Y.A.R.

Six Realms (6 Lokas)

God Realm - self absorption - crown chakra

We are caught in the development of self-consciousness, tremendous struggle manufactured out of hope and fear. The fear of failure and the hope of gain builds up & up & up to a crescendo, then loses track of hope and fear . . . and pain and pleasure become one. All situations seem beautiful because ego lost track of its intelligence. The more we develop our practice, the more bondage we create. We think we have entered an eternally blissful state until something shakes us. Then we try to maintain our state. Disappointment, anger with self or another who put us in the god realm, and the feeling we have been cheated ensue. We are like the silk worm which binds itself in its own silk thread until it finally suffocates itself. Suffering is regarded as a way of challenging ourselves.

Jealous God Realm - paranoia - throat chakra

We are intelligent, covering all the corners, speeding about trying to achieve everything on the spot, continually reaching for something higher and greater. A false kind of spontaneity develops. We are very willing to fight face to face and expose the plot that threatens us. We are distrustful of the messages we receive, so we ignore and refuse to accept anything. Everyone is regarded as the enemy. Suffering is regarded as an occupation.

Human Realm - passion - heart chakra

Logical mind is geared toward creation of happiness. We have a high degree of selectivity and fussiness and our own ideology and style. We must have the right balance in everything and we criticize others who don't meet our standard. We endeavor to achieve some high ideal. We regard those with remarkable qualities as significant beings and see ourselves as insignificant. There is an emphasis on learning and collecting all kinds of information and wisdom. It is as if we were "stuck is a huge traffic jam of discursive thought" so that we cannot learn anything at all. We gain pleasure through acquiring "objects", but do not feel magnetic enough to draw these objects of pleasure to ourselves. This is the least enjoyable realm because suffering is a constant reminder of our ambitions, which is the very source of our suffering.

Animal Realm - stupidity - navel chakra

We have blindness to our style and to how others see us. We stubbornly push forward toward predetermined goals, sincerely moving straight ahead, never looking right or left. We are very serious. We do not really smile or laugh, rather we behave, trying to be pleasant, funny, clever. We are stubborn, very skillful and ingenious, but without a sense of humor. We are not concerned with being truthful as long as our deception can be maintained in front of others. There is constant demand only to move from one thing to the next.

Hungry Ghost Realm - poverty - sex chakra

We are constantly hungry, seeing the world as something to consume. We are immersed in the pain of unfulfilled desire. If we do consume, we suffer the pain of being stuffed and feel heavy and dumb.

Hell Realm - anger - root chakra

Aggression is built on a wall of anger where we lost track of who we are angry with and to whom we are directing the aggression. The whole world is full of it. Even when we feel calm, the world throws aggression at us. We want to eliminate the pain, but our aggression toward the pain produces more aggression and more pain. If we kill the aggressor, the killer remains. What we send out, comes back and there is no space to breathe.

Additional Comment

"The six realms, the different styles of samsaric occupation, are referred to as 'realms' in the sense that we dwell within a particular version of reality. We are fascinated with maintaining familiar surroundings, familiar desires and longings, so as not to give in to a spacious state of mind. We cling to our habitual patterns because confusion provides a tremendously familiar ground to sink into as well as a way of occupying ourselves. We are afraid to give up this security and entertainment, afraid to step into open space, into a meditative state of mind. The prospect of the awakened state is very irritating because we are uncertain how to handle it, so we prefer to run back to our prison rather than release ourselves from it. Confusion and suffering become an occupation, often quite secure and delightful.

"The six realms are: the realm of the gods, the realm of the jealous gods, the human realm, the animal realm, the realm of the hungry ghosts, and the hell realm. The realms are predominantly emotional attitudes toward ourselves and our surroundings, emotional attitudes colored and reinforced by conceptual explanations and rationalizations. As human beings, we may, during the course of a day, experience the emotions of all of the realms, from the pride of the god realm to the hatred and paranoia of the hell realm. Nonetheless, a person's psychology is usually firmly rooted in one realm. This realm provides us with a style of confusion, a way of entertaining and occupying ourselves so as not to have to face our fundamental uncertainty, our ultimate fear that we may not exist."

Chogyam Trungpa, "The Essential Chogyam Trungpa." Edited by Carolyn Rose Gimian. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc. 1999. 

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