Inclusion of the nine worlds in Buddhahood

(Jpn.: bukkai-soku-kukai or bukkai-shogu-no-kukai)

The principle that the nine worlds are inherent in Buddhahood. That is, the world of Buddhahood possesses the nine worlds, i.e., the world of hell, the world of hungry spirits, the world of animals, the world of asuras, the world of human beings, the world of heavenly beings, the world of voice-hearers, the world of cause-awakened ones, and the world of bodhisattvas. The nine worlds indicate realms or states of life that are tainted by illusions and suffering.

According to this principle, a Buddha does not eradicate the nine worlds even after attaining enlightenment, but retains and uses them to save the people. In other words, even when one has attained Buddhahood, the nine worlds continue to exist in one's life, as does the potential for suffering and illusions. This principle is derived from the Lotus Sutra, particularly the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter, and with the inclusion of Buddhahood in the nine worlds explains T'ien-t'ai's concept of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds.

The "Life Span" chapter reads: "The scriptures expounded by the Thus Come One are all for the purpose of saving and emancipating living beings. Sometimes I speak of myself, sometimes of others; sometimes I present myself, sometimes others; sometimes I show my own actions, sometimes those of others. All that I preach is true and not false." T'ien-t'ai (538-597) interprets "myself " in the quotation as the Buddha's Dharma body and "others" as his manifested body. He says that, when the Buddha teaches directly from the standpoint of his enlightenment, he speaks of "myself " (Buddhahood), and when he teaches in accord with the people's capacity, he speaks of "others" (the nine worlds).

(See also: Inclusion of the nine worlds in Buddhahood, Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

Mysteries, The [from Greek mysteria Mysteries from mystes one initiated into the Mysteries from mueo to initiate from muo to close the eyes or lips]

Applies chiefly to Greece, but once extended to Asiatic cults of religio-philosophical character, it acquired a wider range under the Romans, and is used in The Secret Doctrine in reference to equivalent institutions in any part of the world. The most celebrated in Greece were those of Eleusis pertaining to Demeter and Persephone, which gave rise to many branches and influenced schools of older foundation.

Others were those of Samothrace, the Orphic Mysteries, and the Festivals devoted to Dionysos. Schools like that of Pythagoras diffused their influence, as did Academies such as that of Plato. The history of Greece furnishes notable examples of great men who had been initiated into such Mysteries. The Mysteries came into Greece from India and Egypt, and their origin goes back to Atlantean times. They were in historic times, what remained of the means whereby man's divine ancestors communicated truths concerning the mysteries of cosmos and of human nature and of the communion divinity and man.

In times when sacred knowledge was whole and not divided into sacred and profane, the human body, not yet desecrated, was held as sacred as any other part of function of human nature; so that the teaching embraced medicine, hygiene, singing, dancing, the useful arts and crafts; and the teachers of religion, philosophy, science, and of crafts, the founders of cities, and great artists derived their powers from this source.

The Mysteries were divided into the Greater and Less, inner and outer, esoteric and partly exoteric; and, as the former were guarded by well-observed secrecy the sources of ordinary information are mostly based on the latter. The more recondite Mysteries could not, from their very nature, be publicly divulged; they were revelations, appreciable only by an awakened spiritual perception and incommunicable to anyone not thus awakened. The Greater Mysteries were successive initiations for prepared candidates. The Less consisted of symbolic and dramatic representations for the public, in which, among other things, the profound symbology of the Greek mythology was employed.

The elevating and unifying influence of these institutions was acknowledged by Greek and Roman authorities and is apparent from a study of Greek history. With the advance of a cycle of materialism, the Mysteries became degraded, especially in Asia Minor in Roman times; the symbolism was perverted and even made to palliate licentious practices. What little was left to abolish was formally abolished by Justinian, who closed the mystic and quasi-esoteric Neoplatonic School of Athens in 529.

In a recognition of the ancient Mysteries we find a clue to the meaning of the universal prevalence, among peoples fallen into a degenerate and falsely called primitive state of life, of strange rites and black magical practices. These are the very dregs and distortions of the ancient holy teachings; but even here unprejudiced inquirers find that, when sympathetically approached, the existence of secret cults which preserve at least remnants of some of the essential teachings of the ancient wisdom.

As formal institutions, the Mysteries had their earliest origin during the fourth root-race, Atlantis, after its fourth subrace. Indeed, the still more primitive roots of the Mysteries can be traced to a much earlier time, probably during the third subrace of the Atlanteans, when the rapid degeneration of mankind into the worship of matter had brought about the absolute need of segregating the nobler and finer spirits of the human race into groups or schools where they could, under the vows of inviolable secrecy, study the deeper mysteries of nature and their own oneness with the divine. From that time the Mysteries became with every subrace more and more secret and entrance into them became ever more difficult. After the fifth root-race came upon the scene, the Mysteries had become well established in all countries of the globe, and their rites and functions, both of the Greater and the Less, were conducted as functions of the State.

Even from the time of the incarnation of the manasaputras in the third root-race, there has been an unbroken line, stream, or succession of lofty spiritual teachers guarding the ancient god-wisdom received in primordial ages from the dhyanis; and the Mysteries, even in their heyday of splendor and in their most secret lines of work, were the outer side of clothing of this inner stream of inspiration and sublime teaching. The light has not yet died from off the earth, and the spiritual stream still exists and does its work in the world, although for ages it has been acting more secretly and esoterically than ever. However, the time is coming when the Mysteries will again be reestablished and will receive the common reverence and respect from mankind that in former ages they universally had.

(See also: Mysteries, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary)

Given all the signs that a very large eruption was imminent, PHIVOLCS worked in cooperation with the US Geological Survey to convince people in the local area of the severity of the threat. A false warning may have led to cynicism about any later warnings, while delaying a warning until an eruption began might lead to thousands of deaths, so the volcanologists were under some pressure to deliver a timely ...

See also:

Mount Pinatubo, Mount Pinatubo - Overview of the Mount Pinatubo area, Mount Pinatubo - Geological history, Mount Pinatubo - Ancestral Pinatubo, Mount Pinatubo - Modern Pinatubo, Mount Pinatubo - 1991 awakening, Mount Pinatubo - Evacuation, Mount Pinatubo - Eruptions build to a climax, Mount Pinatubo - The climactic eruption, Mount Pinatubo - The aftermath, Mount Pinatubo - Social and economic effects, Mount Pinatubo - Global effects, Mount Pinatubo - The area since 1991, Mount Pinatubo - Related images

Read more here: » Mount Pinatubo: Encyclopedia II - Mount Pinatubo - Evacuation

Toa - Toa 'Mata'/'Olda' unofficial nicknames. The Toa on Mata Nui are six elemental beings, likened to spirits sent to protect Mata Nui from evil. The Toa were originally called to Mata Nui by the collection of the Toa Stones. Later, when exposed to Energized Protodermis, the Toa were transformed into Toa Nuva. Their destiny is to awaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui. Gali is the Toa of Water, and the only female Toa. Though she personifies the deepest, darkest oceans, there is an aura of warmth and car ...

See also:

Toa, Toa - Major Toa Teams, Toa - Toa 'Mata'/'Olda' unofficial nicknames, Toa - Toa Nuva, Toa - Toa Metru, Toa - Toa Hordika, Toa - Toa Hagah, Toa - Toa 'Voya' unofficial nickname, Toa - Other Toa, Toa - False Toa, Toa - Shadow Toa, Toa - Prophesized Toa Metru

Read more here: » Toa: Encyclopedia II - Toa - Major Toa Teams

Toa - Toa / Toa Nuva. Tahu, Lewa, Gali, Pohatu, Kopaka, and Onua are the six Toa whose destiny is to awaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui. They are the main heroes of the Bionicle storyline; even when the story focuses on other Toa, these six are always close by somehow. These six Toa were originally sent to the island of Mata Nui to confront the Master of Shadows, Makuta. (As the only known heroes at the time, they were simply referred to as "the Toa"; fans later created the nicknames "Toa Olda" and < ...

See also:

Toa, Toa - Major Toa Teams, Toa - Toa / Toa Nuva, Toa - Toa Metru / Toa Hordika, Toa - Toa Hagah, Toa - Toa Igniters, Toa - Other Toa, Toa - Toa Kaita, Toa - False Toa, Toa - Shadow Toa, Toa - Prophesized Toa Metru, Toa - Piraka

Read more here: » Toa: Encyclopedia II - Toa - Major Toa Teams

Several Biblical passages use the image of burning sulfur, or brimstone, to respresent divine wrath. The King James translation often renders such imagery with the phrase "fire and brimstone." In Genesis 19, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah via a rain of fire and brimstone, and in Deuteronomy 29, the Israelites are threatened with the same punishment should they abandon their covenant with God. Elsewhere, divine judgments involving fire and sulfur are prophesied against Assyria (Isaiah 30), Edom (Is ...

See also:

Fire and brimstone, Fire and brimstone - Biblical references, Fire and brimstone - History, Fire and brimstone - External link

Read more here: » Fire and brimstone: Encyclopedia II - Fire and brimstone - Biblical references

Osama bin Laden issued a Fatwa in 1996 titled: "Declaration of War against the Americans Occupying the Land of the Two Holy Places." From the 1996 Fatwa: "It should not be hidden from you that the people of Islam had suffered from aggression, iniquity and injustice imposed on them by the Zionist-Crusaders alliance and their collaborators; to the extent that the Muslims blood became the cheapest and their wealth as loot in the hands of the enemies. Their blood was spilled in Palestine and Iraq. The horrifying pictures of t ...

See also:

Osama bin Laden Fatwa, Osama bin Laden Fatwa - 1996 Fatwa, Osama bin Laden Fatwa - 1998 Fatwa

Read more here: » Osama bin Laden Fatwa: Encyclopedia II - Osama bin Laden Fatwa - 1996 Fatwa

During the Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s, revivalist preachers such as Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield used fire and brimstone preaching to elicit fear of divine wrath in their hearers, sometimes to great effect. Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" remains among the best-known sermons from this period; when Edwards first preached it, many in his audience burst out weeping; some reports indicate that other attendees cried out in anguish or even fainted. Since that time, fire and brimstone sermons have been an occasional feature of Christian preaching, chiefly among mor ...

See also:

Fire and brimstone, Fire and brimstone - Biblical references, Fire and brimstone - History, Fire and brimstone - External link

Read more here: » Fire and brimstone: Encyclopedia II - Fire and brimstone - History

The term "Manchurian candidate," spawned by the book and later films, refers to an individual who has undergone brainwashing and / or mind control with the intent of creating a "Sleeper" personality within that individual. A Manchurian candidate has no knowledge of the brainwashing he or she underwent. He or she will behave normally in all situations, until the sleeper is "awakened" by a particular word or phrase. When the candidate encounters this trigger, he or she will perform any action his or her controllers demand, like an assas ...

See also:

The Manchurian Candidate, The Manchurian Candidate - 1962 film, The Manchurian Candidate - Critical response, The Manchurian Candidate - The Kennedy Assassination, The Manchurian Candidate - Trivia, The Manchurian Candidate - Usage of the term

Read more here: » The Manchurian Candidate: Encyclopedia II - The Manchurian Candidate - Usage of the term

While Adi Da's teaching bears strong affinities with Hinduism and Buddhism, Adi Da describes his "Way of the Heart " or "Way of Adidam" as a "radical" (or most direct), original, and uniquely complete (or "All-Completing") offering that, for the first time in universal and cosmic history, has made the total way and wisdom of the precosmic Divine Light, or the "Bright", available to human beings. Adi Da also proclaims that he has, through an "Avataric Divine Descent", brought the "Bright" into all planes or dimensions of the cosmos via a new ...

See also:

Adi Da, Adi Da - Life, Adi Da - Teaching, Adi Da - Response, Adi Da - Complete Teaching Literature, Adi Da - The Dawn Horse Testament, Adi Da - The Five Books Of The Heart Of The Adidam Revelation, Adi Da - The Seventeen Companions Of The True Dawn Horse, Adi Da - Name changes, Adi Da - Books by other authors

Read more here: » Adi Da: Encyclopedia II - Adi Da - Teaching

Many religions have been deeply influenced by charismatic leaders, such as Jesus, Martin Luther, Saint Francis of Assisi, John Calvin, Joseph Smith, Adi Sankara, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekanada, Sai Baba, Muhammad, Gautama Buddha, etc. These leaders are either the central teacher and founder of the religion (e.g. Muhammad, Jesus, or Gautama) or reformers or prominent persons. The historical or legendary founders of some of the major world religions include Abraham and Moses (Judaism), Zoroaster (Zoroastrianism), Siddhartha Gaut ...

See also:

Development of religion, Development of religion - Religions as social construction, Development of religion - Dogma selection model, Development of religion - Opiate of the masses model, Development of religion - Theory of religion model, Development of religion - Religions as progressively true, Development of religion - Bahá'í prophecy model, Development of religion - Great Awakening model, Development of religion - A Study of History model, Development of religion - Religions as absolutely true, Development of religion - Jewish model, Development of religion - Exclusivist models, Development of religion - Role of charismatic figures in the development of religions

Read more here: » Development of religion: Encyclopedia II - Development of religion - Role of charismatic figures in the development of religions

Book I is an examination of the ways of Nature's progress, the spiritual path, the reasons for the divisions and dualities in creation, and a detailed account of the nature of The Absolute, and how this unknowable, immutable omnipresent Reality became the universe we live in. Book II Part 1 explores the original Knowledge and state of the Absolute, and the cosmic Ignorance which is the source of our false perceptions of divisions and dualities in finite existence. It examines the cause of the ...

See also:

The Life Divine, The Life Divine - Basic Themes, The Life Divine - Development of The Book, The Life Divine - List of Chapters, The Life Divine - Structure of The Life Divine, The Life Divine - Links

Read more here: » The Life Divine: Encyclopedia II - The Life Divine - Structure of The Life Divine

As in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, in the anime Team Magma seeks to capture Groudon to expand the land, while their rivals at Team Aqua seek to awaken Kyogre. In the episodes “Gaining Groudon” and “The Scuffle of Legends,” this conflict climaxes when the orbs that control Kyogre and Groudon fall in the hands of their respective Teams, and the two Pokemon are made to wage a battle against each other. At the end of the second episode, the two team’s opposing plans are foiled by Ash and Lance, and Groudon and Kyogre return to their re ...

See also:

Groudon, Groudon - Name Origin, Groudon - Characteristics, Groudon - In the Video Games, Groudon - Availability, Groudon - Battle Tactics, Groudon - In the anime, Groudon - In the card game

Read more here: » Groudon: Encyclopedia II - Groudon - In the anime

K.K. Slider - Live in concert. On Saturday nights between 8:00 and midnight, a villager can hear K.K. Slider play his songs live in front of the Train Station, or in the Museum café. In the GameCube version, once K.K. Slider begins to play his song, the background area of Animal Crossing and is replaced with a black void where we see only K.K. Slider and the protagonist, as seasons change in the background, and the credits are superimposed onto the screen. This is referred to by some Nintendo fans as "the most e ...

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K.K. Slider, K.K. Slider - The character, K.K. Slider - What he represents, K.K. Slider - Origin, K.K. Slider - The Music, K.K. Slider - Live in concert, K.K. Slider - The air check, K.K. Slider - The songs, K.K. Slider - List of Songs GCN version, K.K. Slider - Extra Songs in Wild World, K.K. Slider - Trivia

Read more here: » K.K. Slider: Encyclopedia II - K.K. Slider - The Music

Zinzendorf seems to have considered this disappointment as a call to some special work for God. He had previously, in deference to his family, who wished him to become a diplomatist, rejected the invitation of August Francke to take Baron von Canstein's place in the Halle orphanage; and he now resolved to settle down as a landowner, spending his life on behalf of his tenantry. He bought Berthelsdorf from his grandmother, and selected John Andrew Rothe for pastor and John George Heiz for factor; he married Erdmute Dorothea, siste ...

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Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf, Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf - Formative years, Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf - Call to God, Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf - Protestant family order, Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf - Missionaries and declining years, Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf - Overview and writings, Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf - Reference

Read more here: » Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf: Encyclopedia II - Nicolaus Ludwig Zinzendorf - Call to God

Used in the strict sense, as by those who self-identify as nontheists or nontheistics, the term describes a particular worldview for which the question of divinity is regarded as irrelevant and meaningless. When used in this sense, nontheism is often confused with agnosticism, although there is a distinct difference. An agnostic, by definition, views the question of God's existence to be necessarily unanswered, but not necessarily irrelevant. A nontheist, by definition, views the question to be necessari ...

See also:

Nontheism, Nontheism - Relationship to Agnosticism, Nontheism - Nontheistic worldview, Nontheism - Insentient life infants etc., Nontheism - Nontheism in philosophy, Nontheism - Nontheism in Buddhism

Read more here: » Nontheism: Encyclopedia II - Nontheism - Relationship to Agnosticism

The story of Diablo is based on the premise of a war between Heaven and Hell. The town of Tristram is under attack by demons, and the player must save the town. As the player delves into the underworld, he discovers more about the demon Diablo, through large tomes that are read aloud by a narrator. Eventually, the player reaches the lair of Diablo and must kill him. Here is a more detailed summary of Diablo's background story: Diablo, one of the Three Prime Evils of Hell, who had been imprisoned in a soulstone and buried in cav ...

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Diablo computer game, Diablo computer game - Classes, Diablo computer game - Character Attributes, Diablo computer game - Character Statistics, Diablo computer game - Monsters, Diablo computer game - Items, Diablo computer game - Story, Diablo computer game - Online play, Diablo computer game - Expansion packs, Diablo computer game - Secrets and hidden files, Diablo computer game - PC system requirements, Diablo computer game - Macintosh system requirements, Diablo computer game - Other versions

Read more here: » Diablo computer game: Encyclopedia II - Diablo computer game - Story

That power would be the eidolons, creatures with so much power that Garland attacked and destroyed the summoner village of Madain Sari to prevent them from being used against him. Kuja knew that Garnet was really a summoner from that village, and had the power to summon eidolons lying dormant within her, waiting for the day that her magical powers had developed enough to awaken them. He convinced Brahne that these eidolons could benefit her in her conquest of the world, and she agreed to let him forcefully extract them from Garnet's body with the help ...

See also:

Kuja, Kuja - The determined soul, Kuja - The Black Mages, Kuja - The Eidolons, Kuja - To Trance and the end, Kuja - Quotes, Kuja - Trivia

Read more here: » Kuja: Encyclopedia II - Kuja - The Eidolons

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Ever Merciful Today, in the name of Allah, we resolve to establish an Islamic movement which may help to fulfill the individual and collective obligations of our Deen. In our opinion the addressee of Deen is an individual. To provide his moral and spiritual fulfillment and salvation are the main topics of Deen, and the proposed collectivity is required chiefly for the purpose that it may hel ...

See also:

Tanzeem-e-Islami, Tanzeem-e-Islami - Background, Tanzeem-e-Islami - Objective, Tanzeem-e-Islami - The Basic Resolution of Tanzeem-e-Islami, Tanzeem-e-Islami - Baiy`ah

Read more here: » Tanzeem-e-Islami: Encyclopedia II - Tanzeem-e-Islami - The Basic Resolution of Tanzeem-e-Islami

His cosmology, which has echoes of Sufism and Vedanta, as well as Christian mysticism is summarized in the 1954 book, GOD SPEAKS, much of which Meher Baba dictated using an English language alphabet board. He personally recommended the book to a number of his followers, saying it was the most important book for this age. Meher Baba - Evolution and Involution. Meher Baba's cosmology is based on divine unity, the concept that diverse creation, or duality, is an illusion. “I tell you all, with my ...

See also:

Meher Baba, Meher Baba - Meher Baba's Life, Meher Baba - Early years, Meher Baba - Manzil-e-Meem and Meherabad, Meher Baba - Prem ashram, Meher Baba - Silence, Meher Baba - First contacts with the West, Meher Baba - The Discourses, Meher Baba - Work with 'masts', Meher Baba - The New Life, Meher Baba - Automobile accident in U.S.A., Meher Baba - Highest of the High, Meher Baba - Automobile accident in India, Meher Baba - Seclusion and East-West Gathering, Meher Baba - God in a Pill, Meher Baba - Final Seclusion and Amartithi, Meher Baba - Last Darshan, Meher Baba - Cosmology, Meher Baba - Evolution and Involution, Meher Baba - Sanskaras, Meher Baba - The Avatar, Meher Baba - Role of the Avatar, Meher Baba - Followers of Meher Baba, Meher Baba - Influence on Pete Townshend

Read more here: » Meher Baba: Encyclopedia II - Meher Baba - Cosmology

Smith was raised during the Second Great Awakening, a time in U.S history when there was a considerable revival of interest in Christianity, in reaction to the more secular Age of Enlightenment which preceded it. During the Awakening, western New York so frequently "caught fire" with revivalism that it later became known as the "Burned-over district". Smith's family and ancestors, like the majority of families of this era, had little affiliation with organized religion; however, they were privately religious, accepting of things like ...

See also:

Early life of Joseph Smith Jr., Early life of Joseph Smith Jr. - Smith's childhood, Early life of Joseph Smith Jr. - Smith's religious background, Early life of Joseph Smith Jr. - Joseph Smith's First Vision, Early life of Joseph Smith Jr. - Work as a treasure seeker and marriage to Emma, Early life of Joseph Smith Jr. - Moroni and the Golden Plates, Early life of Joseph Smith Jr. - Moving to Harmony Pennsylvania, Early life of Joseph Smith Jr. - Notes

Read more here: » Early life of Joseph Smith Jr.: Encyclopedia II - Early life of Joseph Smith Jr. - Smith's religious background

A dictionary Of Siddha Yoga Terminology. From Abhanga to Yogini.

Please note that all words in grey, like "enlightenment" or "kundalini" are hyperlinked to archives further explaining the term. At the corresponding archive you will also find articles related to the term.

For more dictionary entries, see » False Awakening Dictionary