Samsara and the Buddha Worlds

In this article the six realms of samsara and the Buddha worlds will be defined. Once this is done, I will describe the six realms and what quality of the mind each realm represents. Then the Buddha world will be described, using Sukhavati (the Pure Land of Bliss) as the example. This will be followed by the references used in this article.

The Six Realms of Samsara

Samsara is represented by the Buddhist Wheel of Life, which depicts the traditional view of samsaric existence. It is the third layer found on the picture of the Buddhist Wheel of Life.

In Samsara — this world of birth-life-death — there are six realms of existence. They are divided into the three higher realms and the three lower realms. The higher realms consist of the god realm, the demi-god realm and the human realm. The lower realms consists of the animal realm, the hungry ghost realm, and the hell realm.

From a psychological aspect, in Tibetan Buddhism, the six classes of beings who dwell in the six realms and the qualities of the mind they represent are:

hell beings — anger

hungry ghosts, or pretas — miserliness

animals — stupidity

human beings — desire

demi-gods, or asuras — jealousy, and

gods — pride.

In the Abhidharma literature, the six realms are also know in Buddhism as the Desire Realm, which is the first of the Three Realms (Trailokya).

Above the Desire Realm is the Form Realm, where the Seventeen Heavens are. They are only populated by gods

Above the Form Realm is the Formless Realm, where gods without any form dwell in four types of perception spheres.

Within context of this article, the Form Realm and the Formless Realm will not be described.


Buddha World

In contrast to the six realms, the Buddha worlds (Pure Lands) are where the various Buddhas and their Pure Lands exist.

Each of the Buddhas lives for an almost infinite number of years.

Sakyamuni Buddha does not have a Buddha World and may appear to the residents of a particular Buddha world i.e. in the Pure Land of Bliss.

However, the Buddha worlds are not found in the three realms of the Abhidharma. They exist outside of Samsara.

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References:

Six Realms of Samsara: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhavacakra#Third_layer:_the_six_realms_of_samsara
Six classes of beings: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Six_realms
Three Realms: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Three_realms
Three Worlds: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail%C3%B5kya
Form Realm: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Form_realm
Formless Realm: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Formless_realm
Wheel of Life: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Wheel_of_Life
Abhidharma: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Abhidharma
Abhidharma is the third collection of the Buddha's teachings, which holds the special knowledge of Buddhism, and teaches the Higher Training of Wisdom.
Tripitaka: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripitaka
Three pitakas: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Three_pitakas

The Four Worths (poem)

This world is worth not clinging to,
So this mind is empty of clinging.
Let forty-nine repetitions of Nembutsu
burn away all evil karma, and
create great karma to fruit in
the Buddha World called Sukhavati.

This life is worth keeping.
This heart beats due to body nature,
But Buddha Nature is freely shared
by 102 Buddhas, of which Amitabha
is the most compassionate and wise!
For he calls to all from the Pure Land!

This Teaching is worth learning.
All the willing need to do is listen,
Not only with the ears but with the heart!
Only then is the seed of Buddha Nature
planted in the heart of each Buddhist.
With mindful practice, it becomes Self Nature.

This universe is worth knowing,
And it all becomes evident from
years of meditation and Buddha Recitation
that this old fool is neither Enlightened
nor has he ever entered into Samadhi.
However, the refund I shall get is the Pure Land!

True Emptiness is Unknowable

...The Way belongs to neither "forms" nor to "Emptiness" — page 186, Buddhism of Wisdom & Faith

In the following article, "devotee" refers to the Pure Land Buddhist who is familiar with the Nembutsu.

True Emptiness is unknowable in the devotee's lifetime. According to the Primal Vow, it shall be possible in the Pure Land of Bliss to realize Emptiness.

Thus, the devotee's goal is to be reborn in the Pure Land. This is accomplished through the practice of Buddha Recitation by reciting the Nembutsu with sincere hope to be reborn there.

Thus the Pure Land Way requires the recitation of the Nembutsu as the means to spiritual awakening.

There are no secrets involved in the Pure Land Way, just practice through recitation and study. By practicing Buddha Remembrance by chanting the Nembutsu out of gratitude to Amida Buddha for his Primal Vow, the devotee's mind is open to careful study of the sutras and commentaries.

Thus, the Nembutsu helps to reassure the devotee about rebirth in the Pure Land.

Amida Buddha, the Pure Land, and the bodhisattvas associated with him, Mahasthamaprapta and Avalokiteshvara, are all conditions in the heartmind.

Simultaneously, they are also spiritual conditions and places. From the psychological perspective, they represent psychological states of mind.

Just as the mind exists, so too does the essence of Amida, his 48 Vows and the Pure Land through his Primal Vow.

Though the mind exists due to physical conditions (the brain and the five senses), the positive aspect of imagination helps the devotee to believe and have faith in the reality of the Nembutsu.


Commentary:

"To realize Emptiness" means "to hear the Dharma through Nembutsu practice."

Thus Nembutsu practice helps the devotee to hear the Buddha preach the Dharma in his everyday life.

"To hear the Buddha preach the Dharma" implies careful study and practice of the sutras, though this is not always necessary for devotees who have practiced the Nembutsu since childhood.

"To be reborn into the Pure Land" means "to enter the psychic state of mind known as Pure Land of Bliss".

Within the context of psychology, the Pure Land of Bliss refers to a psychic state of mind called samadhi. This state of mind is calm and serene.

Through mindful practice of the Nembutsu associated with Amida Buddha, the devotee prepares herself to enter into the Pure Land.

By reciting the Nembutsu with sincere hope to be reborn there, the devotee also metaphorically enters into the Pure Land in this lifetime.

When the devotee returns to the real world, his inner mental state is as serene as a bodhisattva.

Even though the real world may be chaotic, he is able to remain calm because of his Nembutsu practice.


Reference:

"First, Buddha Sakyamuni taught that we should not follow sounds, forms and marks in seeking the Way. After that, he reminded us that at the same time, we should not abandon sounds, forms and marks, nor should we destroy all dharmas. Thus, we can see that the Way belongs neither to "forms" nor to "emptiness." Clinging to either aspect is misguided." -- Buddhism of Wisdom & Faith: Pure Land Principles and Practice, 47 Buddha Recitation -- Essence and Practice
http://www.ymba.org/BWF/bwf72.htm#recite

"Forms" refers to rupa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C5%ABpa#Buddhism
Rupa is "the Buddhist concept of material form, including both the body and external matter".

"Emptiness" refers to sunyata: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%9A%C5%ABnyat%C4%81
As seen through Eastern eyes, Sunyata is emptiness. Only everyday life (the realm of samsara) is viewed as emptiness in the negative sense. The Buddha and nirvana are seen as "real, eternal and filled with inconceivable, enduring virtues".

Emptiness from both the Western and Eastern perspective: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emptiness
In the West, emptiness is derived from the negative condition of being empty. In the East, emptiness is refers to the "emptiness of inherent existence".

Pure Land Buddhism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Land_Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism is a faith-oriented form of Buddhism.

A Theory of Nembutsu: http://amidatrust.typepad.com/eschatolog/2005/04/a_theory_of_nem.html

Pure Land of Bliss: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhavati

Samadhi as mental concentration: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samadhi_%28Buddhism%29

Bodhisattva: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva

Mahasthamaprapta: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahasthamaprapta
Avalokiteshvara: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avalokitesvara

In Chinese Buddhism, both these bodhisattvas were transformed into
the Buddhist deva of compassion and mercy, Guan Yin.

Guan Yin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guan_Yin

Primal Vow: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_vow

Sutras and commentaries:
Pure Land Scriptures: http://buddhistfaith.tripod.com/purelandscriptures/
Shinran's commentary:
Kyogyoshinsho: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyogyoshinsho

Yuien-bo's Tannisho: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tannish%C5%8D