by Richard
Lost on the dark paths of ignorance, we wander through the six worlds.
From dark path to dark path- when shall we be freed from birth and death?
Hakuin Zenji
Whenever in the city, it’s worth a visit to the NGV International Gallery on St Kilda Rd, where there’s a good collection of artwork that you can wander around, at any time for free. There’s a whole floor dedicated to Asia, and on the far side is a wonderful room of historical Japanese art on permanent display, with statues, scrolls and tea sets.
In one corner of the room, encased in glass, is an elegant statue of the Boddhisatva Jizo Bosatsu, dated from 13th century Japan. The statue is shown holding a long staff, and looking closely can be seen six rings hanging from the top of the staff. These represent the six realms of existence in Buddhism.
Jizo is said to travel across the six realms, protecting children, travellers and lost souls. For this reason Jizo is popular in Japan, and statues are commonly seen across the country, dressed in a red cloak and often holding the staff with six rings.
The six realms are referred to in Song of Zazen by Hakuin Zenji, one of the sutras we read in our Ordinary Mind Zen group. The realms are: Hell, Hungry Ghosts, Animal, Human, DemiGod and Heaven. According to Buddhist tradition, there is endless wandering through the six worlds, in a continual cycle of rebirth and death known as Samsara.
This is typically shown on intricate paintings, in the shape of a wheel divided into six segments. They show heaven being a peaceful world of clouds, with lute music being played. Hell is shown as a terrible place of many angry faces, amidst a lot of flames. At the centre of the painting are depictions of the circle being driven by greed, hatred and ignorance.
While these paintings appear to show a cosmology of real worlds, it’s probably more relatable to think of them as a metaphor. Myths have value when they are about deeper truths of the human condition, rather than them being literally about harps and pitchforks.
One interpretation of the six worlds, is that they represent psychological conditions. Expressed in this way, wandering through the six worlds could be described as ever-changing moods, like a day of Melbourne’s weather: sunny, then storms, then sunny again.
To help understand this and bring it to life, over the last few weeks I’ve been looking for some examples in daily life and the world around.
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Hell: Commuting on the train last week, a nearby man talks loudly into his phone for the whole carriage to hear. There’s a stream-of-consciousness recount of doctors’ appointments, family arguments, and corporate team building events. After an hour of this I’m starting to feel anger, and other people trapped in the carriage also look annoyed. Hell exists here.
The sufferings of hell are heat and cold. This suffering comes from anger or hatred.
Hungry Ghosts: At the local shopping centre, crowds of people are buying latest gadgets and clothes that will become redundant next year, and again the year after. On the other side of town, billboards advertise smiling people in new houses. There’s no end to the wanting of new stuff.
The suffering of hungry ghosts is hunger and thirst. This suffering comes from greed.
Animals: My kitchen snack cupboard is where I find the animal realm. After a long day I’m sometimes starving when I get home, and physiological reactions take over with the mindless devouring of snacks, forgetting about healthy eating.
The suffering of animals is preying. This suffering comes from ignorance.
Humans: I think of family life: daily routines, get-togethers, events with aunts and uncles, newborn babies and funerals. Family life may have its stresses and complaints, but what’s behind it is care and nurturing. There’s a hope that everything will be alright.
The suffering of humans is birth, sickness, old age, and death. This suffering comes from desire.
DemiGods: I’m reading a book on English kings and queens in history, and in each generation the same predictable pattern occurs: rich people jostling for power. Today’s corporate world isn’t much different: successful people further trying to climb the corporate ladder, positioning themselves, and restructuring teams to build mini-empires.
The suffering of the asura is constant fighting. This suffering comes from jealousy.
Heaven: On a visit to the weekend bush market and eating pizza outside, I feel stress fading away after a long week. Some days later at home, it’s hearing rain finally falling on the roof after weeks of drought. However, there’s an uncomfortableness in knowing the weekend won’t last, and the cycle will continue. Hell may reappear on a commuter train next week.
The suffering of devas arises from foreseeing one’s fall. This suffering comes from pride.
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After this, everything comes back to our meditation practice. Escaping the cycle may never be fully possible, but our practice teaches us to be less caught up in these conditions. This is an important lesson in all worlds, where even in heaven it’s possible to be caught up in blissfulness and forget the suffering of others. Our meditation practice allows us to stand back, watch the weather come and go, and see what needs to be done in order to benefit others.
For this the zazen of the Mahayana deserves the highest praise:
Generosity, patience, self-discipline, the many paramitas all rise within zazen.
Even those with proud attainments, wipe out their old deluded ways.
Where are all the dark paths then? The pure land itself is near.
Hakuin Zenji