Buddhism's Original Texts 5: The Worldview and the Buddhas

Thank you for visiting. This article is the fifth installment in a series explaining the original texts of Buddhism.

Last time (Article 3), I explained Mahayana Buddhism and the major sutras. This time, I look at the worldview of Buddhism (the six realms of rebirth, nirvana) that those sutras depict, and the many buddhas and bodhisattvas we meet at temples.

For an overview map of Buddhism’s original texts as a whole, please see this summary article.

Buddhism's Original Texts: The Tripitaka and the Major Sutrasen.senkohome.com/myths-religions-origins-buddhism/

The Six Realms of Rebirth — the Six Worlds Beings Wander

At the root of Buddhism’s worldview is “rebirth (samsara).” This is an idea common to Indian thought, that a being does not end at death, but keeps being reborn into another life again and again, according to its deeds.

The destinations of that rebirth are the six worlds, the “six realms.”

What should be noted is that even the highest “heavenly realm” is not yet completely free from suffering. Even gods, when their lifespan ends, are reborn into another world. No matter which of the six realms one is born into, suffering does not end as long as one keeps being reborn.

A Complete History of Philosophy and ReligionView on Amazon → Living Buddha, Living Christ (new edition)View on Amazon →

Karma, and Liberation from Rebirth

So, what decides the destination of rebirth? It is “karma.” Karma is “deeds,” and it is held that good deeds bring good results, and bad deeds bad results, to a later life (one reaps what one sows; cause and effect).

And Buddhism’s ultimate goal lies in escaping this very rebirth of suffering. That is “liberation,” and the state of peace one reaches is “nirvana.” Nirvana means the state in which the flame of defilement is “blown out.” Letting go of attachment and reaching a peace where one is never reborn again — this is the very goal of release the Buddha showed.

The Twelve Links of Dependent Origination — Where Does Suffering Arise From?

So, what does that rebirth and suffering arise from in the first place? What explained it as a chain of twelve stages is the “twelve links of dependent origination.” It is held to be the most refined core of Buddhism’s analysis of suffering.

The chain proceeds roughly as follows. Starting from ignorance (fundamental nescience), it goes: formations (the potential of action) → consciousness (discernment) → name-and-form (mind and body) → the six sense bases → contact → feeling → craving (intense desire) → grasping (attachment) → becoming (existence) → birth → aging and death (suffering). That is, “ignorance,” not knowing the truth, and the “craving and attachment” that arise from it, generate the rebirth of suffering.

Conversely, if the starting point, ignorance, is extinguished by wisdom, this chain unravels one after another, and suffering stops. This is called the “gate of cessation.” If the Four Noble Truths show “the fact of suffering and its treatment” in broad strokes, the twelve links of dependent origination dissect, stage by stage, “the mechanism by which suffering arises.”

Mount Sumeru and the Thousand-Million-World System — the Cosmos Buddhism Depicts

So, in what kind of world do the beings of the six realms wander? Buddhism depicted a cosmic image of grand scale.

Towering at its center is a giant sacred mountain, “Mount Sumeru.” Mount Sumeru towers high in the center of the sea, and around it nine mountains and eight seas surround it in concentric circles, and the sun and moon were thought to circle around the middle of this Mount Sumeru. In the outermost sea float four continents in the four directions, and it is held that we humans live on the “southern continent” to its south.

Above Mount Sumeru, the heavens where gods dwell spread in layers. Buddhism organized this whole world into the “three realms” — the “realm of desire,” caught in desire, the “realm of form,” a pure material world, and the “formless realm,” a world of mind alone beyond matter. The beings of the six realms keep wandering within these three realms.

What is even more astonishing is its scale. One thousand worlds centered on Mount Sumeru gather into a “small thousand-world”; a thousand of those gather into a “middle thousand-world”; and a further thousand gather into a “great thousand-world.” This vast cosmos, stacking these three stages of a thousandfold, is called the “thousand-million-world system.” The range one buddha teaches was held to be this thousand-million-world system. One can glimpse on how tremendous a scale of time and space Buddhism grasped the world.

The Four Ranks of the Buddhas

There are various Buddhist statues in a temple, but in fact the “buddhas” of Buddhism have a clear hierarchy. Organizing them roughly into four makes it easy to understand.

Tathagata — the Enlightened Buddha

The “tathagata” is the highest buddha, who has already reached enlightenment. It is represented in a simple form without ornament.

Among them, “Mahavairocana Tathagata” is held in esoteric Buddhism to be the fundamental buddha that generates all of the cosmos, and all other buddhas are thought to be manifestations of this Mahavairocana. The “Vairocana” of the Avatamsaka Sutra (the Great Buddha of Todai-ji) is also identified with this.

Bodhisattva — the Compassionate Being Who Saves People

The “bodhisattva” is a being who, while having the power to complete their own enlightenment, remains in this world to save suffering people. It is represented in a princely form, wearing a crown and ornaments. It is also the buddha most familiar to us.

In particular, “Kannon Bodhisattva” appears in ever-changing forms according to the partner and is held to save from all suffering, gathering the widest faith. And “Maitreya Bodhisattva” is known as a future buddha who is held to appear in this world 5.67 billion years after the Buddha’s passing and save people.

Wisdom Kings and Heavenly Gods — Buddhas of Protection, and Gods

Let us also look at the remaining two.

The “wisdom king” is a buddha mainly worshipped in esoteric Buddhism, represented with a fearsome angry expression. This is an expression of compassion, to guide, even by force, people who cannot be saved by gentle admonition alone. The “Fudo Myo-o (Acala)” bearing flames is the representative one, held to be an incarnation of Mahavairocana.

The “heavenly gods” are gods who protect Buddhism. Many of them are originally Indian gods (gods of Brahmanism and Hinduism) taken into Buddhism as guardian gods. For example, the creator god Brahma is taken into the Buddhist world as “Bonten,” the thunder god Indra as “Taishakuten,” the goddess Saraswati as “Benzaiten,” and Yama, who governs death, as “Enma.” The gods of Indian mythology are, changing form, in Japanese temples — this tells of the interest of Buddhism’s history.

To Learn More

Here are some related books. Reading them alongside this series lets you savor this world even more deeply.

The Origins of Religion: Why We Needed a ‘God’View on Amazon → An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Buddhist StatuesView on Amazon →

Conclusion

In this article, I explained in detail Buddhism’s worldview and the many buddhas and bodhisattvas. How was it?

The worldview of rebirth, in which beings keep being reborn through the six realms according to karma, and nirvana, escaping from it. And I think you have grasped the rich world of buddhas — the tathagata who attained enlightenment, the bodhisattva who saves people, and the protective wisdom kings and heavenly gods.

In the next Article 6 (the final installment), I will explain the history of how Buddhism spread from India to the world and branched into Theravada, Mahayana, esoteric Buddhism, and Japan’s sects such as Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren.

Buddhism's Original Texts: The Tripitaka and the Major Sutrasen.senkohome.com/myths-religions-origins-buddhism/

I hope you’ll read the next article too.