Ancestors Are the Storytellers: The Realm of the Hungry Ghost and Hell in Buddhism

Abstract Ancestors are storytellers. Buddhists consider that people will go to one of six realms after death. The six realms represent six worlds that consist of different mental states which correspond to one’s wholesome and unwholesome karma. Buddhist ancestors have warned why life impelled by ignorance, hatred, and greed leads to undesirable rebirths, such as in the realms of hungry ghosts and hell, and have taught the value of moral conduct through stories and paintings to children and adults. This paper focuses on how Buddhist hell stories can shape moral and interreligious education, cultivating the value of life and interconnectedness for future generations.