The “Trivatta” Diagram
During a human being's lifetime, he performs many deeds. Some are good and others are bad. When he dies, there are different planes of existence where he will be reborn into. The planes of existence can be grouped into two major destinations as follows:
1. The States of Happiness: Individuals who have performed good deeds will meet with happiness in both this and the next existence. Individuals destined for the States of Happiness possess 'Right View.' That is, they have right understanding about the Law of Kamma. They are noble-minded and have performed mostly wholesome deeds through their body, words, and thoughts. When they die, the fruits of their wholesome deeds will cause them to be reborn in the States of Happiness, which include the Human Realm, the Celestial Realm, etc. These realms are still dominated by defilements and they may still be tempted to commit a misdeed. However, if they can completely extinguish their defilements, then they can attain Nibbana and will no longer have to undergo the round of rebirth within the Three Spheres of existence. These include the Sense Sphere, the Form Sphere, and the Non-Form Sphere. Defilements no longer have any power over them, and the rest of their overall Kamma will no longer have the chance to bear its fruits.
The Lord Buddha taught that rebirth in the States of Happiness is very rare. Of all the dirt in the landmasses, the dirt in the fingernail represents the number of beings that are reborn as human beings, but the rest of the dirt represents the number of beings that are reborn in the States of Loss and Woe. Also, the number of current human beings and celestial beings who will be reborn as a human being or a celestial being is like dirt in a fingernail, but the number of human beings and celestial beings who will be reborn in the States of Loss and Woe is like the rest of the dirt on earth.
