Heaven and Hell: Special Feature on the Movie 'Dragon Heart - A Journey to the Spirit World'

May 2, 2025（Last Update: June 13, 2026）

The world of the afterlife that everyone goes to after death.

Even if you think death is still far away, you never know when or how life will change.

Where do we come from, and where are we going?

Knowing this and living with that knowledge changes the meaning and depth of life entirely.

This time, we will feature heaven and hell in conjunction with the release of the movie 'Dragon Heart - A Journey to the Spirit World', which depicts the afterlife.

label Table of Contents

Movie 'Dragon Heart - A Journey to the Spirit World'
Heaven - The world we existed in before we were born
Hell - The world where those who lived with a wrong heart go
Let's learn about the afterlife while we are alive - The meaning of knowing the afterlife as spoken by Lord El Cantare
"We have seen the world of the afterlife!" 【Spiritual Experience Stories】
COLUMN――Shambhala
Movie-related BOOKS

Movie 'Dragon Heart - A Journey to the Spirit World'

〈あらすじ〉

Ryusuke, a junior high school student in Tokyo, spends his summer vacation in Tokushima at the invitation of his aunt.
He enjoys nature with his cousin Kazumi, but by a twist of fate, the two drown in a river――.
When they suddenly wake up, Ryusuke and Tomomi find themselves on the back of a giant dragon.
An unimaginable journey to the spirit world begins.

〈登場人物〉

・Ryusuke Tagawa
(CV. Yusuke Kobayashi)
A third-year student at a prestigious junior high school in Tokyo. He is the president of the mountaineering club, and his dream is to climb Everest. He is curious and courageous.

・Tomomi Sato
(CV. Chinatsu Hirose)
Ryusuke's cousin living in Tokushima, a second-year junior high school student. She is a member of the kendo club and has won a city tournament. She can see ghosts and yokai.

For more details, click here open_in_new

Heaven - The world we existed in before we were born

We originally live in heaven.

And occasionally, we are born on Earth with a mission for soul training, gaining new experiences in this world, and then returning to the afterlife, repeating the cycle of reincarnation.

The world called 'the afterlife (the world after death, the spirit world)' has a dimensional structure layered like the skin of an onion.

〈各次元解説〉

・9th Dimension - Cosmic Realm…The world of saviors where souls have evolved to the highest degree as human spirits, such as Buddha and Jesus. The one with the highest authority in this realm is the supreme god of Earth, El Cantare open_in_new, who stands above all gods.

・8th Dimension - Nirvana Realm…The world of great figures who have created heights of eras and cultures as agents of gods and Buddhas with a fair and selfless heart.

・7th Dimension - Bodhisattva Realm…The world of angels and bodhisattvas who live for love and service. They are engaged in guiding people in hell and on Earth.

・6th Dimension - Radiant Realm…The world where leaders of each realm reside. Those who have contributed to the progress of society through their professions live here.

・5th Dimension - Realm of Good People…A place where people with 'good hearts' live. Those who find joy in helping others reside here.

・4th Dimension - Spirit Realm…The first world people go to after death. The upper layer is the spirit realm, and the lower layer is the hell where one reflects on their mistakes in life.

Hell - The world where those who lived with a wrong heart go

The spirit world where those who lived with a wrong heart and actions go after death.

Even though it is called hell, there are various types, and hell exists for as many evil hearts as people have.

In modern times, more than half of the population has fallen into hell, and they cannot return to heaven until they sincerely repent.

Many people first go to the Enma Court, the court of the afterlife, after they die.

There, under the 'Mirror of Reflection', which shows a digest of their lives, they will see records of their actions and thoughts in life by the 'judge of the afterlife', King Enma.

The 'Mirror of Reflection' reveals all sins that were not judged by law.

After confirming the records, they will be pointed out the points they need to reflect on, and they will be shown their appropriate destination in the afterlife.

To avoid falling into hell, it is essential to have the correct faith and learn the good and evil shown by gods and Buddhas.

Furthermore, it is important to repeatedly reflect based on the truth of Buddhism and live for the sake of the world and others.

Diverse Hell Worlds (Some Introduced)

(1) Rogue Hell

A hell where delinquents, gangsters, alcoholics, and those who neglected their families go, a world dominated by violence. They cannot leave until they reflect on harming others and develop a peaceful and tolerant heart.

(2) Lust Hell

A hell for those who have drowned in physical relationships, those who have strayed from the path of men and women due to love triangles, infidelity, LGBTQ, etc., and those whose hearts are trapped in sexual pleasure. There is also a hell for women who died while being forced to work as sex slaves.

(3) Hospital Hell

There are those who do not realize they have died in a hospital due to wicked doctors and nurses. They think they are receiving treatment while being sawed with electric saws or having their blood drawn while being connected to drip machines.

(4) Terror and War Hell

A gathering of people with thoughts of hostility, violence, destruction, and murder who repeatedly commit tragedies such as terrorism and war. This world feels so hot that they feel their bodies are burning.

(5) Internet Hell

A hell for those who have written slander, criticism, and lies online that they cannot say in person. Those who have illegally hacked and misused information from other companies or countries, stolen people's property, or committed crimes through manipulation of virtual currencies or electronic money also fall.

Before watching the movie! A book to deepen your understanding of hell and the spirit world

『小説　地球万華鏡』

ページをひらくと――そこは、めくるめく神秘の世界。新感覚の書き下ろし小説この世に生きながら、目に見えない世界と交流できるとしたら―― 何が見えてくるだろうか。この世と天国地獄の関係リアルな霊体験や幽体離脱実在する妖怪たちの諸相宇宙人とのコンタクト…… ときにユーモアを、そして真実を織り交ぜながら描かれる不思議な10のストーリー。楽しみながら読んでいくと、その奥に散りばめられた人生にとって大切なことが浮かびあがってくる。 ◇死後の世界を信じない人に手を焼く閻魔大王の「地獄イノベーション計画」 ◇金縛り、幽体離脱、犬神、そして狸……　現代人に伝えたい霊界へのめざめ ◇お釈迦様の知恵と天照大神の鏡妖怪の総大将を裏側霊界に封印する話 ◇地球に来ている宇宙人ヤイドロン人類の危機を守る宇宙防衛軍の秘密　他広告を見る

Let's learn about the afterlife while we are alive - The meaning of knowing the afterlife as spoken by Lord El Cantare

Right now, you are living in a physical body, but the body is not everything about a human. As has been said since ancient times, the 'soul' truly resides within the body.

This soul takes on a form very similar to the physical body while living in this world. While the soul may protrude one or two centimeters from the body, it lives together with the body in an overlapping manner.

However, at the boundary of death, the soul separates from the body. The body is cremated and buried at the crematorium, but the soul departs from the body and embarks on a journey to the afterlife.

By the time the soul embarks on its journey to the afterlife and crosses the Sanzu River, it is still in a state where it does not fully understand the distinction between good and evil. However, after that, there will be moments of reflection on the life lived in this world, and the destination in the afterlife will be determined.

And what determines the destination in the afterlife is the way one lived in this world.

The question of "how one lived in this world" often decides whether one goes to heaven or hell after death, or whether one will wander in this world without going to either heaven or hell.

(Omitted)

There is indeed a significant difference in life between those who accept this spiritual worldview and those who do not.

(Excerpt from 'Living in a Way That Doesn't Cause Trouble After Death' open_in_new)

"We have seen the world of the afterlife!" 【Spiritual Experience Stories】

In fact, it is not uncommon for people to catch glimpses of the world of the afterlife while they are still alive.

Monthly 'Happy Science' May 2025 issue open_in_new (P.30-32) features spiritual experiences shared by three readers, including "As a child, I drowned in a public bath and saw the Sanzu River," "I learned about the state of my deceased friend through a vivid dream," and "I explored the spirit world during meditation."

Read the experiences chevron_right

COLUMN――Shambhala

The land of "Shambhala" that appears in the last scene of the movie.

Shambhala has been mentioned in various cultures around the world, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Theosophy, for a long time.

This is a place for spiritual awakening.

It is located near the underground area of Everest, with India and Nepal as the entrance, where masters from various fields are invited to train to gain the qualifications of a savior.

The one who governs Shambhala is a hidden existence that has not appeared on the surface, Lord El Cantare open_in_new.

In the story, after the protagonists visit Shambhala, they go to the legendary mountain "Mount Sumeru (Shumisen)," which is said to be the center of the world in Buddhism and Hinduism, where the gods reside.