[chipkluchi]

The presentation in the Pali Canon is culturally relevant.

Again, I disagree and I retract my previous position that "the metaphors may be dispensed with"

It was insight into the human condition (rather than culture) which gave rise to the metaphors

The metaphors are valid metaphors, which people commonly use in the West

For example, a Westerner learns about a horrific murder & comments: "They are not human! They are just animals!"

Or a Westerner sees politicians or corporates abuse power & comments: "They act as though they are Gods".

Or pop songs about hungry ghosts: "You lived your life like a candle in the wind, never knowing who to cling to, when the rain set in".

The realms are products of insight

The Buddha's title "Lokavidu: Knower of the Worlds" was not some kind of Brahminist legacy

Kind regards