Six Realms
History, Heritage and Religion

In Buddhism, the six realms are the six paths of reincarnation. When a soul dies the person's behavior in their previous life determines which of the six outcomes they will be reborn into.

The six realms are as follows: rebirth as a deva, an asura, a human being, an animal, a hungry ghost, or a being in Naraka (hell).

The Deva realm is the realm of bliss. The disadvantage of this realm is that things are so very comfortable there, that these beings completely neglect to work towards enlightenment. Instead they gradually use up the good karma they had previously accumulated, and so they subsequently fall to a lower rebirth.

The Human realm is based on passion, desire, doubt, and pride.

The Asura realm is the realm of the demigods. They are here because of actions based on jealousy, struggle, combat or rationalization of the world. They may be here because in human form they had good intentions but committed bad actions such as harming others.

The Animal realm is based on strong mental states of stupidity and prejudice cultivated in a previous life or lives.

The Hungry Ghost realm is a rebirth based on strong possessiveness and desire which were cultivated in a previous life or lives. The sentient beings in this realm are known as "hungry ghosts". They are constantly extremely hungry and thirsty, but they cannot satisfy these needs.

The Naraka realm, or "hell realm" is a rebirth based on strong states of hatred cultivated in a previous life or lives.

Relevance to Kyokai no Rinne

In Kyokai no Rinne Rinne's surname, Rokudo, is a references to the six realms. Additionally, Rinne's grandfather was reincarnated within the animal realm, as a mackerel after his death.