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cardinal directions reside. In these directions there are shrines of the Jinas, divine palaces, and lakes.
It will be clear that nobody has ever seen such a mountain with physical eyes, but that here again a mystical teaching must be hidden.68 The Hindus as well, Buddhists, and even the Navahos in Arizona speak of such a mountain. The same applies to the Jambū tree, which – as in other cultures - is a symbol for the spiritual knowledge which one acquires when one has climbed the path towards the top of Meru. The tree is described as consisting of jewels and precious metals only, and the fruits are as big as elephants - and they are immortality; in the tree the protection bird of all the dvīpas has its nest. In the four cardinal directions are the four guardians - which we encounter in some form in mythology all over the world. 69
The higher worlds
The higher world, like the lower world, measures seven rajjus from top to bottom. As we see in Figure 5 the heavens are arranged in the shape of a column. There are 63 heavens, divided into four groups. In the very highest part, against the "roof" of the universe above the 63 heavens, is a region which "'from below" looks like an inverted umbrella: siddhaloka, where the fully self-liberated beings abide. Siddhaloka is not a heaven, because it is elevated beyond every imperfect state of existence.
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