Literally, "A single life moment possesses three thousand realms." This philosophical principle was expounded by T'ien-tai in his writing, the Maka Shikan. It makes clear that the mutually inclusive relationship of the ultimate truth and the phenomenal world. Ichinen (life-moment) refers to the life that manifests itself each moment in lives of ordinary people. Sanzen (three thousand) refers to the many aspects and phases it assumes. The three thousand realms comes from the integration of the Ten Worlds, their mutual possession (10 x 10), the ten factors (10 x 10 x 10) and the three realms of existence (10 x 10 x 10 x 3 = 3,000).

Ten Worlds: Also called the Ten States of Being. 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.

(1) The state 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 and despair.

(2) The state 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; It is a condition governed by instinct, in which one has no sense of reason ormorality, lacks wisdom and self control. 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, the lowest states of being.

(4) The state 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.
Hell, Hunger, Animality and Anger are collectively called the four evil paths.

(5) The state of Humanity or Tranquility; 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 ; 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. 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; 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.

(8) The state of Realization; 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.

Learning and Realization are called the two vehicles. 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; 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.

(10) The state of Buddhahood; 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. In daily life, Buddhahood is manifested in the actions of a bodhisattva.

Ten Factors- The ten factors common to all life in any of the Ten Worlds;

(1) Appearance (nyozeso), or that aspect of things which can be discerned from the outside. It includes such attributes as color, form, shape and behavior, and points to the material and physical side of existence.

(2) Nature (Japanese, nyozesho), which indicates inherent disposition or quality that cannot be perceived directly from the outside. In terms of human life, for example, it corresponds to such spiritual aspects as mind and consciousness.

(3) Entity (Japanese, noyzetai), or the essence of life which permeates and integrates external appearance and internal nature.
These first three factors explain the reality of life itself. The next six factors, from power through manifest effect, analyze the functions and workings of life. They are:

(4) Power (Japanese, nyozeriki), life's inherent strength or energy to achieve something. Nichikan Shonin defines it as the capacity life possesses in each of the Ten Worlds, and explains that those in Humanity have the power to carry out the five precepts, those in the state of Bodhisattva have the power to practice the four universal vows and the six paramitas, etc.

(5) Influence (Japanese, nyozesa), or the movement or action produced when latent power is activated. Entity, when accompanied by power and influence, can be thought of as an autonomous self which can interact with other existences.
The next four factors accompany the workings of nyozesa or influence.

(6) Internal cause (Japanese, nyozein), the cause latent in life which produces and effect of the same nature as itself, i.e., good or evil. Internal cause is formed through influence or actions. Each internal cause simultaneously contains a latent effect.

(7) Relation (Japanese, nyozeen), sometimes translated as external cause. The auxiliary cause, or external stimulus, which helps an internal cause produce its effect. Relation is not the environment itself but the function relating life to its environment.

(8) Latent effect (Japanese, nyozeka), or the effect produced in the depths of life when an internal cause is activated by "relation." Nichikan Shonin states in the "Sanju Hiden Sho" (The Threefold Secret Teaching), "Whether the mind produces good or evil depends on whether it has produced good or evil before. In this sense, what the mind has produced is internal cause and what it will produce is latent effect." Since both internal cause and latent effect are dormant within life, they exist simultaneously, without the time gap that often occurs between an action and its manifest effect.

(9) Manifest effect (Japanese, nyozeho), or the concrete, perceivable result that emerges with the passing of time as a consequence of internal cause and latent effect.

(10) Consistency from beginning to end (Japanese, nyoze hommatsu kukyoto), or the integrating factor which unifies the other nine from "appearance" to "manifest effect" in every moment of life. Consistency from beginning to end also explains that when the first three factors are collectively defined as entity (beginning) and the following six factors as function (end), both beginning and end, or the entity of all phenomena and its functions, are inseparable.

Three Realms: Three dimensions of the phenomenal world in which the Ten Worlds manifest themselves. The Three Realms are:

1.)The realm of the self/ the five components--form, perception, conception, volition and consciousness

2.)The realm of living beings/society (refers to the individual formed by a temporary union of the five components)

3.)The realm of the land/environment (the place where living beings dwell and carry out life activities).

Compiled by Wendy Sheridan

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This page was last modified on Sunday, August 20, 2006.