Among three realms of Buddhism, where we live, desire realm, consists of 36 places dwelt in beings of six paths, according to chapter 4, Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra. Of the 36 places, as many as 16 of them are hells (naraka), which manifests the significance of hells in Buddhist Cosmology. The ideas about Buddhist Hells are abundant and distinctive. 13 Sutras and 3 Abhidharmas are carefully chosen and their information concerning Buddhist Hells is collected and systemized to reconstruct and contextualize the formation of Buddhist Hells. Besides, other related problems incurred are interpreted as well. From four Āgamas, two groups of data can be found. What do they mean to the formation of Buddhist Hells? How are they related to each other? Furthermore, how Abhidharmas are related to Sutras? These are what we would like to figure out in this thesis. The most recognized Buddhist eight hot hells may be the most long-standing hells within Buddhist system and share more common history with ancient Indian cultures. So are the Utsadas, which are subordinate to the Eight Hot Hells in Buddhist Cosmology. Of the two groups of hells, the “Four Gated Circular Allied Hells” in Madhyama Āgama might be treated as the prototype of Buddhist Hells. Later in time, the linear order between circular hells was realized hierarchically to establish, what we know today, Hot Hells and Utsadas, which can be seen in other three Āgamas. Also, another array of hells, eight or ten in number, were pretty obscure in four Āgamas but articulated as Eight Cold Hells in Abhidharmas. In this thesis, we contend that those Eight Cold Hells in Abhidharmas should derive from those obscure hells in Āgamas, added to “cold” feature brought from outside India. In Dīrgha Āgama was a cold utsada and then in Ekottarika Āgama were eight cold utsadas, whereas they were entitled as Cold Hells in Abhidharmas. We are convinced that, Utsadas or Hells, they are the evolutionary outcome rather than historical heritage. Finally, Lone Hells could barely be detected in four Āgamas, while they obviously exist in Abhidharmas but reveal very little about themselves. Through toiling, we speculate that Yama(閻羅) in Dīrgha Āgama might be a being in a lone hell and the story of bhikṣu Śronakotīvijśa(比丘億耳) in Mūlasarvāstivāda-vinaya might be the basis, on which Lone Hells were declared in Abhidharma Mahāvibhāṣā Śāstra.
