The principle of the
10 worlds was derived from the Lotus Sutra by the Great Chinese
Buddhist teacher T'ien T'ai (538-597) most forms of Buddhism
practised in Vietnam, Japan, China and Korea trace their roots back
to his teachings, which in term reflect back to his own teacher
Chih-I.
This succinct (and
to me accurate and helpful) framework of the psychology of human
behaviour states that everyone innately possesses ten life conditions
or worlds through which they move from moment to moment. The six
lower states – hell, hunger, anger, animality, rapture,
tranquillity – will dominate unless conscious effort is made to
enter the four higher worlds – learning, realisation, bodhisattva
(compassion) and Buddha(hood).
It is important to
realise that each of nine worlds has a positive and a negative aspect
while Buddhahood, the highest state it is possible for a human to
achieve is only positive.
How each of the
worlds manifests depends on peoples 'default' setting, which are
usually one of the four lowest worlds, as the fifth and sixth worlds
(rapture and tranquillity) tend to be extremely transient. People
move continuously through the worlds from moment to moment. In the
six lower worlds we are at the mercy of our environment and
circumstances (karma) our life condition changes in response to that
external stimulus. A love letter brings rapture, bad weather can
bring hell, a comment anger, the sight of another's possession hunger
etc.
The fact that we can
move so swiftly between the worlds, which are all manifest within
each other. meaning that it is as easy (or difficult) to move from a
state of compassion to a state of hell as vise versa is called the
mutual possession of the ten worlds
The Mutual
Possession Of The 10 Worlds
|
WORLD |
POSITIVE ASPECT |
NEGATIVE ASPECT |
|
Hell |
A real understanding of this state can
lead to the desire and wisdom to help others.
|
A state of suffering, illustrated by
despair, depression and self destructive tendencies |
|
Hunger |
Yearning to improve things for oneself
and others The desire to live and achieve goals;
|
Greed and/or an insatiable, unsatisfied
desire for power, sex, money, material goods etc. |
|
Animality |
The instinct to survive; sleep, eat, make
love and to protect and nurture life |
Unthinking instinctive action,
intimidating the weak, fearing the strong; selfish, pleasure
seeking. |
|
Anger |
Passion to fight injustice and create a
better world; a creative force for change |
A state of self righteousness egotism, in
which one cannot bear to lose. This state is a foundation of war. |
|
Rapture |
Intense pleasure and happiness;
heightened awareness and feeling glad to be alive |
Short lived happiness resulting from the
achievements of desires. The wish for it's continuance leads to
excess (materialism) and a weak, dependent attitude of life. |
|
Tranquility/Humanity |
At peace, in control of desires; the
ability to act with reason and humanity |
A state of inactivity; unwillingness to
tackle problems, leading to decline and negligence |
|
Learning |
Striving for self improvement by learning
new concepts through studying the teachings of others. The
foundation of realisation |
The tendency to become self-centred, cut
off from daily realities, or developing a dismissive attitude
towards those with less knowledge. |
|
Realisation |
Wisdom and insight gained by the effort
and effect of study and by observing the world |
Self-absorption, lacking a broad view of
life, arrogance (“I know better”) |
|
Bodhisattva |
Compassion and/or acting selflessly for
other people, without expecting a reward. |
Becoming a martyr neglecting
oneself/health. Ultimately having pity or contempt for those one
aims to help |
|
Buddha |
Wisdom, compassion courage, life force
which illuminates the positive aspects the other nine worlds |
This state is only positive |
