Robyn Lebron Jains ascribe to the belief in plural life forms populating a layered universe with hell-beings at the base, humans and animals in the middle region, with liberated beings in the upper or heavenly domains The goal within Jainism is to ascend to the world beyond heaven and earth, where all the liberated souls dwell eternally The path to reach this highest attainment entails great care in regard to how one lives in relationship to all the other living beings that surround one in the earthly realm But before you attain this state, you must first become enlightened while here on earth Despite being still human, you have perfect knowledge and happiness All the Tirthankaras were such beings.27 Judgment and Salvation Jains believe that the universe we perceive really exists and is not an illusion and will always exist Nothing in the universe is ever destroyed or created; they simply change from one form to another It is regulated by cosmic laws and kept going by its own energy processes This concept of the universe is compatible with modern scientific thinking Jains not believe that the universe was created by any sort of god It contains the world we experience at the moment, as well as the worlds of heaven and hell The Jain universe is in five parts ǣ The region where liberated beings live for ever ǣ the region where celestial beings live, but not for ever ǣ the region where human beings live this is the only part of the universe from which a being can achieve enlightenment ǣ this region consists of seven hells where beings are tormented by demons and by each other their torment does not last for ever ǣ the region where the lowest forms of life live 28 02