Samsara facts for kids
Samsara is a term from Buddhism. It describes a never-ending cycle of experiences. Imagine a loop where one thing leads to another, and it keeps going. In Samsara, this loop involves not understanding things clearly, which leads to strong feelings like anger or wanting things too much. These feelings then make us do things that cause problems or unhappiness. This unhappiness then brings more strong feelings, and the cycle continues.
According to the Buddha's teachings, three main "poisons" keep this cycle going: not knowing the truth (ignorance), anger, and strong desires. These are thought to have many different ways of showing up. The only way to completely stop this cycle of unhappiness is to reach a perfect state called Nirvana. All of Buddha's teachings are meant to help people reach this goal.
The Six Realms of Samsara
In the cycle of Samsara, there are six different "realms" or states of being. Each realm is connected to a specific strong emotion or way of thinking:
- Hell Realm: This realm is connected with strong anger and feeling paranoid (like everyone is against you).
- Hungry Ghost Realm (Preta): This realm is linked to being very greedy and never feeling satisfied, always wanting more.
- Animal Realm: This realm is connected with not understanding things clearly, or being ignorant.
- Human Realm: This realm is linked to desire and being very attached to things or people.
- Demigod Realm (Asura): This realm is connected with feeling jealous and envious of others.
- God Realm: This realm is linked to having too much pride and thinking you are better than others.
Images for kids
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Bhavachakra in Buddhism describing saṃsāra
See also
In Spanish: Samsara para niños
