"Three Realms" is a concept that often appears in Xianxia literature. Both Taoist and Shu sect have the concept of "Three Realms". In the fairy tale text, the three realms generally refer to the heaven, human and underworld, which is also in line with our intuitive feelings. The division between heaven, human and underworld exists not only in many fairy tale texts, but also in Western myths. In Greek mythology, the high mountain inhabited by the gods is regarded as the heaven, then the most important human world, and finally the dark underworld that exists underground. The underworld in Hebrew mythology is hell, and the other two realms are also heaven and human realms. Therefore, the concept of the Three Realms is widely present in mythological stories between the East and the West. There are also the three realms of the heavenly realm and the human realm and the underworld in Chinese folk legends, but as the more logical Taoist and the Buddhist family set the three realms more complicated than the folk myths and legends.
Journey to the West and the Three Realms in the Three Realms in the Conquest of the Gods
0 The word "Three Realms" appears for the first time in Journey to the West. In the second chapter, the word "Three Realms" was in the second chapter. After returning from learning the arts of the Bodhi Patriarch , he found that his fellow tribe in the Water Curtain Cave was bullied by foreign monsters, so he came to his opponent's nest according to the guidance of the fellow tribe, and that cave was called "Three Realms Kanyuan Mountain". This mountain is quite large and claims to be the source of the water in the Three Realms. The name of the "Three Realms" was mentioned many times later, which are usually mentioned when the gods brag about it. For example, Sun Wukong said to the ghost messenger who came to seduce his soul:
"My old Sun is beyond the Three Realms and is not in the Five Elements. He is no longer under his jurisdiction. How can he be hazy and dare to seduce me again?"
This is Sun Wukong's confidence in his practice of martial arts, believing that he has become an extraordinary person and has long been free from reincarnation. The ghost messenger comes to find him to find him uncomfortable. That's why Sun Wukong dared to make a big fuss in the underworld, otherwise he would have been panicked long ago. At the Dharma Assembly summoned by the saints of the Western Lingshan Mountains, Tathagata said:
"I have experienced so much suffering, and have appeared in the three realms. The fundamental nature is ultimately nirvana."
This is the Tathagata's confidence in his magic power. With his powerful magic power, he can instantly observe the three realms and understand the little things of the three realms. The three realms here must include every realm of the human realm and the six realms of reincarnation. This also gives confidence to everyone in Lingshan . The word "Three Realms" also appeared in the Romance of the Gods. Yuanshi Tianzun wrote in the imperial edict:
"Fenger and others are the eight righteous gods , which are divided into various departments, and they are distributed around the world to inspect the good and evil in the world, and report the merits and good deeds of the Three Realms."
The word "Three Realms" was never mentioned in the previous battle. It was not until the time of the Gods that they were enthroned, which shows the importance of the Gods. These enfeoffed gods control all aspects of the three realms. The normal operation of the three realms is inseparable from their duty and responsibilities. The three realms here also include the human realm and the six realms of reincarnation. But are the three realms in Journey to the West and the Conquest of Gods what we usually think of as heaven, human and underworld? The answer is certainly not that simple!
Taoist Three Realms
Taoist scriptures are diverse, and there are different statements about the three realms, including the three realms of heaven, earth, man, heaven, water, heaven, human and underworld, but the most common statements are the desire realm, form realm, and formless realm. The three realms here do not include the human world and the underworld, but are just the division of the heavenly realm.
The desire realm contains six levels of heaven, namely Taihuang Huang Zengtian, Taiming Yuwantian, Qingming He Tongtian, Xuanfeiping Yutian, Yuanming Wenjutian, and Seven Stars Moyitian. The classics say that the desire realm "long life. If a person is born in the world, he will not commit the crime of physical karma, kill, steal, and commit adultery, and he will reach this heaven in the next life." The desire realm is also a good place and cannot be entered by ordinary people.
The color realm contains the eighteen levels of heaven, namely Wuyue Hengtian, Taiji Mengyitian, Chiming and Yangtian, Xuanming Gonghuatian, Yaoming Zongpiaotian, Zhu Luohuang Zai Tian, Xu Mingtang Yaotian, Guanming Duanjingtian, Xuanming Gongqingtian, Taihuan Ji Yaotian, Yuanzai Kong Shengtian, Tai'an Huang Huangqi Fengtian, Shi Huang Xiaomangtian, Taihuang Weng Chongtian, Wusijiang Youtian, Shangfengtian, Ruan Letian, Wuji Tanyitian. The classics say that the world of form "the heaven and human life are billions of years old.If you do not commit the sin of physical karma, greed and anger in your life, you will be born in this heaven." If it is difficult to enter the desire realm, then it will be even more difficult to enter the form realm. The level of practice must be quite high before you can enter it.
The formless realm contains four days, namely, the Haotingxiao Di Tian, the Yuantongyuan Cave Heaven, the Han Praise Miao Cheng Tian, and the Xiule Ban Heaven. The classics say: "The lifespan of people is billions of kalpas. If a person does not speak slander or speaks frivolously throughout his life, he will be in this world when he comes and goes. Among them, good men and good women, who have fulfilled their merits and deeds and are worthy of four days, Queen Mother welcomes them, and climbs to four days. The Queen Mother will personally welcome those who can enter the formless realm, which shows the difficulty of entering the formless realm.
The above is what Taoism calls the three realms. Generally speaking, what goes beyond the three realms refers to the above three realms. So when "beyond the three realms and not in the five elements", where should we live after "beyond the three realms and not in the five elements". What about movement? Taoism has arranged several other levels of heaven for those who have exceeded the Three Realms, namely the Tianmintian, the Sanqing Realm and the Daluo Heaven. There are four Tianmintians, namely the Supreme Changrong Tian, Yulong Tengsheng Tian, the Dragon Biandu Tian, and the Pingyu Jia Yitian; there are three days of the Tianmintian, namely the Yuqing Tian, Shangqing Tian, and the Taiqing Tian; the highest realm is the Daluo Heaven in the Sixth Realm. The characteristics outside these three realms are "the three disasters are beyond the reach", that is, there is no disaster, and it can be said that it is true immortality. It's so old. So the cultivators hope to be able to cultivate Daluo God Immortal and realize their wish for immortality. The three realms of Taoism include twenty-eighth levels of heaven, plus the other eight levels of heaven, there are thirty-six levels of heaven.
Three realms of the Buddhist family
Like Taoism, the three realms of the Buddhist family are divided into desire realm, form realm and formless realm, including a total of twenty Eighth Heaven. We can only say that Taoism and the Heroes of the Chinese family have "somewhat the same views" and they have thought of them together. As for the suspicion of similarity, we don't distinguish them here. There has been no clear and clear argument in history, and we don't want to waste our efforts. Let's briefly talk about the twenty-eighth Heavens of the Chinese family.
The sixth Heaven of the Desire Realm, namely the Four Heavenly King Heaven, Trayastrimsa Heaven (thirty-three Heavens), the Yama Heaven, and Tushita . The heaven of Tuo, transforms into the heaven of Lotus, and transforms into the heaven of free.
18 levels of the world of form, among which the first three heavens (Brahmatian, Brahmatian, and Brahmatian), the second three heavens (Shaoguangtian, Infinite Light, Light and Soundtian), the third three heavens (Shaoguangtian, Infinite Pure Heaven, All Pure Heaven), the fourth nine heavens (Fucai Heaven, Blessing Heaven, Blessing Heaven, Blessing Heaven, and No Thought Heaven, These four heavens are ordinary people; the heaven of no trouble, the heaven of no heat, the heaven of good seeing, the heaven of good appearance, the heaven of perfect color, the heaven of ultimate color, Five days after the Heaven of No Thought is the Anagan people).
The fourth level of the formless realm is the heaven of the emptiness and boundless realm, the heaven of the boundless consciousness, the heaven of the world of nothingness, The heaven of the world of non-thinking, non-thinking, .
The Buddhist scriptures are numerous, and the number of days contained in the three realms is also different, but basically it will not exceed the twenty-eight days mentioned above. For the Buddhist family, it is beyond the limit of the above twenty-eight days. Outside the three realms, one can jump out of the six realms of reincarnation, and only Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas who have achieved success in practicing the heretics are called the Four Holy Paths.
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mentioned the three realms of Taoism and the Buddhist family. You may find that they do not include the human realm and the underworld, as well as other spaces of the six realms of reincarnation that are often mentioned in the folk. This is because Sun Wukong and his friends are aiming to jump out of the three realms and immortality. It is obvious that the human realm, the underworld and the other spaces of the six realms cannot do it. For the Buddhist family, although the twenty-eighth heavens contained in the three realms are close to immortality, they have not obtained the ultimate liberation to jump out of the reincarnation. Only the four holy paths are truly free from the reincarnation. For Taoism, the eighth heavens have been added on the basis of the twenty-eighth heavens of the Buddhist family. These eighth heavens should be considered to be free from the reincarnation, and there are more choices than the Buddhist family.
