path ［趣・道］ (, Pali gati;  shu or dō): In Buddhism, the state of existence into which one is reborn as a result of karma or causes formed through one’s actions in the previous existence. The Sanskrit gati derives from the root gam, which means “to go.” Buddhism set forth the concept of the six paths (gatis), or six paths of existence: the realms or states of hell, hungry spirits, animals, asuras, human beings, and heavenly beings. Originally these were thought of as physical locations; later they came to represent the states or conditions of life that living beings experience. These correspond to the lowest six of the Ten Worlds. The first three or four are called evil paths, durgati in Sanskrit, because one is reborn into them as a consequence of one’s past evil actions or bad karma. There is also a concept of five paths, which excludes the realm of asuras. See also Ten Worlds.