Visualise This…
You wake up well rested feeling calm and relaxed. You are looking forward to your daily morning dose of coffee. You open the fridge and realise someone finished the milk. This is not the first time it has happened. You are not feeling as calm anymore, you want your coffee and you want people to take more responsibility. You settle for herbal tea instead and sit down to check your mail. And your heart sinks – you have a mail from the tax department charging you £2000 pounds in taxes.
All that zen feeling from the time you woke up has gone through the window. You are angry with the tax department, you are upset with your financial management, you are anxious as you don’t know how you will make this payment right now. You drag yourself to get ready for work. You get to the bus stop only to see your bus drive past just before you get there. Now you have to wait for another 15 mins for the next one. This is beginning to look like the worst day ever for you. You finally get on a bus but reach office late and are not looking forward to walking into the meeting room to be picked on by your manager for being late. You are irritated, already exhausted and anxious by now. But as you walk into the meeting room, everyone starts to clap and congratulate you. Your long-awaited promotion has just been announced. Out goes all the irritation, the feeling of being upset or anxious. You are elated. It’s the best day ever!
This was just the first 2 hours of your day. Imagine how many emotions we go through in a day. What is also important to acknowledge here is that most of the time we just respond to our environment and let our feelings sway as we go. We forget that they are our feelings, they belong to us.
So, should we not be able to choose what we want to feel and how we want to react?
Is our world not defined by this choice?
Ten Worlds
Buddhism teaches the principle of ten worlds. The ten worlds are:
I put the worlds across in a linear line instead of vertical particularly to emphasize that it’s not a ladder that we climb from Hell to Buddhahood. The worlds from hell to anger are considered lower worlds but they also have positive aspects. The world of Humanity and Rapture are happier states, but they are of a fleeting nature. The worlds from Learning to Buddhahood are the higher worlds also known as the four noble worlds but each from Learning to Bodhisattvas also have negative aspects. Only the world of Buddhahood is imbued with absolute happiness.
But what is most significant here is that each human being has all the ten worlds existing within their being, only the degree it is playing its part may vary; and each world has the other 9 worlds within it, meaning that the world that is dominant in a person will impact how the other 9 worlds play out also.
This mutual possession of the ten worlds is a powerful concept that helps us understand that we are not stuck in any one state. The world of Buddhahood has the world of hell also which means even in our highest state there is still pain but our response to the suffering will be layered by the qualities of our Buddhahood.
The well-known quote ‘Pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice’ sits apt here.
Say, a friend hurts you, you learn from the experience, you then set better boundaries and move on instead of reeling in the feelings of hurt and resentment.
And in the same way, the world of hell has the world of Buddhahood also in it which means that even though we may be suffering deeply in the moment, we have the potential to reveal Buddhahood in the next i.e. to show the qualities that characterize Buddhahood. And this awareness can open limitless potential for us.
For this to make sense, let me give you an overview of what these worlds are:
| World | What It Is | Characteristics | Examples | Positive Aspect |
| Hell | State of suffering & despair | Low life force, hopelessness, rage, worry, frustration, feeling trapped | Depression, extreme grief, severe trauma | Can be a springboard for deep transformation; develops compassion & empathy for others’ suffering |
| Hunger | State of endless craving & desires | Greed, low self-control, restlessness, obsession | Addictive behaviours, materialism, always yearning for more | Can fuel ambition, be the motivation for self-improvement |
| Animality | State of instinct-driven behaviour | Impulsive, lacks reason & wisdom, survival-focused, fear-based, selfishness, threatening the weak & fearing the strong | Bullying, taking advantage of others, hoarding | Can develop strong intuition, survival instinct, loyalty, ability to adapt quickly |
| Anger | State of Arrogance & Ego | Perversity, Arrogance, supreme self-centeredness, conceit, contempt, competitiveness, jealousy, desire for superiority, conflict | Workplace rivalries, road rage, power struggles, racism | Can be driving force for self-improvement & social reform, for fighting for injustice, and standing up for what’s right |
| Humanity / Tranquillity | State of peace and balance | Calmness, wisdom, consciousness, sound judgment, self-awareness, ability to choose actions, in control but can easily be influenced, laziness, desire not to rock the boat | Living an ordinary life, facing challenges calmly, becoming apathetic | Can provide stability and the ability to reflect and grow |
| Heaven / Rapture | State of temporary joy | Relative happiness dependent on external conditions/fulfilment of desires, pleasure-seeking, zest for life, high energy | Falling in love, getting a promotion, enjoying a vacation | Can allow appreciation of beauty and gratitude for life’s blessings |
| Learning | State of seeking wisdom | Learning from others realization, studying teachings, gaining knowledge, self-reflection | Reading, attending lectures, seeking guidance from mentors | Encourages growth, self-improvement, and critical thinking |
| Realisation | State of deep insight | Learning from life experiences, seeking understanding, partial enlightenment, centred around self | Gaining wisdom through hardships, deep self-reflection | Leads to self-awareness, resilience, and inner wisdom |
| Bodhisattva | State of compassion and service | Desire to replace suffering with happiness in others, unconditional giving, compassion, altruism, selfless giving | Teaching, volunteering, supporting a cause selflessly | Builds strong relationships, deep fulfilment, and spiritual growth |
| Buddhahood | State of absolute freedom and enlightenment | Absolute unshakable happiness, deep wisdom & understanding of life, joy, strong life force, courage, compassion, inner peace, and resilience | Facing life’s challenges with calmness and confidence | The highest state—transcends suffering and inspires others |
(The above is a summary created based on my understanding. For further reading or understanding of the ten worlds, please refer to https://sgi-uk.org/Philosophy/Principles/Ten-worlds and the book The Buddha in Daily Life by Richard Causton)
Choosing Your World
In responding to each moment, we have a choice – to bring forth the lower worlds or to choose the higher worlds. Whatever our dominant state is, it will automatically come to the forefront to take charge in our reaction. But if our dominant state that defines how we usually respond is laced in negativity, we do have a choice and can change it.
Easier said than done right?
Yes, I agree. But is it possible? Hell yes!
Have I experienced it? Even a bigger hell yes!
How Do We Do It?
Step 1: Becoming aware that it is possible to choose our world, hopefully this article has done some work there.
Step 2: Acknowledging that it is possible for YOU to choose your world not just others.
Step 3: Discovering your current dominant world – do you usually respond with anger, are you usually in a state of tranquillity, or are you in a serene state of Buddhahood
Step 4: Deciding what you want your dominant state to be (and while you are choosing, choose the highest even if it seems impossible for now)
Step 5: Understanding why your current state is dominant, what are the underlying reasons for that state to become your autopilot, what needs to change
Step 6: Doing deep subconscious level work and learning tools & techniques to help you make that transformation
Step 6. Reinforcing the desired world state through repeated actions and celebrating the wins till it becomes the dominant world
Any change in our behaviour is a result of consistent thoughtful repetition of the action that leads to the desired result. It takes awareness, practice and will power and it is surely possible.
Let’s take another scenario here, say you are enjoying a drive down a country road on a nice sunny day. You are perhaps in the state of tranquillity or rapture.
Someone starts tailgating you and disrupts your flow. To top it up, they start honking repeatedly to get you out of their way. Now, if your dominant state is anger, this will very quickly trigger that to show up. You might decide to purposefully not get out of the way or even abuse the person in annoyance. However, when you become aware that you have a tendency to operate from the world of anger and start working to change that, you are able to observe your own behaviour in the moment and choose to respond differently. It might happen in stages – Initially it might be that you respond in anger but become aware immediately that you did it, then with time you will find yourself stopping yourself before you react, and finally as time passes, it will become normal to act calmly irrespective of the other persons actions. You might find saying to yourself, wow that person really needs to get somewhere and simply get out of the way without getting angry or surprise yourself by smiling as the person passes by. You have successfully changed the world you usually operate from.
My Experience
If I met myself a few years back, I would see myself full of rage and suffering in the world of hell. I was so absorbed in self-pity and feelings of victimhood. My family suggested Anger Management as I always seemed to be annoyed at home. But I knew I didn’t need anger management. Anger was not the underlying issue. I needed to heal from the wounds of trauma I was carrying. And it is important to understand trauma does not come from just big life events. Trauma is a behaviour adaption that comes from any distressing or overwhelming experience that the person finds difficult to cope with.
So, I found a therapist who really understood me and my healing journey began. I observed my behaviour, I learnt techniques to respond differently, became aware of my thought patterns and changed them with time.
I chose to change my world of hell into the world of Buddhahood. As a result, I became more compassionate both to people around me and to my own self. And I felt the rage and suffering melt. By pulling myself out of self-pity and victimhood, I empowered myself. Today I approach situations with calmness, I look for silver linings when things go wrong, I choose gratitude over complaints. I may still be an aspiring Buddha, and I dip into the world of hell now and then, but I know for sure that the world of hell is not my dominant state.
Here to Guide You
I can understand that as a reader, the steps may seem oversimplified. Having taken this journey myself, I appreciate that it is not an easy one, but a profound and fulfilling one. And with some support, it is surely possible to make this transformation. And that’s exactly why I do what I do – I help people navigate this path. So, if you want to change your world, I am here to guide you.
Main – Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
