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Bhavacakra
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===Third layer: the six realms of samsara=== {{main|Six Paths}} {{See also|Desire realm|Saṃsāra (Buddhism)#Realms of rebirth}} The third layer of the wheel is divided into six sections that represent [[Six Paths|the six realms]] of [[Samsara (Buddhism)|samsara]], or cyclic existence, the process of cycling through one rebirth after another. These six realms are divided into three higher realms and three lower realms. The wheel can also be represented as having five realms, combining the God realm and the Demi-god realm into a single realm. The three higher realms are shown in the top half of the circle: * '''God realm ([[Deva (Buddhism)|Deva]]):''' Also known as [[Buddhist cosmology|six heavens]] in [[Desire realms|desire worlds]]. The gods & goddesses lead long and enjoyable lives full of pleasure and abundance, but they spend their lives pursuing meaningless distractions and never think to practice the [[Dharma (Buddhism)|dharma]]. When death comes to them, they are completely unprepared; without realizing it, they have completely exhausted their good karma (which was the cause for being reborn in the god realm) and they suffer through being reborn in the lower realms. * '''Demi-god realm ([[Asura (Buddhism)|Asura]]):''' the demi-gods have pleasure and abundance almost as much as the gods, but they spend their time fighting among themselves or making war on the gods. When they make war on the gods, they always lose, since the gods are much more powerful. The demi-gods suffer from constant fighting and jealousy, and from being killed and wounded in their wars with each other and with the gods. * '''Human realm ([[Human beings in Buddhism|Manuṣya]]):''' humans suffer from hunger, thirst, heat, cold, separation from friends, being attacked by enemies, not getting what they want, and getting what they do not want. They also suffer from the general sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death. Yet the human realm is considered to be the most suitable realm for practicing the dharma, because humans are not completely distracted by pleasure (like the gods or demi-gods) or by pain and suffering (like the beings in the lower realms). There are four human realms in existence, including [[Jambudvīpa]], Pūrvavideha, [[Uttarakuru]] and Aparagodānīya. The three lower realms are shown in the bottom half of the circle: * '''Animal realm ([[Animals in Buddhism|Tiryagyoni]]):''' [[Wild animal suffering|wild animals suffer]] from being attacked and eaten by other animals; they generally lead lives of constant fear. Domestic animals suffer from being exploited by humans; for example, they are slaughtered for food, overworked, and so on. * '''Hungry ghost realm ([[Preta]]):''' hungry ghosts suffer from extreme hunger and thirst. They wander constantly in search of food and drink, only to be miserably frustrated any time they come close to actually getting what they want. For example, they see a stream of pure, clear water in the distance, but by the time they get there the stream has dried up. Hungry ghosts have huge bellies and long, thin necks. On the rare occasions that they do manage to find something to eat or drink, the food or water burns their neck as it goes down to their belly, causing them intense agony. * '''Hell realm ([[Naraka (Buddhism)|Naraka]]):''' hell beings endure unimaginable suffering for eons of time. In [[Buddhist cosmology]] there are eighteen different types of hells, each inflicting a different kind of torment. In the hot hells, beings suffer from unbearable heat and continual torments of various kinds. In the cold hells, beings suffer from unbearable cold and other torments.<ref>Khandro Rinpoche (2003), p. 65-90.</ref><ref>Chögyam Trungpa (1999), p. 25-50.</ref><ref>Dalai Lama (1992), p. 5-8.</ref><ref name="Dzongsar Khyentse 2005, p. 2-3">Dzongsar Khyentse (2005), p. 2-3.</ref><ref>Patrul Rinpoche (1998), p. 61-99.</ref><ref>Gampopa (1998), p. 95-108</ref> Among the six realms, the human realm is considered to offer the best opportunity to practice the dharma.<ref name="Dzongsar Khyentse 2005, p. 2-3"/> In some representations of the wheel, there is a [[Buddha (general)|buddha]] or [[bodhisattva]] depicted within each realm, trying to help sentient beings find their way to [[Nirvana (Buddhism)|nirvana]].
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