Practicing in the Four Realms of Awakening
Dr. Dominick Scarangello
International Advisor to Rissho Kosei-kai
Continuing from last month, we are delighted to share the next installment of Practicing the Dharma in the Here and Now by Dr. Dominick Scarangello, the International Advisor to Rissho Kosei-kai. Sokuze Dojo is inspired by chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra and conveys the principle of “Meditation on the Place of the Way”—the insight that any place can be a place of practice. This teaching warmly reminds us that we can live the Dharma in our everyday lives—whether at home, at work, or at school.
The thoughts and inclinations of the shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas also arise in the minds of ordinary living beings. Our minds, too, can function like the minds of these four kinds of sages.
Nikkyo Niwano, Buddhism for Today
Last time, we explored the six realms and learned that the only way to transcend our suffering and find happiness is for our minds to rise above those realms of suffering (suffering mindsets) and enter the realms of awakening. As Rissho Kosei-kai founder Nikkyo Niwano taught, we too can develop minds like those of the four kinds of Buddhist sages because each of us has the seed of awakening within us. The realms of awakening are four: the realm of shravakas, the realm of pratyekabuddhas, the realm of bodhisattvas, and the realm of buddhas. These Sanskrit words may sound unfamiliar and difficult, but the ideas are not complicated. Each realm represents a different way of practicing the teachings of the Buddha. The shravaka mindset is that of a student or apprentice—one who learns the Buddha’s teachings by hearing them repeatedly, reviewing them constantly, and putting them into practice in order to attain liberation from suffering. The pratyekabuddha mindset seeks to end suffering and to attain perfection of character through experiential learning—going out into the world and gaining insight into the Buddha’s teachings directly through one’s own experiences. The bodhisattva mindset is that of an activist—bodhisattvas liberate themselves by putting others first and devoting themselves to the liberation of all beings. The realm of buddhas is a tranquil state of absolute compassion, completely free of egotism—the human ideal.
In the past, people argued over which of the first three—shravaka, pratyekabuddha, or bodhisattva—was truly the realm of those who practice the Buddha’s teachings. However, in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha resolves this dispute by revealing that all living beings are inherently bodhisattvas—future buddhas in the making—and he encourages us to embrace our “inner bodhisattva.” Yet each of the three mindsets, Shakyamuni explains, has its proper time and place, depending on people’s situations, capabilities, and understanding of the Dharma. As Founder Niwano said:
“From the Buddha’s perspective, there is no distinction between shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas; all are walking the path that leads to buddhahood” (Kaiso zuikan, vol. 3).
In other words, the shravaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva mindsets all bring us closer to buddhahood. In that sense, they are not as thoroughly different as we might imagine, nor should we look down upon or denigrate any of these realms.
In fact, when practicing the Lotus Sutra, we may experience all four realms of awakening. Take, for example, hoza, the life and soul of Rissho Kosei-kai. We are in the realm of shravakas when we listen carefully to the minister, the hoza facilitator, or sangha members sharing in hoza, taking their words as the Buddha’s message to us, remembering them, and reviewing them so we do not forget what we have learned. As we apply that Dharma guidance in our daily lives and realize the proper way to live through our personal experience, we enter the realm of pratyekabuddhas. When we return to hoza and help others by sharing living proof of the Dharma’s effectiveness, we are in the realm of bodhisattvas. And in those moments in hoza when we forget all egotism and feel absolute compassion for our fellow sangha members, we come into the realm of buddhas. A few years ago, I heard a minister express gratitude for all the troubles they had experienced in life because each of those sufferings had contributed to bringing them to where they are today. I was deeply moved by what they shared. Hearing that wisdom, committing it to memory, and reminding myself of it often belongs to the realm of shravakas, as does using that wisdom to practice the Truth of the Path and overcome my own suffering. Later, when life events reveal how a past difficulty has indeed led to awakening or become a seed of happiness, I find myself in the realm of pratyekabuddhas. And when, inspired by the conviction that every experience contributes to awakening, I respond with patience and kindness to a difficult person—or even take the extra step of embracing them with compassion—I enter the realm of bodhisattvas. I cannot presume to say that I have ever experienced the absolute compassion of a buddha, but I believe that this realm too can arise in my heart and mind.
Field Report from the Sangha
Rev. Dr. Kyohei Mikawa, Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai of Los Angeles
One day, a dedicated member of my Los Angeles sangha came to me and said, “I don’t know what’s going on within myself, but I feel lost.” A week later, we sat down to talk. He shared that he had been feeling as though something was missing in his life and that this feeling began after our sangha conducted a memorial service at his home for his recently deceased nephew, which was about two weeks prior to the day he approached me.
As I listened and asked him questions so I could understand what exactly was making him feel lost, he said, “Perhaps I’ve been thinking too much about the loss of my family members. My nephew recently passed. I lost my brother two years ago and my uncles two years before that. My mom and sister passed away even earlier. But you know, something amazing happened last week when I was at the Dharma Center.” Being curious, I said, “Tell me more.”
He replied, “When I was sitting in the Lotus Sutraclass before the sound bath meditation last Thursday at our Dharma Center, one of the members was talking about the Lotus Sutra’s passage on the Ten Suchnesses and recited, ‘such a potential, such a function, such a cause.’ Hearing those words made me reflect on how this teaching applies to my own actions. Then I realized that I am a giving person. I recalled many acts of kindness that I had forgotten—moments when I brought joy to others and myself. This giving nature, my goodness, is always within me.”
Wishing to know how that insight felt to him, I asked, “How did that make you feel?” He said, “I was overwhelmed with joy. I had been feeling empty until then, but when I embraced my own kindness, I realized that I wasn’t missing anything after all.”
I was deeply moved by this member’s exemplary experience of awakening to one’s inherent compassion or buddha nature. At first, he was in the six realms of suffering but soon showed his aspiration to rise above them by coming to the Dharma Center for further learning and practice. Then in the Lotus Sutra class, he heardthe teachings of the Buddha through the words of another sangha member—an act of shravakapractice. This inspired him to deepen self-understanding based on his own experiences—an act of pratyekabuddha practice. Through this process, he awakened to his own compassion, expressed in his generosity—an act of bodhisattva practice. This awareness filled him with great joy and made him rediscover his inner buddha. He made the struggle of feeling lost an essential part of his awakening by transforming the meaning of suffering. His practice continues even now. When this practice further evolves into sharing the joy of learning with others and listening to their suffering, he will enter the realm of buddhas.