Buddhist cosmology includes a variety of heavens and hells into which a being may be born. Existence in any of them, however long, is not forever. Thus, one can “fall” from a heaven or “rise” from a hell. Buddhist texts contain vivid descriptions of different heavens and hells, which, from one perspective, make them, appear as actual locations. On another level, because heavens and hells arise due to the relative presence or absence of the Three Poisons (ignorance, anger, and greed), they are also part of the human world.
Heavens should not be confused with what Buddhists call Nirvana. While heavens may be enjoyable, they are not complete liberation from ignorance, anger, and greed, and are thus still part of the life-death cycle. Nirvana, however, is perfectly free from the Three Poisons, and is therefore outside of the realms of existence. It is often said that Nirvana is the ultimate goal of Buddhists.
One school of Mahayana Buddhism looks to the Western Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha as the best possible realm in which to be reborn. Being purified of imperfections, the Western Paradise is also called the Pure Land. More generally, the Pure Land refers to a place conducive to self-cultivation. Master Hsing Yun was one asked, “When are we in the Pure Land?” He replied, “When inside everybody there exists a pure heart and a clear mind full of kind thoughts, then we are in a Pure Land.”
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