More on the Buddhist 'Ten Worlds'
More on the Buddhist 'Ten Worlds'
September 26, 2003
"World Tribune"
page 11
"Back to the Basics"
"Examining the Ten Worlds"
Sam Cady examines the Buddhist concept of the Ten Worlds, the 'range
of potential states or conditions that a person can manifest and
experience in his or her environment.'
"This chanting stuff is never going to work. But what if...?"
Imagine a young man sitting down for the first time in front of the
Gohonzon and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting desperately. He
and his wife are going to be thrown out of their apartment within 24
hours; they have no jobs, no money, no credit, no chance of paying for
lodging, even if they find it that day.
Now put yourself inside that young man's mind as he chants: "This is
stupid. I must be losing my mind. This chanting stuff is never going
to work. But what if...?"
OK, now hold that thought. The Buddhist concept of the Ten Worlds is
used to describe the range of potential states or conditions that a
person can manifest and experience in his or her environment.
Individually, they are:
1) The world of hell: a totally limited condition in which living
itself is misery, and anger and rage become a source of further
self-destruction.
2) The world of hungry spirits (also called hunger): endless desire in
which one is never truly satisfied.
3) The world of animals (also called animality): a totally instinctual
condition, without reason, morality or wisdom.
4) The world of asuras, or warlike demons in Indian mythology (also
called anger): persistent, though not necessarily overt,
aggressiveness and excessive pride, which prevents one from seeing
oneself or others as they truly are.
5) The world of human beings (also called humanity): control of
desires and impulses with reason and desire to harmonize with one's
surroundings.
6) The world of heavenly beings (also called heaven or rapture):
contentment and joy caused by release from suffering or satisfaction
of desire.
7) The world of voice-hearers (also called learning): self-development
through learning the ideas, knowledge and experience of others.
8) The world of cause-awakened ones (also called- realization):
seeking self-development and lasting truth through the observation of
natural phenomena.
9) The world of bodhisattvas: working toward enlightenment both for
oneself and others.
10) The world of Buddhas (also called Buddhahood): a state of perfect
and absolute freedom in which one realizes the true nature of life.
There is an obvious qualitative progression from the bottom, hell, to
the top, Buddha. Because of that, one might be led to think that the
point of Buddhist practice is to eradicate the lower worlds and
maximize the higher ones.
There was a time in my own practice when I would actually
talk--silently--to the Gohonzon, saying that I'd be happy just to
establish a permanent state of rapture and leave the other ones higher
up for later, when I had more energy.
In a sense, that's how Buddhism was taught prior to the Lotus Sutra;
each world was given its own physical space and the beings therein
were rated by the quality of the world they lived in.
But with the Lotus Sutra, a whole new view of reality appeared. The
Ten Worlds were now defined as internal conditions, present in all
life. Even more astounding was the revelation that each world actually
contained all the others as potentials. As conditions change, so do
the worlds being manifested; identity was no longer fixed and
absolute. Thus, for the first time, the promise, if not the process,
of truly revolutionizing our lives was revealed. (For further
explanation of this concept, which is called the mutual possession of
the Ten Worlds, please read The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. IV,
pp. 171-224.) (SEE DEFINITION BELOW)
So how do we apply this?
Regardless of which of the Ten Worlds we are currently experiencing,
no matter how confusing or disgusting its nature, through Buddhist
practice we develop the faith that each world possesses a potentially
enlightened or, more simply, happy aspect. We can be truly realistic
in our optimism.
The solution to a problem, from the Buddhist point of view, is
actually found within the problem. The critical factor is our belief
in the transformative power of life as taught in Buddhism. When we
develop and act upon this belief, then hell can become happiness,
hunger can become happiness, anger can become happiness.
This is precisely what Nichiren Daishonin meant when he said, "To have
faith is the basis of Buddhism" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,
p. 832).
And what of the young man and his wife, chanting with no obvious hope
of a solution? Remember that the young man asked a critical question,
"What if?"
I think, at that moment, he would have chanted for wall-to wall
carpets, a fireplace, a garden, a nice neighborhood to live in. and I
think he would have wanted them that very day. And, on a deeper level,
even though he would only acknowledge it later, he would have been
chanting to finally lead a meaningful, contributive life.
Sounds crazy, right'?
You should know, though, that his prayers came true. Trust me on this;
I was that young man.
By Sam Cady
San Francisco
More on the Buddhist 'Ten Worlds'
September 26, 2003
"World Tribune"
page 11
"Back to the Basics"
"Examining the Ten Worlds"
Sam Cady examines the Buddhist concept of the Ten Worlds, the 'range
of potential states or conditions that a person can manifest and
experience in his or her environment.'
"This chanting stuff is never going to work. But what if...?"
Imagine a young man sitting down for the first time in front of the
Gohonzon and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting desperately. He
and his wife are going to be thrown out of their apartment within 24
hours; they have no jobs, no money, no credit, no chance of paying for
lodging, even if they find it that day.
Now put yourself inside that young man's mind as he chants: "This is
stupid. I must be losing my mind. This chanting stuff is never going
to work. But what if...?"
OK, now hold that thought. The Buddhist concept of the Ten Worlds is
used to describe the range of potential states or conditions that a
person can manifest and experience in his or her environment.
Individually, they are:
1) The world of hell: a totally limited condition in which living
itself is misery, and anger and rage become a source of further
self-destruction.
2) The world of hungry spirits (also called hunger): endless desire in
which one is never truly satisfied.
3) The world of animals (also called animality): a totally instinctual
condition, without reason, morality or wisdom.
4) The world of asuras, or warlike demons in Indian mythology (also
called anger): persistent, though not necessarily overt,
aggressiveness and excessive pride, which prevents one from seeing
oneself or others as they truly are.
5) The world of human beings (also called humanity): control of
desires and impulses with reason and desire to harmonize with one's
surroundings.
6) The world of heavenly beings (also called heaven or rapture):
contentment and joy caused by release from suffering or satisfaction
of desire.
7) The world of voice-hearers (also called learning): self-development
through learning the ideas, knowledge and experience of others.
8) The world of cause-awakened ones (also called- realization):
seeking self-development and lasting truth through the observation of
natural phenomena.
9) The world of bodhisattvas: working toward enlightenment both for
oneself and others.
10) The world of Buddhas (also called Buddhahood): a state of perfect
and absolute freedom in which one realizes the true nature of life.
There is an obvious qualitative progression from the bottom, hell, to
the top, Buddha. Because of that, one might be led to think that the
point of Buddhist practice is to eradicate the lower worlds and
maximize the higher ones.
There was a time in my own practice when I would actually
talk--silently--to the Gohonzon, saying that I'd be happy just to
establish a permanent state of rapture and leave the other ones higher
up for later, when I had more energy.
In a sense, that's how Buddhism was taught prior to the Lotus Sutra;
each world was given its own physical space and the beings therein
were rated by the quality of the world they lived in.
But with the Lotus Sutra, a whole new view of reality appeared. The
Ten Worlds were now defined as internal conditions, present in all
life. Even more astounding was the revelation that each world actually
contained all the others as potentials. As conditions change, so do
the worlds being manifested; identity was no longer fixed and
absolute. Thus, for the first time, the promise, if not the process,
of truly revolutionizing our lives was revealed. (For further
explanation of this concept, which is called the mutual possession of
the Ten Worlds, please read The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol. IV,
pp. 171-224.) (SEE DEFINITION BELOW)
So how do we apply this?
Regardless of which of the Ten Worlds we are currently experiencing,
no matter how confusing or disgusting its nature, through Buddhist
practice we develop the faith that each world possesses a potentially
enlightened or, more simply, happy aspect. We can be truly realistic
in our optimism.
The solution to a problem, from the Buddhist point of view, is
actually found within the problem. The critical factor is our belief
in the transformative power of life as taught in Buddhism. When we
develop and act upon this belief, then hell can become happiness,
hunger can become happiness, anger can become happiness.
This is precisely what Nichiren Daishonin meant when he said, "To have
faith is the basis of Buddhism" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,
p. 832).
And what of the young man and his wife, chanting with no obvious hope
of a solution? Remember that the young man asked a critical question,
"What if?"
I think, at that moment, he would have chanted for wall-to wall
carpets, a fireplace, a garden, a nice neighborhood to live in. and I
think he would have wanted them that very day. And, on a deeper level,
even though he would only acknowledge it later, he would have been
chanting to finally lead a meaningful, contributive life.
Sounds crazy, right'?
You should know, though, that his prayers came true. Trust me on this;
I was that young man.
By Sam Cady
San Francisco
Last edited:
The Babba's are about to be grandparents 
a babbaBaBY! 
