Hell City

The Entrance to Hell City at a Temple in Chiang Rai

I had an interesting cultural experience when I took a team up to visit the work in Chiang Rai.  We were taken to a temple which had this "Hell City" inside the entrance to the temple.  It was a scary place even in the day time, but it would definitely be eerie and scary at night.

According to this buddhist website Buddhists don't believe that heaven or hell are eternal places but just temporary.  Buddhist believe that it is "unreasonable to condemn a man to eternal hell for his human weakness but quite reasonable to give him every chance to develop himself.   From the Buddhist point of view, those who go to hell can work themselves upward making use of the merit they had acquired previously".  Interesting they say "Buddhist never try to introduce Buddhism by frightening people through hell-fire or enticing people by pointing to paradise. Their main idea is character building and mental training. Buddhists can practise their religion without aiming at heaven or without developing fear of hell." I'm not sure if this is entirely true in practice if the "Hell City" at this temple is anything to go by. 

 Awaiting judgement and sentencing.

 The punishment for adulterers.  Climbing up this spiky pole, speared in your private parts, bitten by dogs, crows poking out your eyes and snakes biting you.

 Sinners being thrown into a boiling pot

Awaiting reincarnation.  Only humans can be saved so if you are an animal you must be reincarnated as a human before you can receive salvation.