The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart.
10 June 2024
“Kāma-loka, rūpa-loka, and arūpa-loka.”
Question from Italy: “What is the difference between kāma-loka, rūpa-loka, and arūpa-loka as they are all mental realities?”
Than Ajahn: “These are the 3 realms of existence. ‘Kāma-loka’ means the realm of existence of the mind that still has cravings for the senses as the objects of pleasures. Those who still like to see, to hear, to feel, to touch, to smell, to taste, will be born in the kāma-loka, the realm of sensual pleasures. They are animals and humans – which have physical bodies; Devas and the lesser beings – which have no physical bodies.
The lesser beings are beings which have done bad kamma and they exist as hungry ghosts or other undesirable forms of beings like beings in hell. This is the composition of the kāma-loka, the sphere of sensual existence.
Those who can practice meditation and attain rūpa-jhāna – the first, second, third and fourth rūpa-jhāna, will be born in the rūpa realm, the realm of calm where they don’t need to have a body to make them happy.
Those who can practice and develop the arūpa jhāna, they will go into a higher realm of existence which has more happiness than the rūpa realm. So, these are the 3 realms of existence where all minds exist by virtue of their kamma or the practice.
If they still have the desire for the sensual gratification, then they will be stuck in the sensual sphere of existence. If they can satisfy the mind by meditation and enter into the 4 rūpa jhānas, then they will be in the rūpa sphere of existence. And if they can enter the arūpa jhānas, then they will enter into the arūpa sphere of existence.”
Question: “Is human kingdom the only physical realm?”
Than Ajahn: “No, the animals also have the physical parts. As far as physical body is concern, the animals and humans are the same. The difference between them is the ability to separate the right things from the wrong things. Humans have the ability to know that hurting other people is wrong, while animals don’t have that ability. So, if a human being cannot separate the right from wrong, even though he or she has a human body, he or she is virtually an animal. That’s why sometimes the authority have to put this type of person in jail because he or she cannot separate right from wrong. He or she behaves like an animal.”
“Dhamma in English, Q&A session, May 16, 2018.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
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