatu.
3. Swar, atmosphere, the sky.	}	3. The formless world, Arupadhatu.
4. Mahar, eternal luminous essence.

Each of the brahmanical worlds represents a post-mortem state.

Tri-loka (Three worlds) in Gaudiya-vaisnavism

Gaudiya-Vaisnava scriptures when describing material worlds, divide them into 'three worlds'. These three worlds also correspond to 14 planetary systems. Three worlds are: Higher planetary systems, middle planetary systems, and lower planetary systems. Our Earth is in a middle - between higher and lower planetary systems, thus giving opportunity to stop material activities but transform them into spiritual activities: karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, meditation/yoga, bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga itself is divided into mixed devotion and pure devotion. Bhakti mixed with knowledge, jnana is jnana-misra-bhakti. Those souls, jivaatmas who pratice cultivation of knowledge can go beyong three worlds to impersonal Brahmajyoti, but if they don't know about spiritual diversity, they remain there - neither in material nor spiritual world (so it is also called 'spiritual suicide'). But jnana-yoga can become purified to jnana-misra-bhakti, by knowing difference between impersonal Brahman realization of Absolute Truth and localized Paramatma realization. However, there are those who are not even aware about spiritual world, and know only about higher planetary systems (material heavenly planets), and engage in worshipping demigods. Unfortunately, even on planets of demigods soul would also have to die and reincarnate, so it is strongly adviced to know the purpose of Vedic rituals. Demigods are considered devotees of Vihnu. After studying structure of material universe, authorities of Vedic knowledge let us know that there is no true happiness in material world. So they advice to reject material activity and engage in spiritual activity of devotional service. Thus karma-yoga can become karma-misra-bhakti. However still there are other people, yogis, who practice meditation on Paramatma. Paramatma is higher step of realization of Absolute Truth, next after impersonal Brahman realization. However, it is still better to engage not simply in yoga-meditation, but in Bhakti, free from karmic desires of material attachment, and even also free from desire to liberate even to impersonal Brahmajyoti. One who is not fortunate enough on path on bhakti-yoga, may not get to spiritual world in this life, so he may go to some higher planets in material world. However he would come back to Earth if he wouldn't practice bhakti there. So this Earth is a good opportunity for every soul so become free from millions of births and deaths. Srimad-Bhagavatam as commentary on Vedanta describes 14 planetary systems of material world. One may study them and understand that there is no happiness on any planet. Thus he should become purified from desire to live on any planet of material world, even if that is higher planet and life there is better than on Earth. It is said that every conditioned soul here, in material world, first was Brahma. So one can go highest planet of Brahma, but even Brahma is meditating on Vishnu and has live his 100 long (for us) years of Brahma, but still even Brahma is not free from matter and thus death. So noone should try to improve his material position, but try to worship Vishnu/Paramatma in his heart. One can know that there are 14 planetary systems with 8-400-000 kinds of living beings there, but they all have Paramatma in their hearts. Knowing this one should understand himself (as jivaatma) subservient to Supersoul. And the next step of realization of to engage in devotional service of devotee, bona-fide spiritual master in chain of authoritative disciplic succession. In this way one would have to find association of devotees and serve them. By the mercy of devotees he would sooner or later can be freed by mercy of Krishna, giver of liberation, and thus it would be real liberation and not simply artificial negation of material activities without anything spiritual instead. In end of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto 2: The Cosmic Manifestation, Chapter 5: The Cause of All Causes [[1]], verses 35 to 42 describe virāṭ-rūpa, universal form which is imagined by great philosophers. This form is not false, but still is imaginary. One who at present can't accept transcendental two-handed form of Lord Sri Krishna, is adviced to meditate on universal form. So this form is more or less imaginary. 7 upper planetary systems are located above waist of universal form, lower planetary systems are below His waist. It is said that Maha-Vishnu, from pores of whose body many material universe appear when he breathes out, who layed down on Causal Ocean, came out of it and divided Himself as Hiraṇyagarbha, and entered into each universe and assumed the virāṭ-rūpa, with thousands of legs, arms, mouths, heads etc. So the expansions of the planetary systems within each and every universe are situated in the different parts of this virāṭ-rūpa (universal form). So all these three worlds can be said to be situated on universal form, roughly described above.

Theosophical views

According to Blavatsky's posthumously published Theosophical Glossary (1892):

• Kamaloka (or kamadhatu) is the world of Mara. Kamaloka has, like every other world, its seven divisions, the lowest of which begins on earth or invisibly in its atmosphere; the six others ascend gradually, the highest being the abode of those who have died owing to accident, or suicide in a fit of temporary insanity, or were otherwise victims of external forces. It is a place where all those who have died before the end of the term allotted to them, and whose higher principles do not, therefore, go at once into Devachanic state—sleep a dreamless sweet sleep of oblivion, at the termination of which they are either reborn immediately, or pass gradually into the Devachanic state. This is that which medieval and modern Kabalists call the world of astral light, and the "world of shells".

• Rupaloka (or rupadhatu) is the celestial world of "form" (rupa), or what we call "Devachan." With the uninitiated Brahmans, Chinese and other Buddhists, the Rupadhatu is divided into eighteen Brahma or Devalokas; the life of a soul therein lasts from half a Yuga up to 16,000 Yugas or Kalpas, and the height of the "Shades" is from half a Yojana up to 16,000 Yojanas (where a Yojana measures from five and a half to ten miles). Esoteric Philosophy teaches that though for the Egos for the time being, everything or everyone preserves its form (as in a dream), yet as Rupadhatu is a purely mental world, and a state, the Egos themselves have no form outside their own consciousness. Esotericism divides this world into seven Dhyanas, "regions", or states of contemplation, which are not localities but mental representations of these.

• Arupaloka (or arupadhatu) is a world that is again divided into seven Dhyanas, still more abstract and formless, for this "World" is without any form or desire whatever. It is the highest world of the post-mortem Trailokya; and as it is the abode of those who are almost ready for Nirvana, and is, in fact, the very threshold of the Nirvanic state, it stands to reason that in Anupadhatu (or Arupavachara) there can be neither form nor sensation, nor any feeling connected with our three dimensional Universe.

See also

• Rebirth (Buddhism)
• Six realms
• Trikaya

Sources

• Berzin, Alexander (March 6, 2008). Berzin Archives Glossary. Retrieved Sunday July 13, 2008 from "Berzin Archives" at http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/about/glossary/glossary_tibetan.html.

• Blavatsky, H.P. (1892). Theosophical Glossary. London: Theosophical Publishing Society. Retrieved 2008-07-14 from "The Theosophical Glossary (United Lodge of Theosophists, Phoenix, Arizona)" at http://theosophicalglossary.net/.

• Fischer-Schreiber, Ingrid, Franz-Karl Ehrhard, Michael S. Diener and Michael H. Kohn (trans.) (1991). The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen. Boston: Shambhala Publications. ISBN 0-87773-520-4.

• Monier-Williams, Monier (1899, 1964). A Sanskrit-English Dictionary. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-864308-X. Retrieved 2008-07-13 from "Cologne University" at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/index.php?sfx=pdf.

• Purucker, G. de (ed.-in-chief) (1999). Encyclopedic Theosophical Glossary: A Resource on Theosophy. Theosophical University Press. Retrieved from "The Theosophical Society" at http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/etg-hp.htm.

• Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary. Chipstead: Pali Text Society. Retrieved 2008-07-13 from "U. Chicago" at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.

External links

• Bullitt, John T. (2005). The Thirty-one Planes of Existence. Retrieved 2007-04-30 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sagga/loka.html.