[Sinfidel]

BrainMan wrote

I am reading Tripitika.

http://www.buddhistdoor.com/OldWeb/b...ll/teach70.htm

70.2 From Ten Realms to Three Thousand Realms

The Tien-tai sect set forth a world system of ten realms, of which the higher four are sagely, and the lower six are ordinary. They are:

The Buddha
Bodhisattva
Pratyeka-buddha (Those enlightened by conditions)
Sravaka (The Sound Hearer)
Heavenly beings
Asura (Flying Spirits)
Men
Animal
Preta (Hungry Ghost)
Beings in hell

These ten realms are mutually immanent and mutually inclusive, each one having the remaining nine realms in it. Thus, it makes up to 100 worlds in total.

Further, each of these worlds has ten different features, namely,

Form [��]
Nature [��]
Substance [��]
Force [�O]
Action [�@]
Cause [�]]
Condition / circumstance [�t]
Effect [�G]
Remuneration [��]
The ultimate state. [�����s��]

These are the Ten Features of Thusness [�Q�p�O]. Taking these ten features in the 100 worlds, the Tien-tai sect developed the doctrine of 1,000 realms.

Moreover, each realm consists of three divisions of the worlds, namely,

The world of living beings - which is the self retribution of beings [����]
The world that the beings live in - which is the dependent retribution of beings [�̳�]
The world of the Five Skandhas (the Five Aggregates) - which are 'ingredients' to formulate the above two retributions.

Thus, there are 3,000 realms or worlds, constituting the whole of the manifested reality.

WOW! The theologues sure like to bamboozle us, eh. So which "realm" have you reached? Is there a Reader's Digest Condensed version for those who don't have lot of time to waste on Holy scribblings?