I decided to write about Buddhism and its relation to every-day life. Although this series of lectures is based on Buddhist doctrine, it can be applied to any belief system. One of the aspects of Buddhism that sets it apart from most other religions is its lack of claim to exclusivity (i.e. it does not say that Buddhism is the only correct path). I hope you will gain benefit by reading this; I know I did from writing it.
Understanding Your Life State pt 1
How are you feeling at this very moment? Are you happy, sad, angry, or indifferent? How often does your mood change? Chances are--if you are like most people--your mood changes frequently. Have you ever wondered why that is? Shakyamuni Buddha--the founder of Buddhism--did too. To explain the different moods (or life states) that we all experience, he expounded the doctrine of the Ten Worlds. This doctrine describes every possible life state, from Hell to Buddhahood.
The Ten Worlds fall into two groups: the lower worlds, and the higher worlds. The lower worlds (Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Humanity, and Rapture, respectively) are the life states that we are all familiar with and experience on a daily basis. We find ourselves naturally drawn to one or more of the lower worlds based on our personalities and karma (i.e. our thoughts, words, and actions and their consequences). By contrast, it takes assiduous effort to reach the higher worlds (Learning, Realization, Bodhisattva, and Buddhahood, respectively). Through examining each of the Ten Worlds, we can come to understand our current life state and bring about a higher life state.
Hell, as the name suggests, is a life state characterized by great despair and suffering. The idea of an external Hell is characteristic of many religions, but we don't need to go to the next life to know that Hell exists among us today. Indeed, people of every class, nationality, and religion are suffering greatly right now. Why is this? Shakyamuni realized that the cause of all suffering is attachment. All things in the universe--even the universe itself--are transient. However, we as humans tend to hold on to the things around us without realizing this fact. This makes it incredibly painful when we lose that which is important to us. Shakyamuni taught that by letting go of our attachments, we could escape suffering. This does not mean, however, that we need to give up the things we love. It simply means that we need to live with the understanding that there is a time and place when we will lose the things we love and to let go of them when that time comes.
Hunger is a state of life characterized by intense desire. When we live in this life state, our hunger is never satiated, even when we finally obtain that which we were longing for. Why does this happen? It is because what we really want is not what we are hungering for. Simply put, we long for these various desires because we feel empty. We need a purpose in life. Without any source to find a clear purpose, we turn to desires. In this way, desire becomes our purpose. It comes as no surprise, then, that our desires would never be satisfied. The author David Loy sums it up excellently: "[Our feeling of emptiness]...is due most of all to the fact that our sense of being a separate self...is an illusion. Another way to express this is that the ego self is ungrounded, and we experience this ungroundedness as an uncomfortable emptiness or hole at the very core of our being. We feel this problem as a sense of lack...and in compensation we usually spend our lives trying to accomplish things we think will make us more real."[1] So how do we end this constant hunger? Buddhism teaches that all people possess Buddhahood within them. This means that each person has infinite potential and immeasurable worth. After this realization, we naturally devote ourselves to helping others realize it too and bring forth the unending happiness that only exists within our lives. Can there be a greater purpose in life than this?
The life state of Animality is one driven by instinctual urges and devoid of any sense of morality. Just like animals, we give no thought to the consequences of our actions. We want what we want, and we want it now, regardless of what it takes. The negative effects of a life state like this are not hard to imagine. In fact, we can see the results of this mindset all around us. The corporate world seems to be dominated completely by the life state of Animality. Many corporate CEOs, who focus only on how to increase profit and cut costs, take no thought to the negative societal consequences of their actions. The earth’s finite resources and even human lives are seen as nothing more than tools to make more money. We common people are not innocent either. We as consumers tend to buy from whoever charges the cheapest prices, without giving regard to the negative consequences our purchases have. Now, after decades of living in Animality, the collective karma that our society has created is beginning to manifest. Global warming and global poverty threaten to throw society into chaos. If we do not change our course, it is clear that our lives will be drastically changed in a negative way. However, we are not destined to continue this path. By realizing and accepting the consequences of our actions, we can make choices that are more beneficial and escape the world of Animality.
[1] McLeod, Melvin Mindful Politics: A Buddhist Guide to Making the World a Better Place. Massachusetts: Wisdom Publications, Inc, 2006
also, while I recommend utilizing any resources at your disposal, I think it is worth noting that there are a lot of different schools of Buddhism. Buddhism is one of the world's oldest religions, and over the years people have combined it with other religions. Therefore, there are schools of Buddhism that might not reflect Shakyamuni Buddha's original intent.
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Understanding Your Life State pt 1 blog
