Eighteen hells

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The hell realms (Skt. naraka; Wyl. dmyal ba) which are one of the realms of the six classes of beings are characterized by extremely intense suffering; they consist of eighteen hells:


Chökyi Drakpa says in A Torch for the Path to Omniscience:

The cause of being born in any of these eighteen hells could be a vast accumulation of harmful actions perpetrated out of desire or delusion. Even so, a single momentary act such as taking life or speaking harsh words to an exceptional being, when carried out with a mind of intense anger, will propel you straight to the hells.