The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

loka comprises var. realms of creation. Another larger division is that of loka as sadevaka, sam!raka,
sabrahmaka, or the world with its devas, its M!ra and its Brahm!, e. g. S i.160, 168, 207; ii.170; iii.28, 59;
iv.158; v.204; A i.259 sq.; ii.24 sq.; iii.341; iv.56, 173; v.50; It 121; Nd1 447 (on Sn 956), to which is
usually added sassama*a -- br!hma*" paj! (e. g. D i.250, see loci s. v. paj!). With this cp. Dh 45, where the
divisions are pa&hav", Yamaloka, sadevaka (loka), which are expld at DhA i.334 by pa&hav"=attabh!va;
Yamaloka=catubbidha ap!yaloka; sadevaka=manussaloka devalokena saddhi'. -- The universe has its
evolutional periods: sa'va&&ati and viva&&ati D ii.109 sq. The Buddha has mastered it by his enlightenment:
loko Tath!gatena abhisambuddho It 121. On loka, lokadh!tu (=cosmos) and cakkav!)a cp. Kirfel,
Kosmographie p. 180, 181. 2. Regional meaning. -- (a) in general. Referring to this world, the character
of evanescence is inherent in it; referring to the universe in a wider sense, it implies infinity, though not in
definite terms. There is mention of the different metaphysical theories as regards cosmogony at many
places of the Canon. The antânantik! (contending for the finitude or otherwise of the world) are mentioned
as a sect at D i.22 sq.
-- 587 --
Discussions as to whether loka is sassata or antav! are found e. g. at M i.426, 484; ii.233; S iii.182, 204;
iv.286 sq.; A ii.41; v.31, 186 sq.; Ps i.123, 151 sq.; Vbh 340; Dhs 1117. Views on consistency of the world
(eternal or finite; created or evolved etc.) at D iii.137; cp. S ii.19 sq. Cp. also the long and interesting
discussion of loka as suñña at S iv.54 sq.; Ps ii.177 sq.; Nd2 680; -- as well as M ii.68 (upan"yati loko
addhuvo, and "att!*o loko, assakoloko" etc.); "lokassa anto" is lit. unattainable: A ii.50=S i.62; iv.93; but
the Arahant is "lok'antag(," cp. A iv.430. -- As regards their order in space (or "plane") there are var.
groupings of var. worlds, the evidently popular one being that the world of the devas is above and the
nirayas below the world of man (which is "tiriya' vâpi majjhe"): Nd2 550. The world of men is as aya'
loko contrasted with the beyond, or paro loko: D iii.181; S iv.348 sq.; A i.269; iv.226; Sn 779 (n'!si'sati
loka' ima' parañ ca); or as idhaloka D iii.105. The defn of aya' loko at Nd1 60 is given as: sak'attabh!va,
saka -- r(pa -- vedan! etc., ajjhatt' !yatan!ni, manussa -- loka, k!madh!tu; with which is contrasted paro
loko as: parattabh!va, para -- r(pavedan!, b!hir'!yatan!ni, devaloka, r(pa -- & ar(padh!tu. -- The rise and
decay of this world is referred to as samudaya and atthangama at S ii.73; iii.135; iv.86; A v.107. -- Cp. D
iii.33 (att! ca loko ca); Mhvs 1, 5 (loka' dukkh! pamocetu'); 28, 4 (loko 'ya' p")ito); PvA 1 (vijj! -- cara*a
-- sampanna' yena n"yanti lokato). -- Other divisions of var. kinds of "planes" are e. g. deva˚ A i.115, 153;
iii.414 sq.; Brahma˚ Vbh 421; Mhvs 19, 45; Yama˚ Dh 44; S i.34; nara˚ Mhvs 5, 282. See also each sep.
head -- word, also peta˚ & manussa˚. The division at Nd1 550 is as follows: niraya˚, tiracch!na˚,
pittivisaya˚, manussa˚, deva˚ (=material); upon which follow khandha˚, dh!tu˚, !yatana˚ (=immaterial).
Similarly at Nd1 29, where ap!ya˚ takes the place of niraya˚, tiracch!na˚, pittivisaya˚. -- Another threefold
division is sankh!ra˚, satta˚, ok!sa˚ at Vism 204, with explns: "sabbe satt! !h!ra -- &&hitik!" ti=
sankh!raloka; "sassato loko ti v! asassato loko" ti= sattaloka; "y!vat! candima -- suriy! pariharanti dis!
'bhanti virocam!n!" etc. (=M i.328; A i.227; cp. J i.132) =ok!saloka. The same expln in detail at SnA 442.
-- Another as k!ma˚, r(pa˚, ar(pa˚: see under r(pa; another as kilesa˚, bhava˚, indriya˚ at Nett 11, 19. Cp.
sankh!ra -- loka VbhA 456; dasa lokadh!tuyo (see below) S i.26. -- 3. Ordinary & applied meaning. -- (a)
division of the world, worldly things S i.1, 24 (loke visattik! attachment to this world; opp. sabba -- loke
anabhirati S v.132). -- loke in this world, among men, here D iii.196 (ye nibbut! loke); It 78 (loke
uppajjati); DA i.173 (id.); Vbh 101 (ya' loke piya -- r(pa' etc.); Pv ii.113 (=ida' C.); KhA 15, 215. See
also the diff. defns of loke at Nd2 552. -- loka collectively "one, man": kiccha' loko !panno j!yati ca j"yati
ca, etc. D ii.30. Also "people": Lanka -- loka people of Ceylon Mhvs 19, 85; cp. jana in similar meaning.
Derived from this meaning is the use in cpds. (˚ -- ) as "usual, every day, popular, common": see e. g.
˚!yata, ˚vajja, ˚voh!ra. -- (b) "thing of the world," material element, physical or worldly quality, sphere or
category (of "materiality"). This category of loka is referred to at Vbh 193, which is expld at VbhA 220 as
follows: "ettha yo aya' ajjhatt' !di bhedo k!yo pariggah"to, so eva idha -- loko n!ma." In this sense 13
groups are classified according to the number of constituents in each group (1 -- 12 and No. 18); they are
given at Nd2 551 (under lokantag( Sn 1133) as follows: (1) bhavaloka; (2) sampatti bhavaloka, vipatti
bhavaloka; (3) vedan!; (4) !h!r!; (5) up!d!na -- kkhandh!; (6) ajjhattik!ni !yatan!ni (their rise & decay as
"lokassa samudaya & atthangama" at S iv.87); (7) viññ!*a&&hitiyo; (8) loka -- dhamm!; (9) satt'!v!s!; (10)
upakkiles!; (11) k!mabhav!; (12) !yatan!ni; (18) dh!tuyo. They are repeated at Ps i.122=174, with (1) as
"sabbe satt! !h!ra -- &&hitik!; (2) n!mañ ca r(pañ ca; and the remainder the same. Also at Vism 205 and at