Naraka - A Buddhist Hell

Did you know that there is a Buddhist hell? In the Western world, Buddhism is mostly associated with a peaceful and calm approach to life. Commonly known are the concept of enlightenment and spiritual practices that have deep roots in Buddhist teachings. Knowing not much more than that, I moved to Asia many years ago. Shortly after my arrival I visited a Buddhist temple and was completely taken by surprise to find myself surrounded by many terrifying sculptures that seem to depict torture scenes and fierce looking demons in a very graphic manner. Astonished, I realized that this bizarre collection of figurines was an actual portrayal of hell. Later on, I found out that there is a very similar concept of torment for sins in Buddhist traditions, just as there is in other religious beliefs. This place of torment is called Naraka, which is the ancient Sanskrit word for underworld.