Theos-Talk Archives (September 1995 Message tl01106)

I am currently reading a new book by the Tibetan, Geshe
 Kelsang Gyatso called OCEAN OF NECTAR (Tharpa
Publications, 1995). On page 100, he describes kama-loka,
or the desire realm, as follows:

"All samsaric beings live in one of the
 three realms: the desire realm, the form realm, or
 the formless realm. The desire realm is the
 grossest of the three realms. It has ten levels:
 the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm, the animal
 realm, the human realm, and the six realms of desire
 realm gods - Land of the Four Great Kings, Land of
 the Thirty-Three Heavens, Land Without Combat,
 Joyful Land, the Land of Enjoying Emanations, and
 Land of Controlling Emanations. The desire realm is
 so called because beings who inhabit it are
 afflicted with gross desirous attachment.

Compared with the desire realm, the form and
 formless reamls are very pure and peaceful."

As you can see from this short quote, Tibetans
view the desire realm (kama loka) in a far different
way than a theosophical after-death state. It is,
in fact, the lower four cosmic planes as described
by Purucker, although Gyatso divides it into 10
subdivisions (these are equivalent to the standard
Tibetan 6 realms as described in the Bardo Thodol).

Jerry S.