Ten Dharma Realms

The Ten Dharma Realms are composed of the four realms of the sages--Buddha, Bodhisattva, Pratyekabuddha, and Arhat-- and the Six Paths of Rebirth--gods, humans, asuras, animals, ghosts, and hell-dwellers--also known as the Six Mundane Dharma Realms. The ten are described under the individual listings.

The realms other than that of the Buddhas are called the Nine Dharma Realms. All the living beings of the Nine Dharma-realms are dreaming. The Bodhisattva dreams of seeking the Way of the Buddha above, and of transforming living beings below. He wishes to realize the Way of the Buddha in order to take living beings across, yet it is all in a dream.

"The Condition-Enlightened, the Pratyekabuddhas, are also dreaming. About what? They dream of looking out for themselves alone. Living deep in desolate mountain valleys, they are Arhats who 'comprehend for their own sakes'...'incapable of promoting the common good'. That is also dreaming.

"Hearers, the Shravakas, dream of the one-sided emptiness which is the one-sided truth of nirvana with residue.

"The gods have dreams of happiness and peace; they are at ease and enjoy an especially peaceful, superior and wonderful happiness.

"People dream of seeking fame and fortune. They wish to make a lot of money or to become officials. In their current lives, they are all upside down and take suffering to be happiness. Every day they are busy dreaming of fame and fortune.

"What dream do the asuras have? They dream of fighting. For instance, someone going and fighting someone else is an affair of asuras. To be an asura is to be someone who likes to fight, and to be in the dream of fighting.

"Those in the hells dream of undergoing bitter suffering. Hungry ghosts dream of starving, and animals dream a dream of stupidity.

"Each of the nine Dharma-realms has its own dream. The Buddha, in ultimate nirvana, is the only one who does not dream, and so his realm is called 'ultimate nirvana'." (HS 104-105)

"If one wishes to understand fully

All Buddhas of the Three Periods of Time,

One should contemplate the nature of the Dharma Realm:

Everything is made from mind alone."

(FAS - Flower Adornment Sutra - Avatamsaka)

(Source: Epstein, 2003: pp. 194 - 195)

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1) Chinese Mandarin: shr fa jye , 2) Sanskrit: dasa-dharmadhatu, 3) Pali: -----, 4) Alternate Translations: Dharma-fields, Dharma-worlds; Dharma-spheres.

See also: Dharma Realm, Six Paths of Rebirth, Buddha, Bodhisattva, Pratyekabuddha (Solitary Enlightened One), Arhat (Sound Hearer, Shravaka).

See also: Ten Dharma Realms, Six Paths of Rebirth, the listings under the individual destinies: 1) Gods (Devas in Sanskrit);  2) Humans (Manushya in Sanskrit);  3) Asuras (Titans);  4) Animals or beasts (includes non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects, viruses and bacteria, single-celled organisms);  5) Ghosts (also called "hungry-ghosts" or Pretas or bhutas in Sanskrit);  6) Hell-beings or Hell-dwellers (demons live in the narakas [in Sanskrit]);  
Living beings, Life according to Buddhist Ayurveda, Life according to modern science, karma and rebirth.

Buddhist Text Translation Society (http://www.BTTSonline.org) References: TD; HS 104-5; TT 46-49; FAS-VP 23-27; VBS #206, p. 4.
 

Source: http://online.sfsu.edu/%7Erone/Buddhism/BuddhistDict/BDT.html

Ten Worlds: Ten life-conditions which a single entity of life manifests. Originally the Ten Worlds were viewed as distinct physical places each with its own particular inhabitants. In light of the Lotus Sutra, they are interpreted as potential conditions of life inherent in each individual. The Ten Worlds is a component principle of ichinen sanzen which T'ien-t'ai set forth in the Maka Shikan.

The ten are:

(1) The state of Hell (Japanese, jigoku). Nichiren Daishonin's "Kanjin no Honzon Sho" states, "Rage is the world of Hell." Hell indicates a condition in which one is dominated by the impulse of rage to destroy oneself and everything else. In this state one is utterly devoid of freedom and undergoes extreme and indescribable suffering.

(2) The state of Hunger (Japanese, gaki). The "Kanjin no Honzon Sho" states, "Greed is the world of Hunger." Hunger is a condition characterized by an insatiable desire for food, clothes, wealth, pleasure, fame, power and so forth. One in this state is tormented by relentless craving and by his inability to assuage it.

(3) The state of Animality. (Japanese, chikusho). The "Kanjin no Honzon Sho" states, Foolishness is the world of Animality." It is a condition governed by instinct, in which one has no sense of reason or morality. The "Shushishin Gosho" (On the Sovereign, Teacher and Parent) describes the state of Animality as follows: "The short are swallowed by the long, and the small are eaten by the large, feeding upon each other without pause." One in the state of Animality stands in fear of the strong but despises and preys upon those weaker than himself. Hell, Hunger and Animality are collectively called the three evil paths (Japanese, san'akudo).
 

(4) The state of Anger (Japanese, shura). The "Kanjin no Honzon Sho" states, "Perversity is the world of Anger." It is a condition dominated by a selfish ego. One in this state is compelled by the need to be superior to others in all things, despising them and valuing himself alone. Nichiren Daishonin's "Jippokai Myoinga Sho" (Causality within the Ten States of Life) states as follows: "The first volume of the Maka Shikan reads, 'He who is in the world of Anger, motivated by the warped desire to be better than everyone else, is forever belittling others and exalting himself. He is like a hawk sweeping the sky in search of prey. He may outwardly display benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and good faith, and even possess a rudimentary moral sense, but his heart remains in shura.'" Hell, Hunger, Animality and Anger are collectively called the four evil paths (Japanese, shiakushu).

(5) The state of Humanity or Tranquility (Japanese, nin). The "Kanjin no Honzon Sho" states, "Calmness is the world of Humanity." In this state, one can pass fair judgment, control his instinctive desires with reason and act in harmony with his environment.

(6) The state of Heaven or Rapture (Japanese, ten). The "Kanjin no Honzon Sho" states, "Joy is the world of Rapture." This state indicates the sense of pleasure which one experiences when his desire is fulfilled. However, the joy in the state of Heaven is temporary, and disappears with the passage of time or with even a slight change in circumstances. The six states from Hell through Heaven are called the six paths (Japanese, rokudo). A majority of people spend most of their time moving back and forth among the six paths. In these states one is governed totally by his reactions to external influences and is therefore extremely vulnerable to changing circumstances.

 

Those states in which one transcends the uncertainty of the six paths are called the four noble worlds.

(7) The state of Learning (Japanese, shomon), a condition in which one awakens to the impermanence of all things and the instability of the six paths, and seeks some lasting truth and aims at self-reformation through the teachings of others. Men of Learning (Sanskrit, shravaka) originally meant those who listen to the Buddha preach the four noble truths and practice the eightfold path in order to acquire emancipation from earthly desires.

(8) The state of Realization (Japanese, engaku), a condition in which one perceives the impermanence of all phenomena and strives to free himself from the sufferings of the six paths by seeking some lasting truth through his own observations and effort. Men of Realization (Sanskrit, pratyekabuddha) originally meant those who attain a form of emancipation by perceiving the twelve-linked chain of causation or by observing natural phenomena. Learning and Realization are called the two vehicles (Japanese, nijo). The defect of the two vehicles lies in the fact that persons in these states seek only their own salvation.

(9) The state of Bodhisattva (Japanese, bosatsu). In this state, one not only aspires for enlightenment himself but devotes himself to compassionate actions. The characteristic of Bodhisattva lies in this dedication to altruism. The "Jippokai Myoinga Sho" states, "Those in the state of Bodhisattva dwell among the common mortals of the six paths and humble themselves while respecting others. They draw evil to themselves and give benefit to others."

(10) The state of Buddhahood (Japanese, butsu). This is a condition of perfect and absolute freedom, in which one enjoys boundless wisdom and compassion, and is filled with the courage and power to surmount all hardships. A Buddha understands all phenomena and realizes the Middle Way. The ten honorable titles of the Buddha represent great power, wisdom and virtue of the Buddha.
Source: Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts



Ten Worlds: The ten paths or realms of existence in which all beings exist. In ascending order they are (1) hell; (2) realm of hungry spirits; (3) beasts (4) asuras; (5) human beings (6) heavenly beings or gods; (7) shravakas or voice-hearers; (8) pratyekabuddhas; (9) bodhisattvas; (10) Buddhas.
Source: Lotus Sutra Glossary

Source: http://www.sgi-usa.org/cgi-bin/lexicon.cgi?exact=on&term=Ten+Worlds

(NOTE: Numerous corrections and enhancements have been made under Shastra tradition and "Fair Use" by an Anonymous Buddhist Monk Redactor (Compiler) of this Online Buddhist Encyclopedia Compilation)