Im not sure how the blief runs in Budhism, bu tinHinduism it is believed that there are varius worlds of experiences, deva loka, asura loka, gandharva loka, etc... I watched a very beautiful documentary today on the History channel called in search of Shangri La, all about the attempts to find the location of Shambala. In my opinio this world of shamabala is another world of experience, maybe that of the great bodhisatvas, a world available within our own hearts. Is it not true that the happiness that we all seek so dsperately in this world lies locked within our own hearts! There is a vast and beautiful Shambala within us all. If we look within, seeking it with the same zeal and effort which so many put to seeking it inthe external world, then I am sure its gates will open to us.
We'll, one way that Buddhism explains life is through a concept known as "the ten worlds." These are ten states or conditions of life that we experience within ourselves and are then manifested throughout all aspects of our lives. Each of us possesses the potential for all ten, and we shift from one to another at any moment, according to our interaction with the environment. That is, at each moment, one of the ten worlds is being manifested and the other nine are dormant: hell, hungry spirits(Hunger), animals(animality), asuras(anger), human beings(Tranquility), heavenly beings(Rapture), voice-hearers(Learning), cause-awakened ones(absorption), bodhisattvas, Buddhas The aim of the Buddhist practise to establish the highest state of Buddhahood (which could be interpreted to mean "developed humanity") as our most predominant lifestate. From lowest to highest, they are: HELL: A condition in which one feels totally trapped by one's circumstances, sometimes dominated by frustrated rage and the impulse to destroy oneself and everything else. In this state one has very little life force, is devoid of freedom and undergoes extreme suffering. Poverty and sickness might typify this state. The positive aspect of hell is that it sometimes the sensation of 'hitting the bottom' can provide the impetus to take steps towards "push oneself up" and instigate change and improvement in our circumstances. An example of this might be a person who has suffered from ill health who uses this suffering as an impetus to instigate a personal health regime. HUNGER: a condition characterised by insatiable hunger. One in this state is tormented by relentless craving and the inability to assuage it, even when one's desire is achieved. Hunger, though can also manifest as a craving for advancement. When manifest in a positive manner it can create an unstoppable drive. People fighting tirelessly for nuclear disarmament are hungry for peace. ANIMALITY: a condition governed by instinct, in which one has no sense of reason, living only for the present. One in this state fears the strong and prays on the weak. On the other hand, animality protects one from danger and alerts us to basic needs such as food and shelter. ANGER: a condition dominated by selfish ego, competitiveness, arrogance and the need to be superior in all things. Nevertheless, anger can be the source of great ideas and fuel for extraordinary achievement. Many organisations which work for social change have been driven by people with a burning sense of anger and indignation at the way people are being treated. TRANQUILLITY: in this calm state of life one can pass fair judgment, control instinctive desires with reason and act in harmony with the environment. However, like most of these ten states it is unstable and difficult to maintain so while this might be a state to which many of us aspire it is unable to endure the conflicts which we must face in our daily lives. RAPTURE: the pleasure one feels when one's desires are fulfilled. Again this state is characterised by an instability and it is often in the heady world of rapture that one take actions, or says something that can rapidly carry our life from the heights of rapture to the depths of suffering in aninstant. These first six states are all characterised by their passive nature - that is to say our life moves from on to the other often in direct response to events in our environment. For example: One morning the alarm clock goes off much sooner that we would have wished. As we rub the sleep from our eyes and bemoan the fact that we must get up and go to work we are in the state of Hell. Gradually as we wake we start to follow our regular actions of washing and showering and this might be described as the state of tranquillity. By the time we are dressed we are now looking forward to breakfast (Hunger) and make our way to the kitchen. Unfortunately when we open the fridge we find that our flat mate or partner has drank all the milk which we were hoping to put on our cereal. Anger immediately appears from within our life. As we grumpily sip a cup of black coffee we hear the postman has arrived. Opening the mail we find to our great joy that the long awaited tax rebate has been paid in full (Rapture).However the next letter is not so enjoyable and, as we read news about the serious illness of a friend, we can feel our life slipping back into the despair of Hell. Soon after we set off on our way to the bus stop and because it is a brilliant sunny day our life state is lifted once more to that of Rapture. At the bus stop we meet a friend from work and begin gossiping about our boss. As he is not there to answer for himself we find a sense of power in our mutual annihilation of his character (Animality) .Strange that this is the same person with whom, only a short time later, we are cowering from when faced with his questioning gaze. (also Animality) The remaining four states are generally experienced as a result of conscious effort, although they too have positive and negative aspects. LEARNING: a condition in which one seeks some skill, lasting truth or self reformation. A person in a state of learning nevertheless, may not be in a position to make decisions or take action. ABSORPTION or REALISATION: a condition in which one acts based on acquired knowledge or wisdom. By immersing oneself in these two states of Learning and Absorption it is possible to elevate ones life state. We might do this by reading a good novel or if we play a musical instrument by making some music. These two states of life are frequently experienced by intellectuals and artists. However while they are undoubtedly powerful states they are also limited in that they are not necessarily outwardly directed. Stereotypes support this idea when we consider the absent minded professor types who neglect their families or artist who, while undoubtedly talented, are also bound by a strong ego and apparent lack of concern for others. BODHISATTVA: Literally translated this means disciple of the Buddha. In more general terms it describes the state of life in which one is concerned for the well being of other people. There are many stories where people, motivated by strong concern for others, have been able to overcome severe personal obstacles in order to support those around them. The negative side of this state is that sometimes, attracted by the sense of power which this state obviously brings, people will sacrifice their own life and wishes. There is a saying to the effect that if you give a starving person a fish it will keep them alive for a day. However if you were to give them a fishing rod and teach them how to fish then they would be able to keep themselves alive for their whole life. This typifies the spirit of Buddhism in that it is based on the principle of self empowerment. Although there are undoubtedly times when people will require practical support Buddhism would say that the greatest compassion is to teach another how to practise Buddhism which provides a means for each person to overcome their innate suffering. BUDDHAHOOD: a state of indestructible happiness that is independent of ones circumstances. It is the essential quality that enables us to reveal the positive aspects of all the other nine states and be enlightened to the workings of life. Buddha is another way of saying developed humanity. It is not some transcendental state but rather a life that is characterised by such human qualities as wisdom, courage, compassion and strong life-force. Like all the other states though Buddhahood is not a permanent state - one that can be reached through years of effort and then settled in to: it can be revealed in an instant, but requires constant effort to maintain. Nevertheless the state of Buddhahood is inherent in everyone's life and the purpose of the Buddhist practise is to reveal and establish this as our predominant life state. The ten states of life describe the dynamic potential of life. Each of the ten states contains the other ten within them. An example of this might be a person with a strong intent for righteousness derived from the state of Buddhahood. In this case their hunger state would be more likely to not to manifest as merely selfish desire but as a seeking mind to to transform society. This principle is not moralistic and the value of each state of life is determined by us not by any external dictates. Rather it is a principle which can serve as a means to help us understand the workings of our life.
Thank you for the beautiful explanation, this bears out very well with my own experince, we can always choose which world we live in, the world we choose to see.
http://www.crystalinks.com/shambala.html hey, guys. Check this link out. It has very interesting reading on Shambala. I love this site all-around. I definitely belief in the presence of Shangri-La. Ben.
