The Hell Named ‘The Great Conflagration’

Monks, there exists a hell named the Great Conflagration.

There, whatever form one sees with the eye is undesirable, never desirable; unlovely, never lovely; disagreeable, never agreeable.

Whatever sound one hears with the ear … Whatever odor one smells with the nose … Whatever flavor one tastes with the tongue … Whatever physical object one touches with the body … Whatever mental objects one recognizes with the mind is undesirable, never desirable; unlovely, never lovely; disagreeable, never agreeable.

When this was said, a certain Monk said to The Perfectly Enlightened One:

‘That conflagration, Venerable Sir, is indeed terrible; that conflagration is indeed very terrible.’

‘But is there, Venerable Sir, any other conflagration more terrible and frightful than that one?’

There is, Monk.

‘But what, Venerable Sir, is that conflagration more terrible and frightful than that one?’

Those Ascetics or Brāhmins, Monk, who do not understand as it really is:

This is discontentedness, This is the cause of discontentedness, This is the elimination of discontentedness, This is the way leading to the elimination of discontentedness — they excite in volitional formations (choices/decisions) that lead to birth, in volitional formations that lead to aging, in volitional formations that lead to death, in volitional formations that lead to sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure, and despair.

Exciting in such volitional formations, they generate volitional formations that lead to birth, generate volitional formations that lead to aging, generate volitional formations that lead to death, generate volitional formations that lead to sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure, and despair.

Having generated such volitional formations (choices/decisions), they are burnt by the conflagration of birth, burnt by the conflagration of aging, burnt by the conflagration of death, burnt by the conflagration of sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure, and despair.

They are not freed from birth, aging, and death; not freed from sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure, and despair; not freed from discontentedness, I say.

(Reference: SN 56.43)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how not understanding The Four Noble Truths is the worst hell.

Through not understanding The Four Noble Truths, a being continues to make choices and decisions that are unwise leading to discontentedness along with continued birth, aging, and death.

It is only when a Practitioner has made the breakthrough to The Four Noble Truths that they deeply understand discontentedness, the cause of discontentedness, the elimination of discontentedness, and the path leading to the complete elimination of discontentedness. Without this breakthrough, a being will continue to roam and wander through The Cycle of Rebirth experiencing massive amounts of discontentedness.

Through gaining the wisdom of The Four Noble Truths then a Practitioner understands the problem and the solution to the unEnlightened mind.