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Diyu

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Diyu
Illustration from the Jade Record: Tortures being meted out in the Sixth Court of Hell
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese地獄
Simplified Chinese地狱
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDìyù
Burmese name
Burmeseငရဲ
Nga Yè
Tibetan name
Tibetanདམྱལ་བ་
Transcriptions
WylieDmyal Ba
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetĐịa ngục
Chữ Hán地獄
Thai name
Thaiนรก
RTGSNárók
Korean name
Hangul지옥
Hanja地獄
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationJiog
McCune–ReischauerJio'k
Mongolian name
Mongolian CyrillicTam
(Tam)
Mongolian scriptᠲᠠᠮ
Transcriptions
SASM/GNCTam
Japanese name
Kanji地獄
Transcriptions
RomanizationJigoku
Malay name
MalayNeraka
Lao name
Laoນະຮົກ
Na Hok
Khmer name
Khmerនរក ("Nɔrʊək")
Sinhalese name
Sinhaleseනිරය
nỉaya

Diyu (simplified Chinese: 地狱; traditional Chinese: 地獄; pinyin: dìyù; lit. 'earth prison') is the realm of the dead or "hell" in Chinese mythology. It is loosely based on a combination of the Buddhist concept of Naraka, traditional Chinese beliefs about the afterlife, and a variety of popular expansions and reinterpretations of these two traditions. The concept parallels purgatory in certain Christian denomininations.

Diyu is typically depicted as a subterranean maze with various levels and chambers, to which souls are taken after death to atone for the sins they committed when they were alive. The exact number of levels in Diyu and their associated deities differ between Buddhist and Taoist interpretations. Some speak of three to four "courts"; others mention "Ten Courts of Hell", each of which is ruled by a judge (collectively known as the Ten Yama Kings); other Chinese legends speak of the "Eighteen Levels of Hell". Each court deals with a different aspect of atonement and different punishments; most legends claim that sinners are subjected to gruesome tortures until their "deaths", after which they are restored to their original state for the torture to be repeated.

Alternative names

Among the more common Chinese names for the Underworld are:
  • Difu (Chinese: 地府; pinyin: Dìfǔ; Wade–Giles: Ti4-fu3), "Earth Mansion".
  • Huangquan (黄泉; 黃泉; Huángquán; Huang2-ch'üan2), "Yellow Springs".
  • Yinjian (阴间; 陰間; Yīnjiān; Yin1-chien1; 'Yin dimension'), "Land of Shade".
  • Yinfu (阴府; 陰府; Yīnfǔ; Yin1-fu3), "Shady Mansion".
  • Yinsi (阴司; 陰司; Yīnsī; Yin1-szu1), "Shady Office".
  • Senluo Dian (森罗殿; 森羅殿; Sēnluódiàn; Sen1-lo2 Tien4), "Court of Senluo".
  • Yanluo Dian (阎罗殿; 閻羅殿; Yánluódiàn; Yan2-lo2 Tien4), "Court of Yanluo".
  • Jiuquan (九泉; Jiǔquán; Chiu3-ch'üan2), "Nine Springs".
  • Zhongquan (重泉; Zhòngquán; Chung4-ch'üan2), "Heavy Spring".
  • Quanlu (泉路; Quánlù; Ch'üan2-lu4), "Road to the Spring".
  • Youming (幽冥; Yōumíng; Yu1-ming2), "Serene Darkness".
  • Yourang (幽壤; Yōurǎng; Yu1-jang3), "Serene Land".
  • Huokang (火炕; Huǒkàng; Huo3-kang4), "Fire Pit".
  • Jiuyou (九幽; Jiǔyōu; Chiu3-yu1), "Nine Serenities".
  • Jiuyuan (九原; Jiǔyuán; Chiu3-yüan2), "Nine Origins".
  • Mingfu (冥府; Míngfǔ; Ming2-fu3), "Dark Mansion".
  • Mingjie (冥界; Míngjiè; Ming2-chieh4), "Dark Realm", "Underworld".
  • Kujing (苦境; Kǔjìng; K`u3-ching4), "Dire Straits", "(Place of) Grievance".
  • Abi (阿鼻; Ābí; A1-pi2), "Avīci", the hell of uninterrupted torture, last and deepest of the Eight Hot Narakas.
  • Zugen (足跟; Zúgēn; Tsu2-ken1), "Heel".
  • Fengdu Cheng (丰都城; 酆都城; Fēngdū Chéng; Feng1-tu1 Ch'eng2), a reference to the Fengdu Ghost City.

Conceptions

Depiction of the punishments of Diyu at the Hell Museum, Bao Gong Temple, Singapore.

According to ideas from Taoism,[citation needed] Buddhism[1][2][3] and traditional Chinese folk religion, Diyu is a purgatory that serves to punish and renew spirits in preparation for reincarnation. Many deities, whose names and purposes are the subject of conflicting accounts, are associated with Diyu.

Some early Chinese societies speak of people going to Mount Tai, Jiuyuan, Jiuquan or Fengdu after death.[4][5] At present, Fengdu and the temples on Mount Tai have been rebuilt into tourist attractions, incorporating artistic depictions of hell and the afterlife.[citation needed] Some Chinese folk religion planchette writings, such as the Taiwanese novel Journeys to the Under-World, say that new hells with new punishments are created as the world changes and that there is a City of Innocent Deaths (枉死城) designed to house those who died with grievances that have yet to be redressed.[6]

Other terminology related to Diyu includes:

  • Naihe Bridge (奈何桥; 奈何橋; Nàihé Qiáo; Nai4-ho2 Ch'iao2), "Bridge of Helplessness", a bridge every soul has to cross before being reincarnated, they are said to drink the Mengpo soup (孟婆汤) at Naihe Qiao so they will forget everything in their current lives and prepare for reincarnation.
  • Wang Xiang Tai (望乡台; 望鄉臺; Wàng Xiāng Tái; Wang4 Hsiang1 T'ai2), "Home-Viewing Pavilion", a pavilion every soul passes by on his/her journey to the Underworld. From there, they can see their families and loved ones in the world of the living.
  • Youdu (Chinese: 幽都; pinyin: Yōu Dū; Wade–Giles: You1-du1), the capital city of Diyu, generally conceived as being similar to a typical Chinese capital city, such as Chang'an, but surrounded by and pervaded with darkness.
  • Youguo (油锅; 油鍋; Yóu Guō; You2-kuo1), "Oil Cauldron", one of the tortures in hell.
  • Santu (三涂; 三塗; Sān Tú; San1-t'u2), the "Three Tortures": Fire Torture (火涂; 火塗; Huǒ Tú; Huo3-t'u2), Blade Torture (刀涂; 刀塗; Dāo Tú; Tao1-t'u2), Blood Torture (血涂; 血塗; Xuě Tú; Hsüeh3-t'u2; 'spilling of blood').

Ten Courts of Yanluo

The concept of the "Ten Courts of Yanluo" (十殿閻羅) began after Chinese folk religion was influenced by Buddhism. In this variation of Chinese mythology, there are 12,800 hells located under the earth – eight dark hells, eight cold hells and 84,000 miscellaneous hells located at the edge of the universe. All will go to Diyu after death but the period of time one spends in Diyu is not forever – it depends on the severity of the sins one committed. After receiving due punishment, one will eventually be sent for reincarnation. Diyu is divided into ten courts, each overseen by a Yanwang. Souls pass from stage to stage at the decision of a different judge. The "Ten Courts of Yanluo" is also known as the Ten Courts of Yanwang (十殿阎王), Ten Lords of Minggong (冥宫十王), Ten Courts of Yan-jun (十殿阎君), Ten-Lords of Difu (地府十王), and Ten-Lords of Mingfu (冥府十王).


Ten Yanluo Lords
# Title Family name Chinese calendar
Birthday		 In charge of
(see the Cold and Hot Narakas for details)		 Notes
1 King Qin'guang
秦廣王		 Jiang
蔣		 1st day,
2nd month		 Life and death and fortunes of all humans Believed to be Jiang Ziwen
2 King Chujiang
楚江王		 Li
歷		 1st day,
3rd month		 Sañjīva, Arbuda
3 King Songdi
宋帝王		 Yu
余		 8th day,
2nd month		 Kālasūtra, Nirarbuda
4 King Wuguan
五官王		 Lü
呂		 18th,
2nd month		 Saṃghāta, Aṭaṭa
5 King Yanluo
閻羅王		 Bao
包		 8th,
1st month		 Raurava, Hahava Believed to be Bao Zheng
6 King Biancheng
卞城王		 Bi
畢		 8th day,
3rd month		 Mahāraurava, Huhuva, and City of Innocent Deaths
7 King Taishan
泰山王		 Dong
董		 27th day,
3rd month		 Tapana, Utpala
8 King Dushi
都市王		 Huang
黃		 1st day,
4th month		 Pratāpana, Padma
9 King Pingdeng
平等王		 Lu
陸		 8th day,
4th month		 Avīci, Mahāpadma
10 King Zhuanlun
轉輪王		 Xue
薛		 17th day,
4th month		 Sending souls for reincarnation
  • Entrance to the "Ten Courts of Hell" attraction in Haw Par Villa, Singapore. The Ox-Headed (right) and Horse-Faced (left) Hell Guards stand guard at the entrance.
    Entrance to the "Ten Courts of Hell" attraction in Haw Par Villa, Singapore. The Ox-Headed (right) and Horse-Faced (left) Hell Guards stand guard at the entrance.
  • Ming dynasty (16th century) glazed earthenware figurines representing three of the ten Yanwang or Yama Kings.
    Ming dynasty (16th century) glazed earthenware figurines representing three of the ten Yanwang or Yama Kings.
  • Stoneware figure from a judgement group, holding records of evil deeds. From China, Ming Dynasty, 16th century CE. The British Museum.
    Stoneware figure from a judgement group, holding records of evil deeds. From China, Ming Dynasty, 16th century CE. The British Museum.
  • Stoneware figure from a judgement group, holding a slim record of good deeds. From China, Ming Dynasty, 16th century CE. The British Museum.
    Stoneware figure from a judgement group, holding a slim record of good deeds. From China, Ming Dynasty, 16th century CE. The British Museum.

Eighteen levels of Hell

The headless ghost of Yue Fei confronting the recently deceased spirit of Qin Hui in the Sixth Court. The plaque held by the attendant on the left reads: "Qin Hui's ten wicked crimes." From a 19th-century Chinese Hell Scroll.

The concept of the eighteen hells started in the Tang dynasty. The Buddhist text Sutra on Questions about Hell (問地獄經) mentioned 134 worlds of hell, but was simplified to the Eighteen Levels of Hell in the Sutra on the Eighteen Hells (十八泥犁經) for convenience. Some literature refers to eighteen types of hells or to eighteen hells for each type of punishment.

Some religious or literature books say that wrongdoers who were not punished when they were alive are punished in the hells after death. Sinners feel pain and agony just like living humans when they are subjected to the tortures listed below. They cannot "die" from the torture because when the ordeal is over, their bodies will be restored to their original states for the torture to be repeated.[7][8][9][10][11][12]

The eighteen hells vary from narrative to narrative but some commonly mentioned tortures include: being steamed; being fried in oil cauldrons; being sawed into half; being run over by vehicles; being pounded in a mortar and pestle; being ground in a mill; being crushed by boulders; being made to shed blood by climbing trees or mountains of knives; having sharp objects driven into their bodies; having hooks pierced into their bodies and being hung upside down; drowning in a pool of filthy blood; being left naked in the freezing cold; being set aflame or cast into infernos; being tied naked to a bronze cylinder with a fire lit at its base; being forced to consume boiling liquids; tongue ripping; eye gouging; teeth extraction; heart digging; disembowelment; skinning; being trampled, gored, mauled, eaten, stung, bitten, pecked, etc., by animals.

Eighteen Hells
# Version 1 Version 2 As mentioned in Journey to the West
1 Hell of Tongue Ripping
拔舌地獄		 Naraka Hell
泥犁地獄		 Hell of Hanging Bars
吊筋獄
2 Hell of Scissors
剪刀地獄		 Hell of the Mountain of Knives
刀山地獄		 Hell of the Wrongful Dead
幽枉獄
3 Hell of Trees of Knives
鐵樹地獄		 Hell of Boiling Sand
沸沙地獄		 Hell of the Pit of Fire
火坑獄
4 Hell of Mirrors of Retribution
孽镜地狱		 Hell of Boiling Faeces
沸屎地獄		 Fengdu Hell
酆都獄
5 Hell of Steaming
蒸籠地獄		 Hell of Darkened Bodies
黑身地獄		 Hell of Tongue Ripping
拔舌獄
6 Hell of Copper Pillars
銅柱地獄		 Hell of Fiery Chariots
火車地獄		 Hell of Skinning
剝皮獄
7 Hell of the Mountain of Knives
刀山地獄		 Hell of Cauldrons
鑊湯地獄		 Hell of Grinding
磨捱獄
8 Hell of the Mountain of Ice
冰山地獄		 Hell of Iron Beds
鐵床地獄		 Hell of Pounding
碓搗獄
9 Hell of Oil Cauldrons
油鍋地獄		 Hell of Cover Mountains
蓋山地獄		 Hell of Dismemberment by Vehicles
車崩獄
10 Hell of the Pit of Cattle
牛坑地獄		 Hell of Ice
寒冰地獄		 Hell of Ice
寒冰獄
11 Hell of Boulder Crushing
石壓地獄		 Hell of Skinning
剝皮地獄		 Hell of Moulting
脫殼獄
12 Hell of Mortars and Pestles
舂臼地獄		 Hell of Beasts
畜生地獄		 Hell of Disembowelment
抽腸獄
13 Hell of the Pool of Blood
血池地獄		 Hell of Weapons
刀兵地獄		 Hell of Oil Cauldrons
油鍋獄
14 Hell of the Wrongful Dead
枉死地獄		 Hell of Iron Mills
鐵磨地獄		 Hell of Darkness
黑暗獄
15 Hell of Dismemberment
磔刑地獄		 Hell of Dismemberment
磔刑地獄		 Hell of the Mountain of Knives
刀山獄
16 Hell of the Mountain of Fire
火山地獄		 Hell of Iron Books
鐵冊地獄		 Hell of the Pool of Blood
血池獄
17 Hell of Mills
石磨地獄		 Hell of Maggots
蛆蟲地獄		 Avīci Hell
阿鼻獄
18 Hell of Sawing
刀鋸地獄		 Hell of Molten Copper
烊銅地獄		 Hell of Weighing Scales
秤桿獄

See also

References

  1. ^ 诸经佛说地狱集要 [Collection of Buddhist Texts about Hell]]. read.goodweb.cn/ (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  2. ^ 萧登福 [Xiao, Dengfu] (August 1988). 汉魏六朝佛教之"地狱"说（上） [Conceptions of "Hell" in the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties (Part 1)]. 东方杂志 [Eastern Magazine] (in Chinese). 22 (2): 34–40. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  3. ^ 萧登福 [Xiao, Dengfu] (August 1988). 汉魏六朝佛教之"地狱"说（下） [Conceptions of "Hell" in the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties (Part 2)]. 东方杂志 [Eastern Magazine] (in Chinese). 22 (3): 23–30. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  4. ^ 印順法師 [Yinshun]. 華雨集第四冊 [Hua Yu Collection Volume 4]. www.yinshun.org.tw (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 12 July 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  5. ^ 泰山崇拜与东岳泰山神的形成 [Origins of the Worship of Mount Tai and the Deity of the Eastern Mountain Mount Tai]. www.taishanly.com (in Chinese). 3 March 2008. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  6. ^ =三. 枉死城亡魂戒改 [3. Rehabilitating the Souls of the Dead in the City of Innocent Deaths]. tienton.myweb.hinet.net (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 13 March 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  7. ^ Xue, Fucheng. Yong'an Biji (Notebook of Yong An).
  8. ^ 瀕死經驗（六則） [Near-death Experience (Six Parts)]. 佛教淨土宗.net (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  9. ^ 敦煌文献中的《还魂记》写本 ） [Manuscript of Huan Hun Ji among the Dunhuang Manuscripts]. The Grottoes of Dunhuang Information Network (in Chinese). Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  10. ^ 潘重規 [Pan, Chonggui] (1994). 九、唐太宗入冥記 [Volume 6: Chapter 9: Emperor Taizong of Tang's Journey to the Underworld]. Dunhuang Bian Wenji Xinshu 敦煌變文集新書 (in Chinese). China: 文津出版社 [Wen Jin Publishing House]. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  11. ^ 黎澍 [Li, Shu] (March 2006). 慧淨法師 [Huijing] (ed.). 地獄見聞錄 [Records of Observations of Hell] (in Chinese) (3rd ed.). Taipei: 淨土宗文教基金會 [Pure Land Sect Foundation]. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  12. ^ 泰国上校真实因果轮回见证
  • 18層地獄：看看你會進幾層 [18 Levels of Hell: See which level you will end up in]. xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). 12 July 2005. Archived from the original on October 22, 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  • 佛說十八泥犁經 [The Buddha speaks about the eighteen hells] (PDF). ccbs.ntu.edu.tw (in Chinese). College of Liberal Arts, Digital Library & Museum of Buddhist Studies.
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