- THE DISSATISFACTORY NATURE OF SAMSARA -

"There is not an instant of absolute happiness in the three lower realms or the three higher realms."

"Dissatisfactory" refers to the Buddhist doctrine of dukkha, often translated from Pali or Sanskrit into English as suffering. There is not really an equivalent English word to translate this concept, although at times I use "maintenance" as a close approximation to the most common experience of dukkha. The expression "no absolute happiness" also comes close, but it is somewhat clumsy to use in conversation. At any rate, in Buddha-dharma three types of dukkha are enumerated. They are:

1. dukkha as pain (dukkha-dukkhata)

2. dukkha that is inherent in formation (sankhara-dukkhata)

3. dukkha of change (viparinama-dukkhata)

This first of these is actual bodily or mental painfulness. The second is the maintenance factor: the oppressive nature of all formations in that there is continuous upkeep required to maintain conditioned manifestations. This is true at the most basic levels: breathe in, breathe out; eat, eliminate; open the eyes, blink; sit in a relaxed position, shift one's weight in the chair. Housework is an excellent example of the dukkha that is inherent in formation, whether the house is a mansion or a human body. The third dukkha points to the anguish of losing what is blissful or most pleasing; the impermanence of pleasurable bodily and mental states.

There are six realms of existence in which motive shapes a body to conform with past actions. These are:

1. Hell realms: the main motive for appearing in these states (which are divided into the hot, cold, and various hells) is anger and hatred. The torments of the hell states are dreadful. One teaching says that release from hells can be accomplished by seeing a Buddha (i.e. recognizing the true nature of mind) and throwing a flower in the air (i.e. allowing wholesome energy/aspiration to arise).

2. Preta or hungry ghost realms: beings born here are addicted to lust and greed. They are constantly plagued by hunger, thirst, and physical discomfort. Whenever they find something that would ease their suffering or satisfy their needs, it immediately turns into a repulsive object or causes them pain. They gain release from their torment through the practice of generosity.

3. Animal realms: the animal realms (which include insects) are crowded. There is continuous pressure to maintain living space. Animal realm inhabitants have no way to control or manipulate their environment beyond building rudimentary shelters, and so are subject to extremes of weather and natural disasters. The only way many animals survive is through killing, so there is a constant fear of predators. their instinctual drives have more power than does the conceptual mind, so these beings have little control over things like sexual energy, hunting instinct, and so forth. Domestic animals are raised for the convenience of others. Beings born here are reaping the returns of actions motivated by dullness and insensitivity -- some texts say stupidity. They gain release by developing awareness of cause and effect.

4. Human realms: to be born in this realm requires that one's ripening store of wholesome activity is greater than the unwholesome. Humans are plagued by doubt and desire. There are said to be five miseries attendant to the human realm: being subject to birth; being subject to aging; being subject to illness; being subject to death; being subject to unattainable desire (desire for what is not present, desire to keep what is present, desire to be away from what is present). Liberation from the suffering of this realm is attained through establishing non-clinging compassionate awareness.

5. Asura or Titan realms: the cause for birth here is envy and jealousy. In depictions of this realm, it lies below the god realm. A wish-fulfilling tree, rooted in the asura's domain, reaches into the realm of the gods and all the leaves, flowers and fruits are harvested by them. The asuras try to cut down the tree, bring lawsuits against the gods, war with them, and immerse themselves in angry battles with each other over who has the right to do all of the above. They are continuously agitated by what they don't have. Their release comes through turning away from covetousness by developing patience. Patience brings one to the realization of what one does possess, thereby making is possible to let go of obsessive desires for what one does not have.

6. God realms: there are three world systems: the sensual or desire world sphere, in which inhabitants are born with the six sense doors of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and mind; the fine material world sphere, in which beings have three sense doors (sight, sound, and mind); and the formless realm, in which there is mind only as sense door. The god realms extend to all three. The cause for birth in these realms is pride or righteousness based on many wholesome actions performed in the past. Beings here suffer from the mental instability of believing that they are the good. Having moved into a very lovely neighbourhood, they assume it is their right to be there. The gods of the desire realm are particularly distracted by the pleasurable sensual experience of their lives, so they are not interested in recalling the truth of cause and effect or of impermanence. When the signs of death and decay arise, they are subject to great sorrow and fear. This anxiety, coupled with the habit of not having practised non-clinging awareness during their lives, creates the cause for rebirth in lower realms. One text says the anxiety they feel upon seeing this is like that of a fish writhing on hot sand. Cause for rebirth in the form realm and in the formless realm is most commonly based on having practised mental concentration until one has become proficient in jhana. When the effect of that weakens, theses states fade and the gradual degeneration and fall from blissfulness results in the same suffering as is felt by gods of the desire realm. Release from this states is accomplished through practising the Middle Way by not swooning into blissfulness. Through maintaining awareness of the details of cause and effect one is able to realize that present supporting circumstances are not one's true identity.

No matter what realm one is experiencing, it is impossible to avoid the three types of dukkha. Subjugation to the blind wandering of samsara is compared to being offered a feast while one is tortured. So it is said:

"There is not an instant of absolute happiness in the three lower realms or the three higher realms. There give up the root cause of samsaric existence and practice the excellent peaceful path to enlightenment."

Let go of clinging to objects and perceive the essential emptiness of all phenomena. Until now the consequences of not utilizing this precious human birth have been ignored, regardless of the excellent teachers one has met. Even though everything is in a state of flux, one has clung to a sense of permanence as though there could be an exception to the universal law of change. Knowing the misery that follows unwholesome actions and the pleasure that follows wholesome actions of body, speech and mind, still one has continued to perform deeds based on self-cherishing as though there were no consequences. Seeing the pain of humans and animals everywhere, one has not felt the dread of being subject to ripening seeds of karma. Over and over, despite the power of truth continuously manifesting in our lives, we cling to what is untrustworthy. Give up short-range views. By taking refuge in what is unborn, unconditioned, turn to the practice of the meaningful. Discover for oneself the mind that dwells behind the mind addicted to desire.

Afterword

As one of small understanding who has great love and respect for the elegance and practicality of Dharma, I have summarized these four powerful contemplations in the hope that they will be made more accessible to North Americans who wish to practice this teaching. With great gratitude to my teachers and those who have gone before, I acknowledge that any errors in what is presented here are due only to my lacks. For these shortcomings I am most regretful. May I soon be free of ignorance. Whatever is cause for rejoicing, I support and am made happy by the great wholesomeness of all beings. Any benefit from this compilation I wish to share with all beings that I and all others may speedily wake from our ignorant trance.

Cecilie Kwiat
Pender Island, BC
April 1995

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