The Mutual Inclusion of the Ten Realms
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.
In October and November, we learned about the ten realms—the six realms, or mindsets, of suffering and the four realms of awakening. As Founder Niwano taught, we can never attain liberation from suffering within the “burning house” of the six realms; to reach true happiness, we must ascend to the realms of awakening.
But ascending to the realms of awakening sounds difficult. Sometimes those realms can seem so far away from our ordinary states of mind.
However, awakening is not far away. That’s because we can discover the realms of awakening right within the realms of delusion.
Consider the realm of hells—anger. We become angry when we feel someone isn’t treating us right or when we think the world is unfair to us. What we want is for others to care for us and for the world to look after us. We want to be loved. But when we feel that we haven’t received the care and kindness we deserve, the gap between aspiration and reality kindles feelings of anger. But notice that behind anger is a longing for its opposite—loving kindness. This is a seed of the realm of bodhisattvas found within the realm of hells.
Let’s take another example: the greed of the realm of hungry spirits. Paradoxically, the aspiration for contentment is actually at the base of our greed. Why does a person gorge themselves? They are responding to the desire to be satisfied. But because we are ignorant and lack the Buddha’s wisdom, we try to achieve contentment through consumption. We think we’ll be satisfied if we just consume or buy one more thing, but our satisfaction is fleeting. So, we try again and again, consuming to excess. However, the aspiration for satisfaction behind the realm of hungry spirits, the mind of greed, is a seed for the tranquil contentedness characteristic of all the mindsets of awakening.
These are just two examples showing the Buddha’s teaching that each of the ten realms (mindsets) contains all the other realms. All ten realms interpenetrate one another. This is called the “mutual inclusion of the ten realms.” We can reach the realms of awakening precisely because they are already present within the realms of suffering and delusion in which we so often find ourselves. All we have to do is actualize them.
But how?
The passage of the Kyoten (sutra readings) from the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings gives us important guidance on how to do this. For instance, if I have fallen into the realm of hells and my view is obscured by anger, I can make a point of practicing compassion. This could be something as easy as brightening the world of a sad-looking person with a kind smile. If I have fallen into the greedy mindset of the realm of hungry spirits, then I can make sure that I practice generosity. I could donate a few coins to the charity box I come across on the street or forgo a meal in solidarity with people facing food insecurity and donate that money to the Donate-a-Meal Movement. If a self-centered envy of others leads me into the realm of asuras, I can instead strive to rejoice for others. In my conversations with the people in my life, I can focus more on what’s going on in their lives and offer congratulatory words that let them know I share their joy.
When I perform acts of compassion, donation, or sharing the joy of others, I’m transported to the realm of bodhisattvas. That’s because compassion, generosity, and joy are already there, even within anger, greed, and jealousy. What is required of us is that we are diligently introspective, always honestly acknowledging where our minds are at. If we realize we are wandering in a realm of delusion, that will naturally call forth a spark of the aspiration to change—to reach a realm of awakening. In that very moment of realization, I’ve discovered the realm of awakening that was dormant within the realm of delusion. But to enter that realm of awakening, I have to respond by practicing as the Buddha teaches. To be honest, despite our efforts, we might not initially feel great compassion, heartfelt generosity, or overwhelming joy for others. Our practice may even feel forced or insincere, and we may soon fall back into a realm of delusion. But don’t fret. The realms of awakening—our buddha nature—are always present, even within delusion and suffering. And in the moments when we focus on our awakened intentions, keep them in mind, and put them into practice, we are transported, like stepping through a portal, to the realms of awakening. The more we practice, the deeper and more authentic those minds will feel, and the more time we’ll spend in the realms of awakening.
Field Report from the Sangha
Rev. Dr. Kyohei Mikawa,
Minister, Rissho Kosei-kai of Los Angeles
I remember the day I met this particular office supervisor. Over time, I began to feel that he unfairly criticized my work, and his repeated, unkind remarks traumatized me and left me emotionally drained. After a year, I began experiencing nausea and trembling whenever I sensed his presence. Fear and exhaustion followed me everywhere.
Recognizing this as a crisis, I reached out to a leader at the Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Center I belonged to at the time. With my permission, he invited two senior members, and the four of us met weekly forhoza—our Dharma practice of reflective group sharing. I remember the relief I felt during the first hoza meeting. I poured out my struggles and my disappointment in myself for not coping with the situation. Rather than offering advice or trying to fix anything, they simply listened and asked me gentle questions: “Can you describe how the pain feels when he criticizes or hurts you?” and “What feels most emotionally draining in your communication with him?”
As I spoke, I was surprised by the many words of resentment and anger toward the supervisor coming out of me. It made me realize that I had been suppressing these emotions for a long time. My mind, which had been occupied with resentment and anger, finally found comfort in the compassionate space they created for me. I felt no shame and no fear of being judged. They became a stable mirror, helping me see myself clearly by asking gentle questions without foreseeing an answer or having a motive to steer me in any way they wished.
As they held hoza meetings for me over the next few months, I gradually gained a deeper awareness of the nature of my resentment and anger. I realized that what I truly wanted to do was to change my relationship with him by mustering the courage to tell him my truth. I longed to release my emotions in front of him with honesty and kindness to see what might unfold.
One day, I decided to speak directly to my supervisor. I was scared to do so, but I rehearsed what I wanted to say many times at home. Finally, I expressed myself to him honestly but kindly and without accusation. I told him that I felt hurt and asked him to stop treating me that way. He fell silent and said he was shocked, as he had never intended to hurt me.
Then something extraordinary happened. The painful wounds of resentment and anger somehow dissolved. Moreover, to my surprise, he also began to change. His words and behavior toward me became noticeably kinder, although my aim had not been to change him, but rather simply to speak my truth fearlessly and compassionately.
My encounter with the harshness of this supervisor (the hell realm), the resentment and anger that arose within me (the asura realm), and my desire to seek help (the human realm) were different expressions of my longing.
What is the fundamental nature of the mind of longing? This question points to the inconceivable nature of human life: whenever we experience suffering, an innate wish for its end somehow arises at the same time. When something brings us discomfort, we naturally seek comfort; when we are cold, we desire warmth. We long to be free from the pain of suffering. Where does this longing come from? The origin is inconceivable, and yet human nature makes our lives continue, and we strive for the end of suffering for self and others. The nature of longing is, at its root, an innate wish to be free from the pain of suffering, and it is the same as the Buddha’s boundless compassion that is inherent in each one of us. This caring nature is inherent and can neither be added nor taken away, regardless of what realm we may be undergoing at any point in life. The mutual inclusion of the ten realms teaches that human nature expressed as longing is itself Buddha’s caring heart that pervades all realms.