The 8th century Buddhist monument Borobudur in Central Java incorporated the trailokya into the architectural design with the plan of mandala that took the form of a stepped stone pyramid crowned with stupas.

They are here because of actions in past lives based on egotistic jealousy, envy, insincerity, struggle, combat or rationalization of the world.

The Asuras of some other domains, however, are fully malevolent (such as the corruptor Mara) and can be more closely related to the translation of demon that is sometimes ascribed to them.

This is because of the unique possibilities that a human rebirth offers: beings in higher domains just choose to enjoy the pleasures of their realms and neglect working towards enlightenment, while beings in lower domains are too busy trying to avoid the suffering and pain of their worlds to give a second thought to liberation.

In Tibetan versions of the Bhavacakra these beings are drawn with narrow necks and large bellies.

The sentient beings in Naraka stay there until their negative karma is spent, at which point they are reborn into another domain.

[9][10] A common one is that in the Verses on the Structure of the Eight Consciousnesses (八識規矩補註),[11] which reads: "in those to be reborn as saints the last part to retain bodily heat is the top of the head, in those to be reborn devas it is the eyes, while in the case of the human realm it is the heart, that of the hungry ghosts, the belly, that of animals, the knee caps, and lastly, in that of the hell realm, the soles of the feet."

The Tibetan Buddhist text Bardo Thodol describes further on the experiences proper to these realms.

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Chögyal Namkai Norbu Rinpoche have published literature teaching a "Practice of the Six Lokas" designed to "purify the karmic traces that lead to rebirth in the different realms,"[12] wherein the six lokas are also cognate with the principal six chakra system of Vajrayana.