Spirituality and Science Series: Is there Hell?
From the first impression of the word Hell, one can link it to religion and even superstition.
Well, not just one group acknowledge Hell and the description of Hell exists in many ancient texts.
Buddhism
Buddhist sutras name several hells and hundreds of sub-hells. Most often, though, one hears of eight hot or fire hells and eight cold or ice hells.
The ice hells are above the hot hells. The ice hells are described as frozen, desolate plains or mountains where people must dwell naked. The ice hells are:
Arbuda (hell of freezing while skin blisters)
Nirarbuda (hell of freezing while the blisters break open)
Atata (hell of shivering)
Hahava (hell of shivering and moaning)
Huhuva (hell of chattering teeth, plus moaning)
Utpala (hell where one's skin turns as blue as a blue lotus)
Padma (the lotus hell where one's skin cracks)
Mahapadma (the great lotus hell where one becomes so frozen the body falls apart)
Christianity
The Bible describes Hell as weeping (Matt 8:12), wailing (Matt 13:42), gnashing of teeth (Matt 13:50), darkness (Matt 25:30), flames (Luke 16:24), burning (Isa 33:14), torments (Luke 16:23 everlasting punishment.
Taoism
According to Taoist perception, some speak of three to four 'Courts', other as many as ten in Hell. The ten judges in Hell are also known as the 10 Kings of Yama. Each Court deals with a different aspect of atonement. For example, murder is punished in one Court, adultery in another. According to some, there are eighteen levels in hell. Punishment also varies according to belief, but most speak of highly imaginative chambers where wrong-doers are sawn in half, beheaded, thrown into pits of filth or forced to climb trees adorned with sharp blade.
So you see, records of the detailed description of how Hell looks like exist for eons ago. There is no smoke without fire and that if something never exist, why take the time and effort to describe, record and spread it until today?
Nevertheless Hell is not just on the outside where ‘bad’ people will go after their deaths. Hell can already be created by the living by the various internal and mental suffering one gives to oneself. The term Living Hell describes it all. And I believe a lot of times, people who are almost living in a state of Heaven with food to eat everyday, a roof over their heads, money to spent, clothes to wear do not see and appreciate their blessings but laments on useless and unnecessary worries to the point of anxiety and depression.
So happiness can be created, so does Hell.
Now ask yourself again. Is there Hell?