-Gustav Runge, MAPREP student from Denmark 

When reading the elaborate descriptions of the hell realms, like those found in The Words of My Perfect Teacher or The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, I often found myself wondering what the reader is supposed to do with such descriptions. Patrul Rinpoche or Gampopa does not present these as abstract metaphors for various mind states. The suffering of the hell beings is described in extraordinary and horrendous detail, and the point seems to be that we should understand such suffering as literally taking place, and not as any less real than suffering we know from our own human realm. 

Yet it is difficult to do so. For a modern Buddhist reader, the immediate reaction may be skepticism. Surely these descriptions are not meant literally? Perhaps the eighteen hells are symbolic representations of different states of mind, or perhaps the descriptions are simply intended to frighten us into taking karma seriously. We can thereby preserve our confidence in the Dharma while quietly setting aside the parts that seem most unsettling and difficult to believe. 

But this skepticism may miss the point. The teachings ask us to take suffering seriously rather than explain it away when it becomes difficult to accept. Contemplating the hell realms is not merely about becoming afraid of a future rebirth. It is also an attempt to confront the extent and intensity of suffering, and to loosen our habitual indifference toward it. 

Perhaps the value of these teachings lies precisely in their ability to unsettle us. Whether or not we can make sense of Buddhist cosmology, they ask us to imagine suffering without immediately reducing it to metaphor. In doing so, we may become more sensitive to suffering wherever we encounter it, including in our own experience and in the lives of others.