lục đạo

Definition

Noun:
- (Archaic) Land route, road: In old Vietnamese, "lục đạo" literally means a land-based road or pathway for travel.
- (Buddhism) The Six Realms of Existence (Six Paths of Rebirth): In Buddhist doctrine, "lục đạo" refers to the six states of existence or realms into which beings are reborn based on their karma. These are the three higher, fortunate realms (the good paths or thiện đạo) and the three lower, unfortunate realms (the evil paths or ác đạo).

Usage Examples

Noun (Archaic meaning):
- Thương nhân thường đi lại bằng lục đạo. (Merchants often traveled by land routes.)
Noun (Buddhist meaning):
- Theo giáo lý nhà Phật, chúng sinh luân hồi trong lục đạo. (According to Buddhist teachings, sentient beings transmigrate within the Six Realms.)
- Lục đạo bao gồm thiên đạo, nhân đạo, a-tu-la đạo, địa ngục đạo, ngạ quỷ đạo và súc sinh đạo. (The Six Realms include the deva realm, human realm, asura realm, hell realm, hungry ghost realm, and animal realm.)

Advanced Usage

"Luân hồi lục đạo": The cycle of rebirth through the six realms.
- Mục đích tu hành là để thoát khỏi luân hồi lục đạo. (The purpose of spiritual practice is to escape the cycle of rebirth in the Six Realms.)
"Chúng sinh lục đạo": Beings of the six realms.
- Phật từ bi với tất cả chúng sinh lục đạo. (The Buddha is compassionate towards all beings of the six realms.)

Variants and Related Words

Lục (numeral): Six.
Đạo (noun): Path, way, road; doctrine (e.g., Phật đạo - the Buddhist path).
Tam giới (noun, Buddhism): The Three Realms (of desire, form, and formlessness), a broader cosmological concept that encompasses the lục đạo.

Synonyms

Sáu đường (noun): The six paths (a direct, less formal synonym for the Buddhist meaning).
Sáu nẻo luân hồi (noun): The six paths of rebirth.
Đường bộ (noun): Land route, road (a modern synonym for the archaic meaning).

Related Idioms and Phrases

"Đầu thai lục đạo": To be reincarnated into one of the six realms.
- Nghiệp ác có thể khiến người ta đầu thai lục đạo thấp kém. (Bad karma can cause one to be reborn into a lower realm.)
"Lăn lộn trong lục đạo": To struggle/tumble within the cycle of the six realms (emphasizing suffering and bondage to samsara).
- Chúng sinh còn vô minh thì vẫn còn lăn lộn trong lục đạo. (As long as beings are ignorant, they will still tumble within the Six Realms.)