The Ten Worlds
Compiled by Milly van Praag
"The Living Buddha"
By Richard Causton

The concept of the Ten Worlds, also known as the Ten Life States, forms one of the fundamental principles of Buddhism. It teaches that everyone possesses the Ten Worlds within their life, and everyone has the ability to perceive, as well as the potential to manifest these states. Our life state changes from moment to moment, depending on our interaction with the environment.

In other words, at any given moment one of the Ten Worlds is visible, while the rest of the Ten Worlds remain hidden. From lowest to highest these are: Hell State, Hunger, Animality, Anger, tranquility, rapture, learning and realization bodhisattva and Buddhahood.

Hell State

According to Buddhism, Hell is a state of indescribable suffering which one projects onto the external environment. It is a state in which your whole life seems to contract and becomes concentrated on the cause of your agony.

The Japanese word for Hell is jigoku, written with two characters meaning 'the lowest' and 'to be bound or imprisoned'. Undoubtedly, one of the characteristic aspect of the state of Hell is the lack of ability to act or think freely, a result of the dramatic reduction of one's life-force, the vital energy of life itself, which is expressed both physically in one's bodily mechanisms and functions, and spiritually in one's thoughts, hopes and emotions.

Nichiren Daishonin states "Rage is the world of Hell". It is the rage of frustration and even self-destruction, often including the desire to destroy one's surrounding, seeing in them some sort of responsibility for one's suffering. A person feels totally consumed by a sense of deadlock and futility, trapped in emotions that can find no outlet for expression.

Depression, a condition all to common in our society, exhibits all the symptoms of the state of Hell. The low life-force of Hell shows itself in the first instance perhaps in an unwillingness to get out of bed, and then by the growing failure to be motivated by anything or anyone in one's surroundings. Time seems to slow down and all the individual is aware of is that, for some reason, he or she feels terrible.

Worry is also a manifestation in the mind of the world of Hell. Worry consist of imagining the worst possible outcome of some event, suffering as if that imagined consequence had actually happened and then compounding the suffering by realizing that, in any case, we are usually unable to affect the outcome one way or the other. Even if people tell us not to worry, that it can do no good, and we know rationally that they are right, our tendency is to indulge our pessimistic fantasy. The state of Hell is also a state in which people lack hope.

Although the state of Hell is the lowest of the Ten Worlds, Buddhism teaches that all the nine worlds, from Hell to Bodhisattva, have both a positive and a negative aspect and that all are necessary to life. Buddhahood alone is wholly creative. You will hear more about that later.

As to the positive side of Hell, without Hell we could never know happiness. Also the desire to keep out of the world of Hell is a powerful motivation for action. Perhaps most importantly, if we never suffered ourselves, we would never be able to identify and sympathize with the suffering of others, or be moved to help them. In other words, in Buddhism the world of Hell leads directly to the world of Bodhisattva which I will tell you more about later.

The world of Hunger is one in which our desires are dominant. Human beings have many different desires, from instinctive desires for food, warmth, sleep and sex, to higher, more complex spiritual desires like those for love, social justice and self-improvement. The most fundamental desire, and one which sustains and underpins all the others, is the simple desire to continue living.

Desires are the main driving force of life. For example, generally speaking, we work because we want to earn money, first to buy things we need for our survival, then perhaps so that we can afford to raise a family and probably to make our lives as comfortable as possible. Ideally, if we enjoy it, we also work because it fulfills to some extent a more abstract, more spiritual desire in us - the desire to feel needed, perhaps, or to make a contribution of some kind to a wider society than just our family. Without desires we would never be motivated to do anything. Apathetic people achieve very little.

Although desires are essential to life, however, it is also essential that we control them. A person who cannot control his or her desire is actually a slave and because it is the very nature of desire to want something, can never be satisfied for any length of time. Individuals who are always changing their jobs, or their partners are more likely than not to be in this state of Hunger, a state of almost permanent dissatisfaction with what they actually have. They are driven by the thought that their happiness lies in possessing or experiencing something currently out of their reach - be it money, fame, power, a relationship - or more of the same. In its extreme form it is a state in which no sooner has one got something desired than its attraction palls and one realizes it is not enough.

Inherent in the world of Hunger lies the extreme of obsession in which desire is so strong, so dominant, that it can completely distort one's perspective on reality. One's capacity to make sound judgments is severely restricted. Passionate love often falls into this category as the age-old saying that "love is blind" suggests.

Fundamentally, it is greed which has led to the destruction of so much or our natural environment. The desire for an ever increasing standard of material well-being has, until very recently blinded us to the inevitable consequences of short-term profiteering from the earth's natural resources. The fact that humankind is still indulging in this rape of the natural world, while continuing to ignore its effects shows just how strongly the world of Hunger can affect us collectively, as a society.

So what are the positive sides of Hunger? Sublimating our desires and reorientating them towards creative and valuable ends. In other words cultivating desires which enable us to advance and realize self-improvement. Inevitably, this means recognizing as well that, although we can get a certain amount of short-term satisfaction from fulfilling our own selfish wants, ultimately our greatest happiness is inextricably bound up with the desire to work in some way, however apparently insignificant, for the happiness of our fellow men and women.

Animality

In the world of Animality we are under the control of our instincts. In common with animals, our instincts are essentially a means of enabling us to adapt to, and to take advantage of our environment, thus ensuring our survival, both individually and as a species. The instinct of fear warns us of danger, the instinct for sleep is vital to refresh energy, the sex instinct is vital to perpetuate the species, and so on. These you can say are some of the positive aspects of the world of Animality.

Although these instincts express themselves as desires they are distinguished from the desires of the world of Hunger by the absolute necessity, that they be satisfied for us to continue living. For example, when we are tired we WANT to sleep. We feel hungry, we eat, our hunger abates as we feel fuller and so we stop eating - until such time as our hunger instinct tells us that we must eat again. If we eat when we are not hungry then we are actually back in the world of Hunger, the world of greed and unsatisfied desires.

A number of the animal instincts we have are, however, of more questionable value. For example, as Nichiren Daishonin says, "It is the nature of beasts to threaten the weak and fear the strong". According to this standard, any society or organisation in which the 'pecking-order' is paramount, in which one kowtows to those higher than oneself while lording it over those who are lower, has Animality as its basis. This form of Animality is perhaps most obvious in highly structured and strongly hierarchical organiations like the armed forces and the police but, in reality, it is pervasive throughout society, in business, the professions, even parenting - and in political and some religious organizations which preach human equality and the brotherhood of man.

The exercise of power for selfish and partisan ends is another manifestation of the world of Animality and what is most often meant by 'the law of the jungle'. Aggressiveness and territoriality amongst animals are clearly means of self-protection - ensuring a food supply, for instance, or guarding one's family or mate - as well as fixing a place in the group hierarchy. By and large they fulfill this function in human society too.

On an individual level, what would you think would happen if we were told that their was going to be a shortage of a basic commodity - bread, say. I'm sure we would see the Animality latent in people spring to the surface as they rush to the shops and strip the shelves ago,

Above all, Animality is characterized by what Nichiren Daishonin calls "foolishness". Even though we are clearly part of the animal world, we are distinguished from other animals by the possession of faculties by which we make judgements about our environment and our relationship to it. It is when we do not exercise these faculties that we can truly be said to be in the world of Animality.

For example, if someone drinks too much at a party, happily absorbed in their pleasure, without regard to the consequences of their actions, not considering that they will later have to drive home, is putting their lives and that of others at risk simply for momentary satisfaction. This is what Nichiren Daishonin means by "foolishness", isn't it? Thoughtless and mindless. As Daisaku Ikeda notes, "To act solely on instincts is to invite disaster, and those who can do no more that follow their instincts have no control over their fate".

Anger

In terms of the Ten Worlds, Anger is identified with the working of the ego, that part of the consciousness in which the self is aware of its own uniqueness and its apparent separation from the rest of the universe. As the historian Arnold Toynbee comments:

"A living being is partially detached from the rest of the universe and partially attached to it. This relationship gives a human being a choice of attitudes and behaviour. Many may try to dominate the rest of the universe and exploit it; this is, to make himself the whole universe's centre and raison d'etre. Insofar as a human being follows this greedy desire, his conduct will be evil".

Nichiren Daishonin describes the chief characteristic of Anger as "perversity", alluding to the fundamental distortion of perspective that occurs when the ego places itself at the centre of the universe. The desire to dominate in the state of Anger is different from that in Animality because of the element of self-knowledge involved. The lion may be called the 'king of beasts', but there is no sense in which he is aware of this fact; he kills when hungry, not to prove a point. In other words, in Animality you win or lose according to your strength; in Anger you feel you deserve to win regardless of your strength.

Anger, then, is not to be confused with simply being angry, for the world of Anger does not appear just when you lose your temper. Rather, Anger is the state of supreme self-centeredness in which we believe that we are fundamentally better than other people and in which we delight in displaying this supposed superiority to the world. In one of his major writings the great Chinese teacher, T'ien't'ai who lived in the 4th century, describes Anger as follows:

"The person of the Realm of Anger has a irresistible urge to win out over everyone else. Like the hawk flying high in the sky in search of prey, he looks down upon others and respects only himself. He makes a superficial show of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith, and he may even display a primitive form of moral integrity, but inside he is a monstrous egotist".

The person in the state of Anger cannot bear to lose. Arrogance, conceit, contempt for others, a highly critical streak and a powerful competitive urge, leading to conflict with others are all aspects of Anger.

The desire for fame is also a quintessential manifestation of this state, for there is nothing more reassuring to the ego than having lots of people look up to you. Many highly successful people are indeed driven by Anger, which is one reason why they have been able to do so well.

The curious fact about people in the world of Anger, though, is that hidden deep within their lives is usually a large amount of anxiety about themselves, an anxiety which is covered up and compensated for by the assertion of their superiority. Often this sense of inferiority is hidden so deeply that a person in Anger may not be consciously aware of it, which is one reason why he may be so hard in his criticism of weakness in others. Subconsciously he recognizes the failing as his own and tries to deny what his subconscious mind admits.

On the positive side, Anger is what enables us to assert the inherent dignity of our own individual lives, as well as that of others, and to challenge those who would seek to dominate, repress or manipulate. Anger in this sense is thus often the passionate driving force for personal and social reform.

Tranquility

Tranquility the fifth of the Ten Worlds is the state of being at peace or at rest. One of the major functions of Tranquility is to restore energy. Buddhism teaches it to be the basic life condition of human beings. This state is thus also called the world of Humanity.

Tranquility is a fundamentally neutral state, the state you find yourself in when nothing in your environment has either upset or excited you. In this state you are generally in control of your lower life-condition and are therefore not easily roused to anger or passion. You are considerate to others, rational rather than emotional, and do not seek or enjoy conflict.

One problem with this state, though, it that, being essentially neutral, it is vulnerable to all sorts of influences and so is difficult to sustain. Thus, if for example a person persists in being offensive, it is quite likely that you will at some point move from the state Humanity and into that of Anger. Many arguments follow this pattern and everyone knows the tremendous effort it sometimes takes not to lose one's temper in the face of provocation. This is because the state of Humanity can be seen as a somewhat unstable point of balance and, as such, often does not possess enough life-force to counteract the surges of energy that come from the worlds of Hunger, Animality and Anger.

In an extreme form Tranquillity can be wholly negative. Laziness, the unwillingness to make effort, is an example of this state; the unwillingness to tackle problems and difficulties because of the upheaval such a course of action will mean to one's life, even though it may be absolutely necessary. Negligence is thus another of the manifestations of this state, as is apathy, the condition of simply not caring enough to make any effort to improve one's self or one's environment.

Buddhism therefore expounds that if we are to live fully and creatively, the state of Tranquility is one in which it is impossible to remain for any longer than necessary for us to restore ourselves in order to function effectively.

Rapture

The world of Rapture is what we experience when our desires are fulfilled. It is an intense and exhilarating state in which we feel glad to be alive and in which everything is bathed in the glow of our own well-being. When in Rapture we truly feel ourselves to be living to the full; we have more energy and zest for life than normal, our senses seem to be heightened, everyday events appear fresh and stimulating and time seems to rush by as we feel our days to be rich and crammed with experiences. Nichiren Daishonin sums up this state when he says "Joy is the world of Rapture".

In Buddhism, though, Rapture is the state of relative rather than true happiness because, wonderful as it is, Rapture can never last for long. It needs only the passage of time, or even simply a slight change of circumstances, for Rapture to disappear and one of the other states to reassert itself.

Buddhism identifies three distinct levels of happiness, or Rapture. The first level, called the world of Desires, corresponds to the desires inherent in the six lower worlds, such as the delight we feel at satisfying our instinctive urges, at achieving social recognition, at overcoming our suffering and so on. The second level, the world or Form, might be called 'rapture of the body' for this is the surge of well-being we feel when we are fit, healthy and full of life. It is a sort of rapture you experience after an early morning swim, say, when you feel refreshed, wide awake and 'raring to go' or in the exercise of your natural talents.

The third level of happiness, the world of Formlessness, could be called 'rapture of the spirit', the happiness you feel when living freely and creatively and when you experience your life expanding and becoming richer. Buddhism teaches that this is the most satisfying and enduring sort of Rapture possible.

Ideally, of course, one should aim for happiness at all three levels, though this is extremely difficult to achieve. Nevertheless, Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism teaches that is possible to establish indestructible happiness at the third level, the world of Formlessness, through the development of our highest state of life, our Buddhahood. You will hear more about Buddhahood a bit later.

For now, suffice it to say that the life-force and wisdom generated in the world of Formlessness by revealing our Buddhahood, spills over into the world of Form, enabling us to live more healthily, while, at the first level, in the world of Desires, the solidity of happiness we feel at the core of our being can help up to counteract behavior which may cause suffering for ourselves and others. This is not to say that Buddhism believes that suffering can be eliminated from life - it does not - but that, with such a secure foundation in the world of Formlessness, all suffering can be contained and absorbed in a larger happiness.

The six worlds from Hell to Rapture are known collectively as the Six Paths. Those who live dominated by these lower worlds are as if on a constant merry-go-round, trapped by the demands of their desires and the influence of their immediate external environment. The Six Paths are intimately bound up with each other so that the individual can slip very easily from one to another: from Rapture to Anger, for example, if first extravagantly praised then harshly criticized, or from Tranquility into Hell, if when sitting in the warm watching television, you suddenly remember you have to face the bank manager about your overdraft in the morning. I think it is fair to say that moving like this among the Six Paths describes the reality of life for most people. Buddhism teaches, however , that these six lower worlds do not constitute the entirety of life, for when we raise our eyes from the immediate reality of day-to-day living and make an effort to improve our understanding of ourselves and the world at large, we enter the Four Noble Paths of Learning, Realization, Bodhisattva and Buddhhood. In do doing, we are starting on the process of developing our true potential as human beings.

Learning and Realization

The two worlds of Learning and Realization share many of the same characteristics and are usually considered together. In Japanese they are known as nijo meaning 'two vehicles' the two kinds of teachings expounded by the Buddha to "carry" one to a greater life condition. Both Learning and Realization, therefore, have self-betterment as their goal, the main difference between them lying in how this is achieved.

The world of Learning applies to that aspect our consciousness which can learn from the realizations of others and apply what we have thus learnt to our lives. In this sense, the world of Learning might be said to correspond to intelligence and to be concerned with existing knowledge.

The world of Realization, on the other hand, might be said to correspond to wisdom or insight, the state which enables us to come to an understanding directly from our own observations, experience and reflection. This understanding may be as grand as the workings of the universe, or as humble as how to wire a plug. What matters in the world of Realization is that we come to that understanding largely through our own efforts.

The distinction between these two states is often not as clear as this. For example, one could say that a person studying arithmetic is in the state of Learning while he is sincerely trying to understand why two plus two make four, but enters the world of Realization when he does understand, even though his knowledge has been imparted to him by a teacher. Clearly, however you draw the line, the worlds of Learning and Realization are closely related for, just as those in Learning receive fruits of the efforts of those in Realization, so great efforts in the world of Learning can often lead to new realizations.

Just like in the six lower worlds, there are limitations in these two worlds. The first being basically self-centeredness. Although their goal is self-betterment, it is self-betterment largely for one's own sake. As such Learning and Realization have a strong tendency to deteriorate into the world of Anger, of separating oneself from other people and looking down on them. This self-centeredness might equally well manifest itself as a state of such absorption in the subject at hand that everything else is obliterated from view.

The second limitation, closely allied to the first, is that those who have attained a high level of achievement in their field often find it extremely difficult to accept that the conclusions they have come to by themselves may not be wholly correct.

A communist and a capitalist, or an atheist and a Moslem, have immense difficulty even in recognizing each other's vision of the world, no matter how learned or erudite they might be. One characteristic of the truly wise man is that he can recognize the wisdom in others and is more concerned in discovering the truth of any situation than in simply defending his own opinion. By contrast, those in Learning & Realization, as time goes on, tend to place faith in their judgment and their judgment alone.

Moving on to another limiting aspect of these states is the idea that we can 'think' ourselves out of trouble - but 'thinking' is not effective if the way we think is actually a large part of the trouble. Thus, when faced with a problem in a close relationship for instance, many people sit and analyze all aspects of the problem in the finest detail, discussing it with friends, family or even professional counselors of one sort or another. In this way, they can often come to a very good theoretical understanding of their situation and may even have a clear view of their own strengths and weaknesses and what they have to do if they want things to change. Simply knowing what is wrong does not, however, necessarily give you the strength to take the necessary action. Laziness, for instance, can sometimes be overcome by the simple exertion of willpower, but then, if you are lazy, in all probability you lack the very willpower you need to make more effort. Similarly, a woman who is continually beaten up by her husband or lover but who keeps going back to him is in the grip of forces more powerful than her rational judgment can control, be they economic or emotional.

Clearly, even though they belong to the Four Noble Paths, the worlds of Learning and Realization are very much double-sided in nature. In the final analysis, the pattern of coming to certain conclusions about the world and one's place in it, through learning knowledge of the past and melding it with ones own experience, should not be confined to knowledge alone nor indeed to alone science, creative arts or philosophy, but rather, should constitute the basis of all human existence. As Daisaku Ikeda says, "The raison e'etre of all humans lies in crystallizing and utilizing the past for the sake of the future." Only as more and more ordinary people come to understand both this and that their own unique wisdom can make a vital contribution to solving the problems which beset us, will the worlds of Learning and Realization cease to be the exclusive preserve of specialists and begin to work consistently for the betterment of all humanity. To see how this can come about, we need to consider the two highest states of being, those of Bodhisattva and Buddhahood.

Bodhisattva

The world of Bodhisattva is characterized by the spirit of jihi which is the Japanese word for compassion which in Buddhism means the desire to replace suffering in others with happiness. Like all the Ten Worlds, Buddhism teaches that the Bodhisattva nature exists as a potential in everyone which in view of 'man's inhumanity to man', we may sometimes find hard to believe. But, as Nichiren Daishonin says "Even a heartless villain loves his wife and children. He too has a portion of the Bodhisattva world within him". Of course, the degree to which this Bodhisattva nature has been revealed and developed varies greatly from individual to individual.

A mother's pure love for her child is perhaps the best analogy of the compassion inherent in the world of Bodhisattva, a compassion that is total and unconditional, concerned wholly with the well-being, growth and fulfillment of those other than oneself. Paradoxically, though, Buddhism teaches that this altruistic concern for the happiness and growth of others is the very way the Bodhisattva too, becomes happy and fulfilled. The problem is that, while we tend to see it as natural that this sort of compassion exists in parents for their children (even if we know that it is by no means always the case), we think it less natural to offer such compassion to strangers.

In the West this challenge has, for many hundreds of years been embodied in the great Christian doctrine of loving one's enemies and one's neighbor as oneself. Unfortunately, Christ taught this as an ideal only and did not leave a practical method that would enable ordinary people to develop the high state of life in which this is possible. Of course, there have been exceptional men and women in history, who, inspired by Christian doctrine have been able to manifest their Bodhisattva natures to an extreme high degree. Generally speaking though despite aspiring to the loftiness of the ideal, Christians have often found it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to love even other Christians, let alone those who follow different teachings.

Until the appearance of Nichiren Daishonin, in Buddhism too the highest states of life - Bodhisattva and Buddhahood - were taught as being far above the level of ordinary people. One could become a Buddha only after countless lifetimes of "good works" in other words making endless good causes as a bodhisattva, but the descriptions and images of the bodhisattvas themselves were so fantastic that they bore little relation to everyday life and it was not at all clear how one could become one. It was Nichiren Daishonin who explained that the qualities of all these great bodhisattvas actually represent the magnitude of compassion lying dormant in ordinary individuals and the various forms which this inherent compassion can take. .

For all its great qualities, however, even the noble world of Bodhisattva possess negative aspects. One of these is the tendency to feel superior and condescending towards those you are helping, offering them pity or charity rather than true compassion; another is the tendency to neglect one's own well-being; a third is the danger of begrudging the time and effort one devotes to the happiness of another. Those looking after elderly relatives at home are often prey to this emotion, for example, though it is in fact common to many areas where people serve each other, especially at work. To discover a state of being which is wholly positive, in that it always expresses itself by creating value, regardless of the situation, one has finally to turn to the highest of the Ten Worlds, that of Buddhahood itself.

Buddhahood

Buddhahood is the supreme state of human life. When I say supreme, I do not mean supernatural or superhuman, or transcendental, separate from the everyday reality of this world, in which you experience constant bliss and euphoria. Buddhahood exists and can only be manifested, here and now, through the actions of real people in this real world. Nichiren Daishonin says, "The real meaning of the Lord Shakyamuni Buddha's appearance in this world lay in his behaviour as a human being. How profound!" In other worlds, Shakyamuni was not a god but a man, and Buddhahood, although the highest state of life, is one that is attainable by all people. Thus, there is no fundamental difference between a Buddha and an ordinary person 'awakened' to the true nature of life. As Nichiren Daishonin further states, "While deluded, one is called a common mortal, but once enlightened, he is called a Buddha."

In Buddhism we say that the qualities of the Buddha are wisdom, courage, compassion and life force. When dominate in an individual's life the Buddha state therefore enriches every moment of his or her daily life, making even the supposedly mundane or problematic aspects of life a source of happiness. When we begin to reveal our Buddhahood, therefore, we do not have to try to suppress or deny any of our lower states of life, as our Buddhahood quite naturally enables us to reveal the positive aspects of our nine worlds, from Hell to Boddhisattva, and so continually create value for ourselves and others. . The suffering of hell becomes a means to empathise with others. Hunger becomes desire for peace. Animality promotes gratitude for others' support. Anger becomes anger for justice and so on.

Buddhahood is endowed with infinite compassion and wisdom. The wisdom of Buddhahood penetrates to the diabolic nature that subverts life and tries to destroy it. The compassion of Buddhahood provides the energy to overcome this negative force. In this way, the wisdom and compassion of Buddhahood becomes manifest in the nine states. And as they act in these states, they themselves are nourished and increased, strengthening the Buddhahood within us. Therefore, in Buddhism we do not seek to avoid the difficulties and challenges of the nine states, but rather meet them head on and overcome them, thus turning them into valuable experiences.

Some of you might be thinking, do I really possess Buddhahood? Although it probably is difficult to believe, the answer is definitely yes. Nichiren Daishonin said the following about Buddhahood.

"Buddhahood is the most difficult state to demonstrate. But since you possess the other nine worlds, you should believe that you have Buddhahood as well. Do not permit yourself to have doubts."

What Nichiren Daishonin is saying, if you can see the logic of the theory of the nine worlds from Hell to Bodhisattva accurately describe the reality of life, so you should have confidence that the tenth world, Buddhahood, also exits.

So how do we cultivate and bring out this state of Buddhahood which sounds too good to be true? You may recall earlier when discussing the state of Boddhisattva I mentioned that Christ did not leave a practical method to enable ordinary people to develop their higher life state. Because a method or means whichever way you want to call it, is absolutely necessary. This is what Nichiren Daishonin understood with his whole life. To give in full a passage I quoted earlier by him:

"While deluded, one is called a common mortal, but once enlightened he is called a Buddha. Even a tarnished mirror will shine like a jewel if it is polished. A mind which is presently clouded by illusions originating from the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but once it is polished it will become clear, reflecting the enlightenment of immutable truth. Arouse deep faith and polish your mirror night and day. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren Daishonin defined the Law of the universe, or the Law of life, as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo so that we can actually harmonise our lives with the universe thus enabling us to establish the state of Buddhahood in our lives.

So this is the method. This is the means. The question is, whether you can believe this or not or perhaps better said whether you are willing to try and believe it. For in the final analysis, the only way to test the validity of Nichiren Daishonin's assertion that you too, possess this supreme state of life called Buddhahood, is to do as he suggest, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and see for yourself. What have you got to lose?

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