Today I asked my teacher...
Chrissy Newburywhat are they?
Dan Hettmannsperger IIIThis is a very good question my student.<<Puts on Sensei hat.- Chrissy Newbury<<< smiles and bows...
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIIn Buddhist cosmology there are 31 realms and each realm represents a state of being.They are simply metaphors for different states of mind.Each "realm" is simply where you are mentally at any given time.
- Chrissy NewburyOh... I understand.So where are you and I right now?
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIHang on
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIAlright....this might take a second to look up....it's a 2,000+ page book.
- Chrissy NewburyYikes...
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIFound it
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIGot my parachute on.Ready?
- Chrissy NewburyI am...
- Dan Hettmannsperger III1. Hell realms2. Animal Realms3. Domain of ghosts4. Host of asuras.5. Human Realm6. Four Great Kings.7. Tavatisma Devas8. Yama devas9. Tusita devas10. Nimmanarati devas.11. Paranimmitavasavatti devas.12. Brahma's assembly13. Brahma's Ministers14. Mahabrahma Realm (Maha~"Great")15. Devas of minor radiance.16. Devas of measureless radiance.17. Devas of streaming radiance.18. Debas of minor aura.19. Devas of measureless aura.20. Devas of steady aura.21. Devas of great fruit. (I hear you giggling)22. Nonpercipient beings.23. Durable realm.24. Serene Realm25. Beautiful Realm26. Clear-sighted realm of perfect vision27. Akanittha Realm28. Base of the infinity of space.29. Base of the infinity of consciousness30. Base of Nothingness31. Base of neither perception nor Non-perception.
- Chrissy NewburyWhew... that will teach me to ask about such things...You are infinitely patient, my teacher.
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIII serve the Buddha and his Dharma and his Sangha.I can do not less.
- Chrissy NewburyAre they all of equal importance..? or do some require more (or less) understanding?
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIII think again that this is a good question.The realms themselves are just labels....what matters is your mind.
- Chrissy NewburyOf course...
<<< nods - Dan Hettmannsperger IIIRemember when I told you that the Buddha is sometimes called "the teacher of gods and men"...?
- Chrissy NewburyYes, I do...
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIWell in Buddhism the Buddha is of course the "Awakened One"...that's what the word 'Buddha' means.Now..Early Buddhists....following the Buddha's lead stated that a Buddha, a fully enlightened human being is above a god (Deva).Why?Beecause:A god might have great powers, but a god is still subject to SAMSARA.A god is still just as trapped in "becoming" as we are....and so a god, a Deva, must also adapt the ways of he Buddha to pursue the path to enlightenment. The Buddha taught that it is actually harder for a Deva to achieve enlightenment because they see themselves as so superior.
- Chrissy Newburywhich I remember is a journey. The cycle of birth and death and rebirth. An illusion...
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIII believe that in the real world "Devas" can be seen really as The Ruling Class....Celebrities....those with very great talents (and egos to go with them), etc.Consider the difficulty of teaching anyone in the royal family what I've been teaching you and you'll begin to see mypoint.
- Chrissy NewburyOh... I see.
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIVery powerful men and women are like gods...and often see themselves that way...and tis makes it almost impossible for them to become enlightened.
- Chrissy NewburyRight. Yes. .. so how does this pertain to the 31 known dimensions... ?I am thinking it has something to do with state of mind... but whose?
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIYOURSI might be wrong in my understanding....but I like to think of the realms as states of mind/feelings.When we are deeply depressed...are we not in Hell?
- Chrissy Newburyyes.
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIWhen we feel a deep sense of disconnection...are we not ghosts?
- Chrissy Newburyyes we are.and so on and so forth...
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIWhen we give in to instinct without thinking....to rage....are we not animals?
- Chrissy Newburyhmmm... not sure about that one. But I do see where you are going with this.
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIReally what we're looking at here is a kind of Proto-Psychology.
- Chrissy Newburymmhmm..
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIII think the early Buddhists used the trappings of Hinduism (gods, realms, reincarnation) as metaphor to explain and teach what the Buddha taught.
- Chrissy NewburyThat does make perfect sense.
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIThe danger is the uninitiated looking at all this and taking it in any way literally....But regardless you carry the 31 realms within you...
- Chrissy NewburyI am learning NOT to take all things Buddhist as literal...I love that... carrying the 31 realms inside me... and you. I really do...
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIII was taught a long time ago that anything in Buddhism that even remotely sounds supernatural is a literary trope.That's why I explained to you the difference between Reincarnation(Hindu) and Rebirth(Buddhist).Remember?
- Chrissy NewburyI do...
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIII notice modern Buddhists don't even bother with mentioning the 31 realms.They just rely on terms now used by Psychologists."Depression""Anger""Resentment"etc etc
- Chrissy NewburyThat's why I asked you... I was sure there was more to it.
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIII like the idea myself....it acknowledges that we are all a Universe unto ourselves....it's very Jungian.
- Chrissy NewburyThat is a pretty wonderful concept too.
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIII had a conversation along these lines with my therapist father and he said "Too bad we have nothing like that in our culture".I said:Gotham City.He said: "What?"I said: "Think about it. Gotham city is the human mind...and Batman is the Ego navigating it trying to maintain order and all of his 'villains' are just different manifestations of madness and insanity."Internally we are all The Dark Knight....trying to maintain order from madness...sorrow...despair.....rage....etc.What do you think?
- Chrissy NewburyWell... I think... the only truth (mind) that we can be certain of is our own.. truth... I mean, what we ourselves feel and experience and understand. It can only be that that we as individuals have experienced... So in other words, our mind is our own universe. I think you are dead right and I really like the Gotham City allegory .. it's genius. "And so are you..."
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIMy thanks.When Odysseus is told that to complete his journey he must "go into the Underworld" this is a line that is replete with meaning.
- Chrissy NewburyOh yes. I've always seen the metaphor in that scenario.
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIISo you already understand.Excellent.
- Chrissy NewburyI actually think I do..!
- Dan Hettmannsperger IIIYou know you are such a delight to teach.
