10 worlds sgi
What’s Actually Happening When I’m Chanting?
(Photo above by Eugene Golovesov / Pexels)
Every day has its ups and downs. Sometimes we surprise ourselves with how we respond (in a good way) and other times, not so much. Whatever the situation, bringing our Buddhability to the table can dramatically change how we react on a daily basis.
Despite how we deal with things, each of us has the ability to tap into inherent reserves of courage, wisdom and compassion. But actually believing that is a whole other challenge.
The 13th-century Buddhist reformer Nichiren Daishonin understood this well, stating:
We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts.
“New Year’s Gosho,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 1137
So let’s learn from an important Buddhist concept, the “mutual possession of the Ten Worlds,” which offers insights into how we can not only believe in our Buddhahood but tap into it anytime.
The concept of the Ten Worlds explains that we can experience at any moment any of the 10 states of life that are potentials within us, rang
Chapter 2: The Ten Worlds
This chapter will discuss the principle known as the Ten Worlds and clarify that the fundamental aim of faith in Nichiren Buddhism is to reveal in our lives the state of buddhahood that is inherent within us.
1. The Six Paths
The Ten Worlds is a classification of ten distinct states of life and forms the foundation for the Buddhist view of life. Through examining the Ten Worlds, we can come to understand the nature of our own state of life and gain insights into how we can transform it.
The Ten Worlds are (1) the world of hell, (2) the world of hungry spirits, (3) the world of animals, (4) the world of asuras, (5) the world of human beings, (6) the world of heavenly beings, (7) the world of voice-hearers, (8) the world of cause-awakened ones, (9) the world of bodhisattvas, and (10) the world of buddhas.
The first six worlds—those of hell, hungry spirits, animals, asuras, human beings, and heavenly beings—are known as the six paths. The remaining four—those of voice-hearers, cause-awakened ones, bodhisattvas, and buddhas—are known as the four noble worlds.
According to the ancient Indian worldview, the six paths refer to the six realms o
One of my follow Soka Gakkai International (SGI) members created really nifty illustrations of The Ten Worlds. I find it to be a good visual tool for helping me memorize the different Worlds. I’m sharing the illustrations here in the wish that they will be useful to other people, too. It is important to note that a person can be in one World in a moment, or in a lifetime. The World reached based on a person’s perspective, spirit, energy and willingness to change for improved or worse. It is an ongoing process and existence.
The Ten Worlds are an important main attraction of the SGI Buddhist theology. As a practicing SGI member, I try to reach the highest Worlds–which consist of Buddhahood, Bodhisattva, Realization and Learning. These four highest Worlds are called The Four Noble Worlds. It a challenge to attain and maintain these Worlds. The most important way to reach them is to build self-determined happiness that is uncontrolled by external influences.
The Six Lower Worlds are described as states of animation easily influenced by external forces. The Six Lower Worlds consist of Heaven, Humanity, Anger, Animality, Hunger and Hell.
The Ten Worlds–Four Noble World
Ten Worlds
We can each ask ourselves: 'What life condition am I in?'
Perhaps we feel happy, sad, or neither. Perhaps there is something on our minds, something we hope to obtain, or achieve, something that drives us in a particular direction.
Buddhism has a very clear way of explaining the different ways that we feel and respond to the world around us. It is a principle often referred to as the "Ten Worlds".
TEN WORLDS
The Ten Worlds are ten conditions of life that everyone possesses and which we experience from moment to moment.
The first six lower worlds are Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Humanity, and Rapture. These six lower worlds arise automatically from within our lives in response to external surroundings.
Three of the four remaining worlds, Learning, Realization, and Bodhisattva, are developed through seeking, discovering, and aspiring.
Each of these nine worlds has a positive aspect which is balanced by a negative aspect.
The tenth world, Buddhahood, is a condition of pure, indestructible happiness.
The majority of people spend most of their time moving between the
[© Kees Smans/Getty Images]
From day to day, moment to moment, our state of life is susceptible to change. We may wake up feeling full of joyful anticipation at the thought of the approaching weekend, only to be thrown into a state of rage in the traffic on the way to work. Arriving late at the office, we cower at the thought of our boss’ disapproval. Then, saddled with an unexpected work assignment and the thought of our weekend disappearing under a pile of paperwork, we begin to feel trapped and resentful. But noticing the stress and unhappiness of a colleague, we offer them encouragement and assistance and begin to feel better ourselves.
Buddhism categorizes this seemingly infinite range of life states into ten inner “worlds.” This concept of the “Ten Worlds” offers a useful framework for understanding both the changeable nature of our moods and the basic nature or tendencies of our character. More significantly, it provides us with a sense of the great possibility inherent in life at each moment.
The principle of the Ten Worlds forms the foundation of the Buddhist view of life. The worlds are, in ascending order of the degree of free will, compassion and happiness