Buddhism isn’t just about meditation and denying self-gratification to attain a higher state of being. When I was bute a chylde, I visited a Buddhist Hell Theme Park in Thailand. Fun for the whole family: sculptures depicting tongues being torn out, lots of spikes and bodies on said spikes, and certainly heaping amounts of simulated fire and brimstone that would make other religions’ demons feel inadequate.
With great joy, my wife and I visited Higashiosaka (click to teleport), the first Buddhist Hell Theme Park in Second Life — the first I’ve ever seen, and likely the first there ever will be. Filled to the prim (pun intended) with scampering souls, corpse-crushing demons, and good ol’ Saṃghāta, that mountain that keeps squashing the sinners.
If it isn’t obvious, we had a rollicking, remarkable time. The quality of the build is superb, surrounded by metropolitan buildings out of a Godzilla movie (several demons stood watch), and centered by a pointy temple protruding out of the earth. Around the temple, sculpted little people with crudely-drawn faces and pubic hair ran around in circles, flailing, feeling ever-so-hopeless. And surprisingly animated. See Ravenelle’s video for an in-motion adventure:
While you can’t hear it in the vid, a pleasant and/or bone-chilling soundtrack of guttural screams surrounded the whole work, while skeletal hands out of an Iron Maiden album cover intermingled with firetongues. Those who aren’t so rapt on their history will also draw comparisons to certain World of Warcraft or Lord of the Rings creatures. Goes to show how creative human imaginations have always been!
There was so much to see and do here, and I really appreciate extra attention to detail like the flaming rocks coming down from the sky, the birds circling the temple’s top, the lightning bolts which (among other things) were reminiscent of the Peacock King trailer I saw the other day (wifey and I have been watching various Wuxia films), etc. They all add up for a cohesive, powerful place well-worth visiting. All in all, terribly rich, and enhanced by custom environment settings.
And now when my not-yet-Resi friends ask, “What can I see in Second Life?” I can point them here, which might be kinda edgy for the Showcase but worth the visit all the same, and it’s especially meaningful if your cultural background is attuned to the relevance of… BUDDHIST HELL! MUHAHAHA.
The only downside? Not knowing who to thank for this experience epic, and why they made it. I didn’t see any advertising, and the main builder’s profile was empty… empty! Seems like they’re of Japanese origin, tho. I’m curious, so if you know, fill me in.
Wikipedia has more info on Naraka and hells in Buddhism, and you can’t go wrong with Flickr pictures either (WARNING: NOT FOR SQUEAMISH).
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The idea of hell is Buddhism is so odd to me - a non-buddhist, I'll admit - but I have a lot to learn. Luckily some of it I learn through Second Life and some I don't
Though this experience sounds like one I'll skip (bloodcurdling is just not my thing - even on Halloween) still the detail looks exquisite . . . in its own macabre way.
I suggested parallels between Tibetan iconography and FPS games in an article in The Cursor (game developer magazine) years ago, and posted an updated version of the idea at . Neat to see someone exploring (at least a taste of) that terrain…
Apologies, I fubarred my HTML above.
Should read:
I posted an updated version at The Lama and the Game Designer, and it's neat to see someone exploring the same terrain.
I like your lighting in your vid so much better. I really need to spend more time developing some presets.
What's all that got to do with Buddhism though? I thought its message was a lot simpler than dichotomies, about the wheel of life and death and reincarnation, rather than that kind of karma. Perhaps I'm buying into 'Western' Buddhism too much. Oh no, that means more reading on the subject to escape my ignorance. Doh! The more I become inerested in things, the more I come to understand, the more I realise I don't know, the more I want to discover, the more I become interested in things… . Thanks for the pointer to that build in SL Torley.
Regards, Milton Broome
Chinese have a lot of hells, Jack.
=)
@Susan: I've seen a few depictions of hell (and heaven) in Second Life and while this one may shock some and terrify others, I associate it with fond memories from my childhood!
@Charles: That sounds like quite an eclectic idea — I'm going to download the PDF and read.
@Bettina: Thanx! Ravie's using my WindLight settings, and feel free to use and modify them however you wish. Download @ http://snurl.com/windlight
@Milton: Admittedly, some stuff gets lost in translation: "hell" isn't an exact meaning, and the Wikipedia article sheds more light on this darkness. I'm glad you're very curious.
@skribe: Hmmm… are you replying to someone named Jack? If so, I don't see his comment, and I hope my spam filter didn't eat it.
It's a quote from Big Trouble in Little China =)
It was built by Japanese resident Budo Brickworks! Be sure to look for the hidden "Heaven" area too!
Mmm, I look forward to visiting this place again once we have shadows. Absolutely marvelous build.
We went there last night on the Virtual Artists Alliance Photohunt - one hour to get your best shot, upload it and post it, then vote for your favorites, a fun event - and the sim was just loaded with great photo opportunities. Everyone that posted came back with a really good shot and most of us had several good ones to choose from.
One of the estate managers came by to take a look at what we had done. That was pretty cool.
Drop by the VAA Photohunt gallery some time and take a look.
If I go there will it purify my karma?
PS the Earth Store Bodhisattva Sutra describes the Hells and it's pretty popular with Chinese ppl so there are a few English translations.
Okay, I'm off to Hell now.
@skribe: Ashamed am I because I don't remember that quote from the movie. I like the "Hey, I'm a reasonable guy…" one, tho.
@June: Oh I saw pictures of that later! Often pays to fly up high!
Comments here are crackin' me up.
As Susan said, I had never heard about Buddhist Hells. I still have a lot to learn and I think SL is a great way to do it.
I spent a very good time there and I'm also recommending to all my friends. I'll come back soon to take some pics with some of your "infernal" skies :-).