The Way Down to Hell is Easy
Bhikkhu Pesala
Introduction
“The way down to hell is easy.
The gates of black Dis stand open night and day.
But to retrace one’s steps and escape to the upper air–
that is toil, that is labour.” (Virgil, the Aeneid)
In most religions, Hell is conceived of as a place of incessant torment where non-believers and evil-doers suffer for their wickedness. Buddhism contains similar teachings about various heavens and hells, with examples of deeds leading to different destinies. However, its final aim is to attain the transcendental bliss of nibbana, which is not a place of blissful enjoyment like heaven, but the highest possible spiritual achievement of eternal liberation from suffering. Final liberation is attained by the total destruction of craving and ignorance. Buddhists are very fortunate to have a well-preserved and consistent record of the Buddha’s teaching over a period of forty-five years. More than two thousand five hundred years after the Buddha’s demise, these teachings are still easily available, with an extensive commentarial literature to explain and analyse the meaning. All the Pali texts and many of the commentaries have been translated into English. A patient student of Buddhism can learn sufficient Pali to clarify doubts about the accuracy of available translations by referring to the original texts with the help of a dictionary.
The Way Down to Hell is Easy
