By Noel Hein

Kama Loka, the original subtitle of The Ghost Sonata, is a crucial concept to the plot and composition of this play. The Kama Loka is a mystical dream world between life and death, where acceptance is the key to escape. Many religions have a concept of a “limbo world,” a world that exists in the moment of death, where a person makes a journey to the afterlife: Catholics believe in Purgatory (a place of penance for earthly sins in preparation for the afterlife), Jewish people believe in Gehinnom (a place of spiritual cleansing of sin), and Hindus believe in Yamaloka (a temporary place of punishment for sins). Kama Loka, while similar, serves an entirely different purpose in the timeline of the afterlife. A concept of Theravada Buddhism (the most ancient practice of Buddhism still carried on to the modern era), the Kama Loka is otherwise known as “the desire realm.” This realm is one of thirty-one planes of existence, it has different significance to several branches of Buddhism. It is a place where individuals may go after death to reflect on worldly attachments through their emotions in order to move on to the next realm. 

The Kama Loka is a realm of emotion, desire, and above all acceptance. It is where the experience an individual has largely depends upon the life they lead before entering Kama Loka. As such, Kama Loka is far more a state of being than it is a place. Those who had unfulfilled desire or attachment tied to their souls upon death, enter the realm of Kama Loka in order to advance to the world of Devachan (a place of bliss). In Kama Loka, the soul sloughs off all worldly things in order to purify its being. Due to the absence of the body the soul must face all of its desires and attachments in order to reach acceptance, including the manner of death. Someone who died by murder would live in Kama Loka differently than someone who died by natural causes. Someone who died with no worldly connections and desires would bypass Kama Loka all together. Essentially, if acceptance is reached in life for attachment and desire, Kama Loka is not necessary as the journey to completion of the soul has already been made. Contrastingly, someone who lived taking from others, with great unresolved desire, or deep unsolved injustice needs Kama Loka to move on as there is no other way for them to come to acceptance of their lives and desires.

Strindberg had an interest in many religions and practices including Buddhism, the Occult and Christianity. All of these influenced the play, but the most profound was Buddhism. He places a Buddha statue in the hyacinth room (where the young lady withers away), alludes to karma (because of the sins of the characters in the house they must suffer at the hands of the cook), and Kama Loka. August Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata, takes place in the journey of Kama Loka. They live in a dream world, filled with oriental symbols as well as oddities which make everything seem outside of Earth. The dreamlike setting sets the play between life and death, a place of Kama Loka. 

The story follows a ghostly house filled with deep rooted generational sin. An old man (Director Hummel) has wreaked havoc in this house. He has squandered their wealth, committed adultery with The Mummy resulting in a child, and falsified his own identity to gain power and wealth. Hummel’s actions cause illness, false identities, and desolation in this home. Accompanied by a young Student of languages, he worms his way into the home (to marry the Student to his daughter and to destroy his former lover’s (The Mummy) husband the Colonel). Every character in this story makes a journey from their attachments to acceptance—they enter a state of Kama Loka. Hummel is ripped apart by the mummy and Bengston, he is stripped of his wealth, power, and strength revealing his true identity. He is nothing but a selfish and lazy cook, a man who sucks the life out of those around him. In having his power and pride ripped off of him he makes a journey through Kama Loka, detaching himself from every mask he puts on and accepting exactly who he is. The Colonel faces a similar journey. He discovers that his entire life is a lie, he is not a colonel, a nobleman or a father. Everything that he drew worth for himself from is taken away, and he is forced to look in the mirror. He is forced to see who he is without metals and without his name; he has no choice, but to accept what he is. The young lady (Hummel’s daughter) lives her life in desolation due to the evils of those around her. She comes through a journey of acceptance of her life, that she cannot change her home she can merely accept it and escape it. The characters of this play all embark on a journey through Kama Loka, a process of acceptance and of releasing the world.  
 

Works Cited

Sheng-Chuan, Standley. “ORIENTAL CROSSCURRENTS IN MODERN WESTERN THEATRE.” Oriental Crosscurrents in Modern Western Theater, 1983, 55–61. 

“Kama Loka: Theosophy World.” Kama Loka | Theosophy World. Accessed March 1, 2026. https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/kama-loka. 

Dougherty, Sarah. “Kama loka” by William Q. judge. Accessed March 1, 2026. https://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/death/de-wqj1.htm. 

Www.wisdomlib.org. “Significance of Kamaloka.” Kamaloka: Significance and symbolism, April 21, 2025. https://www.wisdomlib.org/concept/kamaloka#google_vignette.