The Ten Worlds

The following excerpt is from "The Buddha in Daily Life, An Introduction to the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin", by Richard Causton, Rider Ebury Press, Random House, Copyright 1995 Daisaku Ikeda wrote, "Society is complex and harsh, demanding that you struggle hard to survive. No one can make you happy. Everything depends on you as to whether or not you attain happiness... A human being is destined to a life of great suffering if he is weak and vulnerable to his external surroundings." Nichiren wrote, "Only by defeating a powerful enemy can one prove his real strength." The Japanese word for Hell is jigoku, written with two characters meaning 'the lowest' and 'to be bound or imprisoned'. undoubtedly, one of the characteristic aspects of the state of Hell is the lack of ability to think freely, a result of the dramatic reduction of one's life-force, the vital energy of life itself, which is expressed both physically in one's bodily mechanisms and functions, and spiritually on one's thoughts, hopes and emotions. In this state, it is 'like being already dead'. The world of Hunger is one in which our desires are dominant. As its name suggests, the world of Animality is that in which we behave like animals. The person in the state of Anger cannot bear to lose. As its name suggest, Tranquillity, the fifth of the Ten Worlds, is the state of being at peace or at rest; one of the major functions of Tranquillity is to restore energy. This state is also called the world of Humanity. The world of Rapture is what we experience when our desires are fulfilled. It is an intense and exhilarating state in which we feel glad to be alive and in which everything is bathed in the glow of our own well-being. The world of Learning applies to the Buddha's disciples who try to attain enlightenment by following his teachings, in Japanese the word shomon, means 'voice-hearers' or 'men of Learning' who originally heard the 'voice' of Shakyamini Buddha when he was preaching. In a more general sense, however, it applies to that aspect of our consciousness which can learn from the realizations of others and apply what we have learned to our own lives. It corresponds to intelligence and is concerned with existing knowledge. The world of Realization corresponds to wisdom or insight, the state which enables us to come to an understanding directly from our own observations experience and reflection. This understanding may be as grand as the workings of the universe, or as humble as how to wire a plug. What matters in the world of Realization is that we come to that understanding largely through our own efforts. The Japanese word for Realization, engaku, refers to those who try to reach enlightenment without encountering a Buddha or his teachings, and whose enlightenment in therefore partial or incomplete. The world of Bodhisattva is characterized by the spirit of jihi which is the desire to replace suffering in others with happiness. So...What is Buddhahood? Perhaps it would be easier to begin by saying what it is not. Buddhahood is not a supernatural quality which enables you to perform superhuman or magical feats like levitation; neither is it a transcendental state, divorced from the everyday reality of this world, in which you experience mental bliss and peace. Buddhahood exists and can be only be manifested, here and now, through the actions of real people in this real world. Nichiren says, "The real meaning of the Lord Shakyamini Buddha's appearance in this world lay in his behaviour as a human being. How profound!" Shakyamuni was not a god but a man, and Buddhahood, although the highest state of life, is one that is attainable by all people. Thus, there is no fundamental difference between a Buddha and an ordinary person: a Buddha is simply an ordinary person 'awakened' to the true nature of life. As Nichiren further explains, "While deluded, one is called a common mortal, but once enlightened, he is called a Buddha."

So Where Do We Go From Here? Well.....

.... Hey wait a minute... isn't a well kind of like a .... rabbit hole? All too often I hear "well" followed by "if" I "could've, should've, would've" ... I think sometimes we (and I say "we" because I am just as guilty of it as the rest of the people I am here to advise) get so "drowned" in our "well" that we forget to give ourselves credit for all of the things that we have accomplished. Lately there has been a huge focus on Mindfulness and Meditation. That is all well and good IF and only IF you can find a group or teacher. Mindfulness training is something that is extremely difficult to just grab a book off the shelf and learn. It is; however, something that CAN be taught online and through social media. We are very fortunate to be living in this technological age that information can be shared this way. There are YouTube videos and Facebook and other forums. The old adage "when the student is ready, the teacher will come" holds sway in this case. I have heard (and read recently) far too many people saying "I keep trying this Mindfulness stuff and I can't make it work!" They are missing the point. There is no "making it work". It just IS. We will speak about this more. In the meantime, remember to give yourself more credit for your accomplishments. You have done more that you realize. Don't drown in your well. Take advice from Lady Gaga - "Just Dance, It'll Be Ok" Love and Light, LadyWolfMoon

Ever feel like Alice?

Has your life ever taken that wonderful spin where you have fallen, and fallen, and fallen and finally hit the bottom of that rabbit hole? Have you chased that white rabbit, hoping to catch his fuzzy white tail (and maybe pull it off when you catch him)? Have you made your way to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party? Where do you go from here? Well since you fell DOWN obviously the only way you can go is UP! Question is how to climb out of the stupid rabbit hole? Well the rabbit got down there and can get out, so you can too! I have my little tricks I use and they don't include "Drink Me", "Eat Me" strategies. Those are part of what sends us down the rabbit hole in the first place. Pity Parties - "Poor Me", "Poor Me" - Also included in this category is the "What If" scenario - "What If" I had done this, or "What If" I hadn't done that.... We all do it and it is part of what helps keep us in the rabbit hole. Trick is time allotted for it. Set a goal - say "I'm going to allow myself to feel this way, it's OK to feel this, but only for a set amount of time or only for a certain time of the day." My trick is my SmartPhone. Boy is it smart. It has a timer feature. I set it for 10 minutes. When the Pity Party/Poor Me starts to hit, I start that timer, when the alarm goes off, the Pity Party is over for that time. It can start up again later, and so can the timer. Self Esteem/Self Affirmations - Once a day you have to look in the mirror and find SOMETHING you like about yourself. It can be your hair, your eyes, your makeup (guys it can be your beard, your mustache, your eyes, your hairline). DON'T look in the mirror and say "I like myself!" THAT doesn't work! To try to get there all at once just is an impossibility, you have to go one step at a time. Likewise, the Self Affirmations (those little positive statements "happy phrases" to help you through your day) can be written on a couple Post-It notes and stuck on said mirror so you can see them at least twice a day when you brush your teeth. It may seem like you are climbing up 5 steps during the day and sliding back 4 at night, but that is 1 step positive progress and eventually you will be up and out of that rabbit hole (whether or not you have his tail or one of his feet for good luck I will leave up to you) Brightest Blessings, LadyWolfMoon