Kosen-Rufu
Expediant Means in a NHL playoff game.
If you watched last-nights hockey playoff game between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers, you witnessed the Hockey version of Expedient Means (that Buddhist concept which states everything happens in a single moment), and it was this moment, when down 2 to 0, and after not scoring a goal in the past 11 games, Jason Robertson had had enough and determined to change his karma, and so went on to score 3 goals, and the Stars came back to beat the Oilers in a way that had everyone in the stadium stunned.
ON second thought, maybe this is an example of the Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment?
Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life
While it may be possible to accept this
idea of infinite potential in theory, in reality we tend to feel limited
in our possibilities, often resulting from a narrow view of ourselves
and the world. Our sense of values or purpose, what we tend to focus our
energies on or how we define happiness all affect how we perceive and
experience our environment. We can exist quite comfortably within a
limited view of ourselves and the world, but when challenged by a
problem or obstacle, we may suffer as a result of feeling overwhelmed,
helpless or afraid.
Three thousand realms in a single moment of life is an analytical
explanation of how differences in values, sense of purpose and view of
happiness appear as differences in one’s environment. It is a teaching
that expounds how the quality of one’s environment is determined in
response to what one considers happiness to be and the kinds of desires
one holds.
The practice of Nichiren Buddhism enables us to draw
on inexhaustible inner reserves of courage, hope and resilience to
surmount challenges and go beyond what we thought was possible. We are
also able to help others do the same. “Buddhahood” describes this
dynamic, compassionate life condition, and a Buddha is someone who has
firmly established this condition as their predominant life state. Most
people, however, are unaware of this possibility or how to actualize it.
The Lotus Sutra reveals
the ultimate truth of Buddhism, that everyone can attain this state of
Buddhahood. Based on its teachings, in the sixth century in China, Zhiyi
(the Great Teacher Tiantai) developed a philosophical system to explain
why this is possible, which he termed “three thousand realms in a
single moment of life” (Jpn. ichinen sanzen). The principle
reveals that each individual life is a microcosm of the universe and the
life condition of an individual at any point in time is reflected in
all aspects of their life, including the society in which they live and
the natural environment.
The number three thousand refers to the multitude of laws through which the ultimate reality is manifested.
Ten Worlds
The first component of the three thousand realms is the principle of the Ten Worlds,
which describes the state or condition of our lives. They are, in
ascending order of the degree of free will, compassion and happiness one
feels: the worlds of (1) hell, (2) hungry spirits, (3) animals, (4) asuras, (5) human beings, (6) heavenly beings, (7) voice-hearers, (8) cause-awakened ones, (9) bodhisattvas, and (10) Buddhas.
At
one time, it was thought that these were ten distinct and separate
realms into which beings were born. The first six of the Ten Worlds
derive from the idea of the “six paths,” an ancient Indian paradigm
concerning reincarnation. It was thought that the particular world or
state of life into which people were born was fixed for a lifetime and
determined by the things they had done in past lifetimes and that people
endlessly repeated the cycle of birth and death confined within these
six worlds.
Buddhism refined the concept of the six paths, explaining that they exist not as external worlds but as internal states.
The
world of hell indicates a state of rage arising from bitter frustration
and discontent for not being or achieving what we desire—a sense of
being imprisoned by suffering. The world of hungry spirits (the life
state of hunger) is characterized by relentless craving. The world of
animals (the life state of animality) is characterized by foolish
instinctive behavior, devoid of reason and a sense of morality. The
world of asuras is marked by animosity and perversion
(distortion of character). It is a condition dominated by ego and an
obsession with personal superiority. The world of human beings (the life
state of humanity) is a state in which we strive to control our desires
and impulses through reason and aspire for a higher state of life.
Human beings have all kinds of desires—instinctual desires, social
desires, intellectual and spiritual desires. The world of heavenly
beings is a condition of contentment and joy experienced when we fulfill
our desires through effort. However, this joy fades and disappears with
the passage of time.
The world of hell indicates a state of
misery and suffering, devoid of all freedom. The world of hungry spirits
is governed by insatiable desire. The world of animals is described
above. The world of asuras is marked by animosity, anger and
perversion. It is a condition dominated by ego and the need to surpass
others. The world of human beings is a state in which we strive to
control our desires and impulses through reason and aspire for a higher
state of life. The world of heavenly beings is a condition of
contentment and joy, though temporary because dependent upon
circumstances.
Our propensity to dwell in particular life states
is a result of the causes we have made in the past, in accordance with
the law of cause and effect, which spans past, present and future
existences. Moreover, we experience the world around us in accordance
with our life state at that moment. Therefore, even though different
people may exist in the same physical place, the inner state of their
heart, or the lens through which they perceive reality, can differ
greatly.
Buddhism teaches that if we can achieve the requisite
wisdom and insight to comprehend the true nature of our lives, we can
manifest the life state of Buddhahood—the supreme state of life
characterized by infinite compassion, wisdom and courage that is
inherent in the depths of our being. To do this, we have to make
strenuous efforts to transcend the life states of the six lower worlds.
Buddhism
identifies three further, “higher” worlds: the worlds of voice-hearers
(or learning), cause-awakened ones (or realization), and bodhisattvas.
The worlds of voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones are characterized by
partial enlightenment, an awareness of the impermanence of all things
and the instability of a life lived in the six paths. Those in the world
of voice-hearers come to this awakening through listening to Buddhist
teachings, while those in the world of cause-awakened ones awaken to
these truths on their own. Similarly, those in the world of Bodhisattva
seek after truth but go one step further by compassionately working for
the happiness of others.
The Lotus Sutra clarifies that the world
of Buddhahood, as with the other nine worlds, is equally inherent in
the lives of all people and thus is a potential open to all within this
lifetime. This is in contrast to teachings other than the Lotus Sutra,
which state that individuals have to carry out strenuous practices over
countless lifetimes in order to gradually acquire the attributes of a
Buddha.
Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds
The Lotus Sutra is distinct from other teachings also because it
expounds the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, clarifying that each
of the Ten Worlds encompasses all of the other worlds. This indicates
that life is not fixed in one of the Ten Worlds but at any moment can
manifest any one of them. Because of this principle, it is possible for
us to change our state of life, for although we may “inhabit” a
particular world, the other nine are present, though dormant, in our
lives.
Which of the Ten Worlds will manifest at any given moment
depends on our response to the influences in our environment. One’s life
state may fluctuate from one moment to the next, but from a broader
perspective, there is always one state or several states around which
our activities revolve and to which we are most likely to revert.
The
mutual possession of the Ten Worlds implies that all individuals have
the potential to manifest Buddhahood at any given moment. Through
continuing effort in Buddhist practice—practicing for the happiness of
oneself, dismantling one’s prejudices and mistaken beliefs, polishing
the inherent qualities of wisdom and compassion—we can solidify the
world of Buddhahood inherent within our life. Buddhahood is not an
abstract idea; it reveals itself tangibly in our daily behavior in the
form of compassion, wisdom and our efforts to establish happiness for
ourselves and others.
Attaining Buddhahood does not mean
eradicating the lower nine worlds. Instead, under the influence of our
inherent Buddhahood, the positive aspects of these worlds become
manifest, contributing to the construction of happiness for ourselves
and others.
The Ten Factors of Life
Together with the Ten Worlds and their mutual possession, the next component of the three thousand realms is the principle of “the ten factors of life.”
While the Ten Worlds describe life’s differing expressions, the ten
factors describe elements common to all things. It explains how the law
of cause and effect activates any of the Ten Worlds.
All life
equally possess the same ten factors, regardless of which of the Ten
Worlds it manifests. The ten factors are (1) appearance, (2) nature, (3)
entity, (4) power, (5) influence, (6) internal cause, (7) relation, (8)
latent effect, (9) manifest effect, and (10) consistency from beginning
to end.
The first three factors (appearance, nature and entity)
describe the life entity, which manifests the Ten Worlds. The next six
(power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect and manifest
effect) describe the law of cause and effect—the way in which the Ten
Worlds become manifest in the entity. Thus, a life “entity” has
attributes that can be perceived by the senses (appearance) and
attributes that cannot (nature).
The tenth factor, consistency
from beginning to end, means that the ten factors are consistent for
each of the Ten Worlds. Most saliently, this means that Buddhahood, a
life state of unwavering happiness, is inherently present in our lives
as an internal cause, and when we come in contact with a “relation” that
opens that internal cause, we fully flower and harness the workings of
the world of Buddhahood in our lives.
The Three Realms of Existence
The final component of the three thousand realms is the principle
of the “three realms of existence.” This concept views life from three
different standpoints and explains the existence of individual lives in
the real world.
The three realms are (1) the realm of the five
components (form, perception, conception, volition, and consciousness;
form corresponds to the physical aspect of life, the other four
components to the spiritual aspect), (2) the realm of living beings (the
individual living being, formed of a temporary union of the five
components, that manifests or experiences any of the Ten Worlds), and
(3) the realm of the environment (the individual environment that
supports the existence of the living being).
The three realms,
then, represent the actual world of the individual. They are not
separate but, rather, are an integrated whole which simultaneously
manifests any of the Ten Worlds.
In this way, one’s life
condition at any given moment is determined by three elements: the
mutual possession of the Ten Worlds (10 worlds × 10 worlds = 100
worlds), the ten factors of life and the three realms of existence.
Therefore, the dimensions that exist in this world are the number that
results from multiplying these elements, or 3,000. This also means that
any single life has the potential to express 3,000 dimensions.
The Boundless Possibilities of Each Person
The philosophical system of the three thousand realms in a single
moment of life provides a basis for hope, for it posits that our reality
at each moment is a function of our life state, that when our life
state changes, the world itself appears in a new light. Furthermore, it
is a philosophy that promotes engagement with others and with the
challenges of society and empowers one to squarely face and surmount
obstacles.
Life is dynamic—each moment is rich with myriad seen
and unseen possibilities. Most crucially, the world of Buddhahood is
universally inherent in all beings, and when this becomes our manifest
reality, life’s most profound possibilities, humanity’s most sublime
hopes, come into reach.
Nichiren described the principle of three
thousand realms in a single moment of life as the heart and core of the
Buddha’s teachings and established a practice to enable all people to
experience the life state of Buddhahood in their daily lives. This
practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with
faith in our inherent Buddha nature actualizes the principle of three
thousand realms in a single moment of life in the life of the
practitioner.
Expedient Means
expedient means [方便] (Pali upāya; hōben): The methods adopted to instruct people and lead them to enlightenment. The concept of expedient means is highly regarded in Mahayana Buddhism, especially in the Lotus Sutra, as represented by its second chapter titled “Expedient Means.” This is because expedient means are skillfully devised and employed by Buddhas and bodhisattvas to lead the people to salvation. According to the Lotus Sutra, the three vehicles of the voice-hearer, cause-awakened one, and bodhisattva are provisional teachings and expedient means designed to lead people to the one Buddha vehicle, or the teaching that leads all people to Buddhahood. The teaching that directly reveals the truth of enlightenment is called the true teaching, while the teachings that are expounded in accordance with the people’s capacity and as a temporary means of leading people to the truth are called expedient teachings or provisional teachings.
Bird on my Windshield
This happened to me the other morning. The bird is very brave. He was ready to sit on my car for the whole drive, until I used my Bodhisattva abilities and forced him into action. This is actually a very Buddhist story.
~~ Terry Van
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A Bodhisattva (菩薩) is one who aspires to enlightenment, or Buddhahood. Bodhi means enlightenment, and sattva, a living being. In Hinaya...
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Kōsen-rufu (広宣流布), a phrase found in the Japanese translation of the Buddhist scripture Lotus Sutra , is informally defined to as "wor...