THE TEN WORLDS OF BUDDHISM
An excerpt from Tarot a Path to Liberation: the Lesser Mysteries
Copyright Deanna Frank
 
I first learned about the Ten Worlds in the early 1980’s when I had practiced Nicheren Shoshu Buddhism. They are not external places but rather inner states of being. Every person on the face of the earth has experienced each of these states during different times in their lives. If you reflect on your life you too will recognize that you have experienced each of these states of being. The Great Buddha is quoted as saying “life is suffering” but this has been misinterpreted by some. It means that the natural condition of physical life can be difficult. Even Jesus, the great spiritual master was known to suffer. However through spiritual growth every soul is able to overcome the suffering of the human condition. It doesn’t mean that adversity disappears, but that as the soul grows it is able to find peace in the midst of turmoil. I want to cover these ten states this month so that next month blog “Overcoming Adversity” has more meaning. Understanding these ten states of being makes it is easier to attain the higher realms so I have interpreted them from all that I have studied since I stepped upon the Path of Initiation.

1.    Hell is the lowest of the Ten Worlds. It is a condition of suffering caused by self-destructive beliefs and actions that are illusory and make one unable to see beyond the pain of the moment. Buddhists believe that Hell is not a physical place that one goes after death but is experienced in the mind through ones belief systems. When one begins to change one’s beliefs and understand that living in Hell is a choice, the consciousness changes and one begins to live in the higher states of being.

2.    Hunger is the second of the Ten Worlds and is a state of being in which one is consumed by insatiable desires. Desire is an instinctual but natural state of being. The red roses in many of the tarot cards represent this natural desire. Desire is the first stage of creation and if used correctly makes the world a better place to live. It is what drives the initiate further on his/her path. However if used only to express the lower desire nature, desire manifests as hunger: hunger for more money, food, drink, sex, etc. These are the things that keep the soul in the material planes of existence. Hunger is the root of all “evil”; it is the root of the Seven Deadly sins. Giving into hunger creates a world of illusions and then we live in a world of shadow instead of light. It is the realm of the Major Arcana Devil. Only the light can reveal the Truth and hunger is the shadowy world of material illusions. Giving into hunger creates the state of
hell.

3.    Animality, the third of the Ten Worlds, is a state of being governed by instincts and desires. It is a condition of self-preservation, lack of self-control, and the fulfillment of lust and material desires. Fear of safety rather in the Trust of Providence creates this state. People cheat and steal what they want instead of trusting that they can have what is rightfully theirs from God.  In today’s world this is the focus on profits over the state of the world and the human condition. This condition prevails for those people who choose to stay in the lower chakras. Those who are in this state are also in the state of Hell. If however, a person decides that s/he wants to improve his or her life and begins to own responsibility for his or her actions, moving out of animality can begin.

4.    Anger is the fourth of the Ten Worlds in which one becomes conscious of the Self, the Ego. Anger is a state that is intensely egotistical in which the person is driven to dominate and prove superiority over others, no matter what the cost. The anger that we speak of here is not the momentary emotion that indicates that a person needs to make changes. It is also not the anger that can cause a person to stand up and make changes that better the world, although there is a danger of allowing the indignation to grow and become out of proportion. This is where the ego comes into to play.

The anger that is addressed here is the deadly sin of wrath. It is a deeper sense of uncontrollable rage inside that leads to any form of violence whether that violence be actual or imagined, physical or verbal. In addition to the common forms of violence such as assault, murder, and rape it can also be verbal rage that can harm a person’s soul in the same way that physical violence harms the physical body. Sometimes the verbal or energetic violence can be even more harmful than physical violence for the body can heal itself but the energetic violence harms the subtle bodies that are not visible so we tend to ignore the damage.

5.    Tranquility (also known as Humanity), the fifth of the Ten Worlds is a state of being characterized by control of desires and impulses through exercising good judgment and reason leading to harmony within the soul. Peace comes from within and not from having a calm life. When an initiate learns to control the emotions and mind tranquility of the mind, emotions, and spirit follows. Tranquility is required to attain samadhi, which is mental concentration or composure of the mind that is achieved through meditation. Once the meditator is able to calm the mind s/he is able to attain the concentration needed in order to know the essence of reality. Eventually this can lead to nirvana or the release from all suffering.

6.    Rapture is the sixth of the Ten Worlds and is a temporary state of joy or satisfaction in which one feels release from suffering or fulfillment of a desire or completion of a goal. We need rapture. It alleviates the stress and pain that arises from the human condition. A spiritual warrior learns that life is a balance between the battles of day-to-day living and the joy that comes from overcoming those struggles. It is part of the duality of the physical existence. Enjoy rapture while it lasts but use that time to strengthen your soul for the next lessons to come.

7.    Learning is the seventh of the Ten Worlds and is experienced when one searches for enduring Truth that leads to lasting contentment. This state of being is a continual process for initiates. It can come through studying with a teacher, reading and studying books or audio lectures, or listening to one’s inner guidance within. If you think you know it all you are in ego. When you are not actively learning, teach for you can learn even more from teaching what you know. One of the most important things I learned was from Cash Bateman, my very first teacher, who told his students not make him a guru for he was very excited about sharing what he had learned. He said that if he knew it all he wouldn’t be “here” teaching. I have used that as my guide for judging whether a teacher is right for me ever since. I also use it as a gauge of my own ego since I began teaching.

8.    Realization, the eighth of the Ten Worlds is understanding what has been obtained through the previous stage of learning. Realization comes in stages. It comes not from studying alone but it is revealed as a student continually searches within and is willing to “walk the talk”. The Truth comes through ones perceptions when one uses the intellect and inner guidance together. The state of realization is the result of samadhi. It comes from knowledge and the opening of the third eye.
9.    Bodhisattva, the ninth of the Ten Worlds, is characterized by compassion, in which one is dedicated to helping other people find the Truth within themselves. The bodhisattva seeks enlightenment for others as well as for him or herself and dedicates his/her life to service. Originally a bodhisattva was a disciple of the Buddha.

10.    Buddhahood is the highest of the Ten Worlds and indicates the achievement of wisdom to realize the eternal that pervades time and space. It is inherent in all people in a potential state as the unactuated kundalini. When one has achieved Buddhahood or Nirvana one is in a state of absolute happiness that is established in the depths of one’s life and is expressed into the outer world as the benevolent actions of the bodhisattva. While nirvana is eternal, the initiate may move in and out of the temporary state of enlightenment call samadhi that may occur while the student is in the states of Realization and Bodhisattva.

NEXT MONTH: Lokahi and the Holy Grail