Wednesday, April 22, 2020

The Ten States of Life in Buddhism

Zhiyi (538–597 CE) is considered the founder of the  T’ien-t’ai  tradition of Buddhism in China. Zhiyi is famous for being the first in the history of Chinese Buddhism to elaborate a complete, critical and systematic classification of the Buddhist teachings. He is also regarded as the first major figure to make a significant break from the Indian tradition, to form an indigenous Chinese system.
 The 
Buddhist T’ien-t’ai  developed a system that classifies human experience into: ten realms or states or “worlds.” 

This Ten Worlds teaching was adopted and elaborated by Nichiren Daishonin ( February, 1 6  1222 - October, 13 1282), who stressed the inner, subjective nature of these worlds: “As to the question of where exactly Hell and the Buddha exist, one sutra reads that Hell exists underground and another sutra says that the Buddha is in the west. However, closer examination reveals that both exist in our five-foot body.”
What are these ten worlds, then? Ordered  to the most desirable, from the last, they are: 
What Buddhism refers to as :
The Four Noble States represent the effort to live with integrity, inner freedom and compassion. 

1- Buddhahood is a state of completeness and perfect freedom, in which one is able to savor a sense of unity with the fundamental life-force of the cosmos. For a person in the state of Buddhahood, everything—including the inevitable trials of illness, aging and death—can be experienced as an opportunity for joy and fulfillment. 
2-  The world of Bodhisattva is a state of compassion in which we overcome the restraints of egotism and work tirelessly for the welfare of others. 

3- Realization indicates the ability to perceive unaided the true nature of phenomena. Together, these are sometimes referred to as the Two Vehicles, as people manifesting these states are partially enlightened and free from some deluded desires. 
4- The world of Learning describes a condition of aspiration to enlightenment. 

5- Rapture is a state of joy typically experienced when desire is fulfilled or suffering escaped. 

6- Humanity is a tranquil state marked by the ability to reason and make calm judgments. While fundamental to our identity as humans, this state can also represent a fragile balance that yields to one of the lower states when confronted with negative conditions.
These four states are referred to as the Four Evil Paths because of the destructive negativity that marks them.
7- Anger is a state characterized by an unrestrained competitive urge to surpass and dominate others and often a pretense of being good and wise. 
8- Animality—an instinctual state of fearing the strong and bullying the weak.
9- Hunger—a state dominated by deluded desire that can never be satisfied. 
1- Hell—a condition of despair in which one is completely overwhelmed by suffering.