The Quest for Buddhism (98)

Buddhist cosmology

Loka - the world, plane or realm of existence in Buddhism

Loka is a concept in Indian religions, that means plane or realm of existence, which, together with Lokottara, divides the world into two parts. Loka means a world of change and a lost world that cannot escape destruction.

The term 'loka' refers to all beings in the world who are tainted by worldly desires and other vices, whereas the term 'lokottara’ refers to those who transcend such desires and vices.

There is a cosmological view in Buddhism called Trailokya (3 realms). In early Buddhism, based upon the Pali Canon and related Agamas, there are three distinct realms: First the Kama Loka, or the world of sensuality, in which humans, animals, and some devas reside, the second is Rupadhatu Loka, or the world of material existence, in which certain beings mastering specific meditative attainments reside, and the third is Arupadhatu Loka, or the immaterial, formless world, in which formless spirits reside. Arahants, who have attained the highest goal of Nirvana have unbound themselves from individual existence in any form, in any realm, and cannot be found here, there, or in between, i.e., they are found in no loka whatsoever. The early suttas also contain information regarding another important domain known as the supramundane realm, (Skt. lokottara, lit.“beyond the world”), which is described as being experienced by awakened noble beings.

仏教の探求 (98)

仏教の宇宙論

ロカ (世間: せけん) 〜 仏教における世界、面、存在の領域

ロカ (世間: せけん) とは、インドの宗教における概念で、存在の平面または領域を意味する。ロコッターラ (出世間: しゅっせけん) とあわせてこの世を二分して見る言葉である。移り変り、破壊を免れない迷いの世界という意味である。

煩悩などのけがれに汚染された、この世界の全ての存在をロカ (世間: せけん)というのに対し、ロコッターラ (出世間: しゅっせけん)とは、それを超越しているものを指す。

仏教には、三界 (さんがい、梵: :ﾄﾗｲﾛｶ) と呼ばれる宇宙観がある。パーリ仏典と関連する阿含経 (あごんきょう、梵・巴: アーガマ)に基づく初期仏教では、3つの異なる領域が存在する。まず、欲界 (梵: ｶｰﾏﾛｶ) があり、人間、動物、一部のデーヴァが存在する。第二は色界 (梵: ﾙｰﾊﾟﾛｶ)、つまり物質的存在の世界であり、そこには特定の瞑想的達成をマスターした特定の存在が存在する。第三は無色界 (梵: ｱﾙｰﾊﾟﾛｶ)、つまり非物質の無形世界であり、そこには無形の霊体が存在する。最高の目標である涅槃に到達した阿羅漢は、いかなる形、いかなる領域においても個人の存在から解き放たれ、ここにも、そこにも、その中間にも存在しない、つまり、いかなるロカにも存在しないのである。初期の仏典には、覚醒した高貴な生き物が経験するものとして記述されている超俗的領域（（ロコッターラ: 出世間、「世界を超えた」の意）として知られるもう一つの重要な領域に関する情報も含まれている。

I remember reading from Peter Levenda's The Dark Lord that Kenneth Grant's definition of magic meant supramundane contact - that is, contact with supramundane entities and powers, beings from beyond this world or "from the other side". The central goal of Grant's Typhonian Order was "contact with discarnate intelligences", while Levenda asserts that "Contact with non-human entities is one of the inescapable requirements of magic.", adding "There is no magic without this type of supramundane communication.", based on the requirements of progression within the Golden Dawn. In a certain way, one can find echoes of this idea within Revolutionary Demonology with its emphasis on attaining knowledge of and immersion in the Outside.

The funny thing about it is that, if you think about it, that is basically what magic in the Greek Magical Papyri tended to center around: supramundane contact. The ancient Greek and/or Egyptian magicians would perform rituals and invocations often for the precise purpose of invocation a god or a daimon or conjuring a daimon or the spirits of the dead as assitants, all in order to enact the will or desire of the magician. Not to mention, this perhaps necessarily involves contact with the underworld and the realm of the dead, to the extent that even the gods in this setting are arguably chthonic gods.

If one were to modify Crowley's axiomatic definition of magic, "the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with the will", we might say that magic, in this worldview, is the practice of causing change in conformity with will by means of supramundane contact.

Dhammapada - Loka Vagga

1. Follow not the vulgar way; live not in heedlessness; hold not false views; linger not long in worldly existence.

2. Arise! Do not be heedless! Lead a righteous life. The righteous live happily both in this world and the next.

3. Lead a righteous life; lead not a base life. The righteous live happily both in this world and the next.

4. One who looks upon the world as a bubble and a mirage, him the King of Death sees not.

5. Come! Behold this world, which is like a decorated royal chariot. Here fools flounder, but the wise have no attachment to it.

6. He who having been heedless is heedless no more, illuminates this world like the moon freed from clouds.

7. He, who by good deeds covers the evil he has done, illuminates this world like the moon freed from clouds.

8. Blind is the world; here only a few possess insight. Only a few, like birds escaping from the net, go to realms of bliss.

9. Swans fly on the path of the sun; men pass through the air by psychic powers; the wise are led away from the world after vanquishing Mara and his host.

10. For a liar who has violated the one law (of truthfulness) who holds in scorn the hereafter, there is no evil that he cannot do.

11. Truly, misers fare not to heavenly realms; nor, indeed, do fools praise generosity. But the wise man rejoices in giving, and by that alone does he become happy hereafter.

12. Better than sole sovereignty over the earth, better than going to heaven, better even than lordship over all the worlds is the supramundane Fruition of Stream Entrance.

passage FROM: The heart of the buddha's teaching, chapter on Right Concentration, Thich Nhat Hanh

There are nine levels of meditative concentration. The first four are the Four Dhyanas. These are concentrations on the form realm. The next five levels belong to the formless realm. When practicing the first dhyana, you still think. At the other eight levels, thinking gives way to other energies. Formless concentrations are also practiced in other traditions, but when they are practiced outside of Buddhism, it is generally to escape from suffering rather than to realize the liberation that comes with insight into our suffering. When you use concentration to run away from yourself or your situation, it is wrong concentration. Sometimes we need to escape our problems for relief, but at some time we have to return to face them. Worldly concentration seeks to escape. Supramundane concentration aims at complete liberation.

To practice samadhi is to live deeply each moment that is given us to live. Samadhi means concentration. In order to be concentrated, we should be mindful, fully present and aware of what is going on. Mindfulness brings about concentration. When you are deeply concentrated, you are absorbed in the moment. You become the moment. That is why samadhi is sometimes translated as "absorption." Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration lift us above the realms of sensual pleasures and craving, and we find ourselves lighter and happier. Our world is no longer gross and heavy, the realm of desires (karma dhatu). It is the realm of fine materiality, the realm of form (rupa dhatu).

In the form realm, there are four levels of dhyana. Mindfulness, concentration, joy, happiness, peace, and equanimity continue to grow through these four levels. After the fourth dhyana, the practitioner enters a deeper experience of concentration — the four formless dhyanas — where he or she can see deeply into reality. Here, sensual desire and materiality reveal their illusory nature and are no longer Obstacles. You begin to see the impermanent, nonself, and interbeing nature of the phenomenal world. Earth, water. air, fire, space, time, nothingness, and perceptions inter-are. Nothing can be by itself alone.

The object of the fifth level of concentration is limitless space. When we begin to practice this concentration, everything seems to be space. But as we practice more deeply, we see that space is composed of and exists only in "non-space elements," like earth, water, air, fire, and consciousness. Because space is only one of the six elements that make up all material things, we know space does not have a separate, independent existence. According to the teachings of the Buddha, nothing has a separate self. So space and everything else inter-are. Space inter-is with the other five elements. The object of the sixth level of concentration is limitless consciousness. At first, we see only consciousness, but then we see that consciousness is also earth, water, air, fire, and space. What is true of space is also true of consciousness.

The object of the seventh level of concentration is nothingness. With normal perception, we see flowers, fruit, teapots, and tables, and we think they exist separately of one another. But when we look more deeply, we see that the fruit is in the flower, and that the flower, the cloud, and the earth are in the fruit. We go beyond outward appearances or signs and come to "signlessness." At first, we think that the members of our family are separate from one another, but afterwards we see that they contain each other. You are the way you are because I am the way I am. We see the intimate connection between people, and we go beyond signs. We used to think that the universe contains millions of separate entities. Now we understand "the nonexistence of signs."

The eighth level of concentration is that of neither perception nor non-perception. We recognize that everything is produced by our perceptions, which are, at least in part, erroneous. Therefore, we see that we cannot rely on our old way of perceiving, and we want to be in direct touch with reality. We cannot stop perceiving altogether, but at least now we know that perception is perception of a sign. Since we no longer believe in the reality of signs, our perception becomes wisdom. We go beyond signs ("no perception"), but we do not become perceptionless ("no non-perception").

The ninth level of concentration is called cessation. "Cessation" here means the cessation of ignorance in our feelings and perceptions, not the cessation of feelings and perceptions. From this concentration is born insight. The poet Nguyen Du said, "As soon as we see with our eyes and hear with our ears, we open ourselves to suffering." We long to be in a state of concentration where we cannot see or hear anything, in a world where there is no perception. We wish to become a pine tree with the wind singing in our branches, because we believe that a pine tree does not suffer. The search for a place of non-suffering is natural.

In the world of non-perception, the seventh (manas) and the eighth (alaya) consciousnesses continue to function as usual, and our ignorance and internal formations remain intact in our store consciousness, and they manifest in the seventh consciousness. The seventh consciousness is the energy of delusion that creates the belief in a self and distinguishes self from other. Since the non-perception concentration does not transform our habit energies, when people emerge from that concentration, their suffering is intact. But when the meditator reaches the ninth level of concentration, the stage of arhat, manas is transformed and the internal formations in the store consciousness are purified. The greatest internal formation is ignorance of the reality of impermanence and nonself. This ignorance gives rise to greed, hatred, confusion, pride, doubt, and views. Together, these afflictions produce a war of consciousness called manas, which always discriminates self from other.

When someone practices well, the ninth level of concentration shines light on the reality of things and transforms ignorance. The seeds that used to cause you to be caught in self and nonself are transformed, alaya is freed from the grip of manas, and manas no longer has the function of making a self. Manas becomes the Wisdom of Equality that can see the interbeing and interpenetrating nature of things. It can see that others' lives are as precious as our own, because there is no longer discrimination between self and other. When manas loses its grip on store consciousness, store consciousness becomes the Wisdom of the Great Mirror that reflects everything in the universe.

When the sixth consciousness (manovyñana) is transformed, it is called the Wisdom of Wonderful Observation. Mind consciousness continues to observe phenomena after it has been transformed into wisdom, but it observes them in a different way, because mind consciousness is aware of the interbeing nature of all that it observes - seeing the one in the many, all the manifestations of birth and death, coming and going, and so on — without being caught in ignorance.

The first five consciousnesses become the Wisdom of Wonderful Realization. Our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body that previously caused us to suffer become miracles that bring us to the garden of suchness. Thus, the transformation of all levels of consciousness is realized as Four Wisdoms. Our wrong consciousness and wrong perceptions are transformed, thanks to the practice. At the ninth level of concentration, all eight consciousnesses are functioning. Perception and feeling are still there, but they are different from before, because they are free from ignorance.

The Buddha taught many concentration practices. To practice the Concentration on Impermanence, every time you look at your beloved, see him as impermanent, and do your best to make him happy today. If you think he is permanent, you may believe that he will never improve. The insight into impermanence keeps you from getting caught in the suffering of craving, attachment, and despair. See and listen to everything with this insight.

omg this tweet. myoshinji temple is a head temple of the associated branch of rinzai zen buddhism. which bring this into my attention that, the zen (禪) of buddhism shares the same kanji with zen of zen’in clan (禪院)

and not only that but also megumi’s name (恵). there’s a lot of different ways of reading a character/ kanji including this. megumi in this case is a kun’yomi character, but if u read this in on’yomi, it would be ‘kei’ and ‘e (read as eh)’.

this ‘e’ pronounciation have a different meaning from “blessing”: it means enlightment; wisdom and prajna which is one of the 3 divisions of the noble eightfold path. prajna has 2 of the eightfold factors : right view and right resolve (1)

this doesn’t hold much importance, but just a further explanation of “right view” and “right resolve”, i quoted wiki here :

in the threefold division, prajna (insight, wisdom) is presented as the culmination of the path, whereas in the eightfold division the path starts with correct knowledge or insight, which is needed to understand why this path should be followed

in the mahācattārīsaka sutta which appears in the chinese and pali canons, the buddha explains that cultivation of the noble eightfold path of a learner leads to the development of 2 further paths of the arahants, which are right knowledge, or insight, and right liberation, or release. these 2 factors fall under the category of wisdom (paññā). the noble eightfold path, in the Buddhist traditions, is the direct means to nirvana and brings a release from the cycle of life and death in the realms of samsara.

"right view" or "right understanding" states that our actions have consequences, that death is not the end, that our actions and beliefs also have consequences after death, and that the Buddha followed and taught a successful path out of this world and the other world (heaven and underworld/ hell). majjhima nikaya 117, mahācattārīsaka sutta, a text from the pāli canon, describes the first seven practices as requisites of right samadhi, starting with right view:  Of those, right view is the forerunner [...] And what is the right view with effluents, siding with merit, resulting in acquisitions? 'There is what is given, what is offered, what is sacrificed. There are fruits, and results of good and bad actions. There is this world and the next world. There is mother and father. There are spontaneously reborn beings; there are contemplatives and brahmans who faring rightly and practicing rightly, proclaim this world and the next after having directly known and realized it for themselves.' This is the right view with effluents, siding with merit, resulting in acquisitions. later on, right view came to explicitly include karma and rebirth, and the importance of the four noble truths, when "insight" became central to Buddhist soteriology. this presentation of right view still plays an essential role in Theravada Buddhism.

the purpose of right view is to clear one's path from confusion, misunderstanding, and deluded thinking. it is a means to gain right understanding of reality. In the interpretation of some buddhist movements, state religion studies scholar george chryssides and author margaret wilkins, right view is non-view: as the enlightened become aware that nothing can be expressed in fixed conceptual terms and rigid, dogmatic clinging to concepts is discarded. right view in theravada can be further subdivided, states translator bhikkhu bodhi, into mundane right view and superior or supramundane right view: 1) mundane right view, knowledge of the fruits of good behavior. having this type of view will bring merit and will support the favourable rebirth of the sentient being in the realm of samsara. 2) supramundane (world-transcending) right view, the understanding of karma and rebirth, as implicated in the four noble truths, leading to awakening and liberation from rebirths and associated dukkha in the realms of samsara.

according to theravada buddhism, mundane right view is a teaching that is suitable for lay followers, while supramundane right view, which requires a deeper understanding, is suitable for monastics. mundane and supramundane right view involve accepting the following doctrines of buddhism: 1) karma: every action of body, speech, and mind has karmic results, and influences the kind of future rebirths and realms a being enters into. 2) 3 marks of existence: everything, whether physical or mental, is impermanent (anicca), a source of suffering (dukkha), and lacks a self (anatta). 3) the four noble truths are a means to gaining insights and ending dukkha.

right resolve can also be known as "right thought", "right intention", "right aspiration", or "right motivation". In this factor, the practitioner resolves to leave home, renounce the worldly life and dedicate himself to an ascetic pursuit. in section III.248, the majjhima nikaya states, and what is right resolve? being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill will, on harmlessness: this is called right resolve. like right view, this factor has two levels. at the mundane level, the resolve includes being harmless and refraining from ill will to any being, as this accrues karma and leads to rebirth. at the supramundane level, the factor includes a resolve to consider everything and everyone as impermanent, a source of suffering and without a self.” (2)

megumi’s philosophy of saving ppl unequally hmm. i think this might give some weight to some of the fanon ideas/ theory going around that megumi could end up killing gojou/ sukuna, or that it will be his end purpose in the story, but applying buddhist concepts suggests that he's not in his final form yet lol. he needs to "break out" of his current mentality and achieve the supramundane mindset. mahoraga's wheel is a dharma wheel and no one has ever defeated it. themes of impermanence and the non-self (anatta) are interesting considering his history with gojou’s, toji’s and sukuna's philosophies,,

ie: disregarding the identity and all things to pursue a goal. but in jjk at least the non-self seems to be attached to a detachment that isn't really viewed positively and has negative impact to the shamans. instead jjk seems to encourage BETTER examination of the self

plus, how he behaves and thinks in the raw. i just read nanami-says’ translation and their comments on it (on tumblr) and just finding the discrepancy between megumi's outside and inside voices which i find to be rly funny,, i feel like his internal voice(?) is actually kind of cutting, not in tone but he's just like. no tolerance.

he’s extremely blunt and borderline rude in his own head. he just learned how to filter himself.

he’s also just as blunt when he talks to yuji, except that he decides to keep certain things from yuji to protect him. i bet he got in fights just saying what he thought and calling ppl out. 😭 and he beat up EVERYONE in the area not just the school’s yankiis,, since yuuji often overshadows megumi in the fighting/ hand-to-hand combat department,, it makes me wonder how the both of them are supposed to be in strength compared to the regular person. the conversation with gojou felt a lot less hostile too. i always think abt his transformation from middle school to high school

maybe he tried to think more from tsumiki's pov after she fell into a coma, but it feels like he adjusted his expressions of his feelings more after that? idk,, it’s hard to believe that HS megumi came entirely out of a “change of heart” and more  since the parts were already all there

he has so many layers,, his informal register,, i'm actually impressed by his filtering ability because by HS he sounds so polite?? especially as a kid he was just so— he got no mercy for himself or anyone else and actually rly lowkey scary af when he talks. he has so much contempt for other people at the same time he has compassion for them. it’s a rly interesting dichotomy

thinking that he and inumaki are the mean gossip teens, the onigiri talk is just built in code for them when they're talking shit abt other ppl

that voice is the key to understanding his ethos as a  shaman,, though imo, as far as how lawless he can be. the way he’s so dismissive,, he's just out there calling everyone trash. not even with gojou's fun bargain sale phrases, straight up garbage

he’s rly the kind of person who has to have others earn respect from him. that’s why his parallels to sukuna are so interesting. bc sukuna DEMANDS respect whereas megumi doesnt think he deserves it, yet hates other ppl all the same. it’s also why his relationship with gojou is so funny bc he rly doesnt respect gojo LMAO,, at least not to the standards he holds other people like yuuji and yuuta

i like how he’s not like angry-yelling abt gojo but there’s an OBVIOUS undercurrent of resentment and disrespect lol there’s tension there and this dynamic is probably going to lead somewhere explosive in the future especially the part that gojou kept a big secret from megumi that he ended up facing on his own in shibuya along with tsumiki’s curse which i feel gojou had a suspicion of,, akutami was actually a bit heavy handed with the symbolism of the jade hounds tbh lmao and it’s also rly interesting that the white dog got killed immediately amidst the “then why do you save me?!” conversation

and i feel like gojo being the type of person megumi doesn't respect helps him not feel too indebted to him like, he'd feel the shackles if gojou was someone he held in high regards but gojo being insufferable sort of makes him easier to deal with,, if that even make sense,, i think megumi wants to distance himself from gojou badly, for a lot of reasons, and he knows he cant...for a lot of reasons. but i think he’s at least partially aware that gojou is the one holding him back. despite gojo wanting him to surpass him.

and i feel like gojo being the type of person megumi doesn't respect helps him not feel too indebted to him like, he'd feel the shackles if gojou was someone he held in high regards but gojo being insufferable sort of makes him easier to deal with,, if that even make sense,, i think megumi wants to distance himself from gojou badly, for a lot of reasons, and he knows he cant...for a lot of reasons. but i think he’s at least partially aware that gojou is the one holding him back. despite gojo wanting him to surpass him.

i feel like it's all part of megumi's growth and his conflicting feelings for himself vs others, like he's aware that he exists in gojou's shadow and for as long as his lacking self confidence won't let him step out, he will always find comfort or at least protection in it...

but at the same time gojou wants him to own his power and become a fully realised shaman but he's absolutely incapable of helping him or maybe he could help but he'd rather have megumi figure it out on his own bc he knows he can lol. that rly subtle childish part of him there,, he doesnt want to surpass gojou. bc gojou is the guardian figure in his life. if he becomes stronger than gojou he no longer has anyone to protect him anymore

though, they didn’t translate this part : “give it your all! it’s okay to be selfish.” ⇒ “本気でやれ、もうと欲張れ” = it can be “be more serious/ earnest. have more greed” or just “put your mind into it. have more greed.” again, just like nanami, the eng translation make it looks like nanami and gojou are encouraging both yuuji and megumi which is actually more of an explicit demand/ expectation/ request for those 2 in the raw, and the exclamation mark isn’t even there

this is the advice gojou gave megumi that opened him up to sukuna. sukuna wants megumi to be more selfish, to be more of a REAL SHAMAN. why does hearing it from sukuna actually spur him on when gojou has already told him these things? again, bc megumi doesn't understand how gojo thinks. but he understand how sukuna thinks. he's a lot more simple (the way sukuna is more of a teacher than gojou in the span of the 1st years’ enrollment and probs the alumnis’ years too 💀)

i also want to say that why i also find it rly interesting abt megumi's (flourishing) character development is the importance of teaching and knowing ur student, knowing what they want and how to guide them. how do u foster growth? i also think this element is an important factor in nanami and sukuna’s characters. it’s abt knowing the burden of responsibility, kind of. what does it mean to help someone else, what are u taking on when u do that, what relationship does that create,, so when we talk abt binding we are also talking abt burdens, expectations. YOUR residual energy in the world, by how u affected other people. (i feel like at one point, a shaman had had enough and ends up gaslighting/ taking it out on a civilian)

the fact that megumi is so aware of the injustices of life bc he's lived most of them so he feels the need to draw harsh distinctions while gojou only knows blessings and is constantly tiptoeing the threshold, he chooses the light only bc it's the most convenient to him (?) he's stuck in the role that's been decided for him but he takes any chance he gets to rebel against it. can't blame him either tho he's only making the most of what he was given, which is a lot. imagine being born and everyone's in awe of u like u r the a kid from a prophecy. and gojou being a teacher is such a paradox bc his experience as a shaman is so unique to him that he can't possibly teach anyone anything. he's just vibing,,,, but i was just thinking that this view into his character increases so much of the tensions between him, sukuna, and gojou!!! like the type of personalities they are and how they regard themselves vs the world. and tbh i dont think ppl rly understand that megumi is the foil to both gojo and sukuna, not yuuji

LIKE HIS TONE IS SO—to me it sounds kind of on the borderline of the arrogant way that both gojou and sukuna both talk except megumi has the opposite understanding of himself so if he DID acquire more self confidence,,,👁👁 but he can also be empathetic

i wonder if his un/mistranslated inner voice is the thing that leads to the fandom’s constant mischaracterization/ perception of him. ngl i’m excited to see the new arc, bc i’ve seen a lot of ppl who seem to want to limit megumi’s personality around yuuji so they'll get their sun and moon thing, so fanon megumi is 'bad at feelings' and pining all day long after oblivious yuuji lmao. if anything megumi is closer to nobara for obvious reasons,, bc they obviously had a lot more time to bond, and also bonded over something highly traumatic that happened to both of them. megumi had no problem immediately responding to nobara's request to meet her in the diner (even tho he complained abt it, he still went lol),, though their relationship is rly only hinted at and implied in canon.but even in the LN, originally megumi was accompanying nobara to akihabara because she didnt want to go alone, and yuji tagged along, and megumi decided yuji was more important to chaperone bc of the sukuna situation. he feels responsible for yuuji. but yuuji isnt the only thing in his life.

i was hoping the anime would give us some filler about the trio and their everyday life so we could know more about their actual relationship with each other. maybe after the goodwill arc we might see it, since right now it's still only JUST after yuuji’s return from the dead

the anime tries to make megumi the "edgelord" that he looks like, and im not entirely sure why. it becomes especially jarring when we get the jujusanpo where we see megumi's childish and softer side. its like they cant get the balance right. and i was hopeful, too, bc in the 1st ep we get those little extra scenes of him being the awkward kid he rly is. and even the audio drama jujusanpo's give us much more of who megumi really is, a talkative and social person, an extroverted introvert rly. he likes being with ppl he trusts but they can tire him out. which is why i think he especially seems closer to the 2nd years, who are arguably less "tiring" than nobara and yuji. megumi just happens to be someone who tries to be polite and reserved but the thing is hes NOT polite and reserved, hes still that delinquent middle schooler in his head.

i think ultimately he’s trying to be an adult, when everyone around him is trying to get him to be a teen. and he wants to join them,, but hes not sure how bc he had to grow up very fast. and as for his relationship to yuji,, they’re actually extremely similar in personality, deep down. that's kind of exactly why they butt heads. they know each other so intimately bc they see themselves in the other, for better or worse. which is why if they DID have feelings for each other, i think they would be pretty up front abt it lol. they both do what they want to do. theyre headstrong and aggressive people who speak their minds and have strong opinions. and i think thats why there’s probably this infighting when it comes to shipping them, because its hard to actually make them fit into this specific dynamic (gojo x utahime stans are starting to shove it down ppl’s throat,at least from what i see on twt, but finger crossed that this won’t end up like bnha bc that’s a whole mess)

i’ve said this b4 but the translators rly seem to have this weird sort of hatred for him or they have trouble translating his lines for some weird reason lol. being a megumi stan is hard work what with the crumbs, the haters, the bad translations, and pure unadulterated pain akutami is obviously planning for us in the future

and speaking of inner voice, it’s odd that yuuji’s the one we haven’t get much of an insight of 🥴

i’d say megumi is chaotic good but rly he’s a cusp between good/neutral while sukuna is actually chaotic neutral,, bc if u notice he never took a side? just (most likely) laughing at whoever getting dogpiled atm,, and that LN cover art where the 1st year trios with yuuji + itadorimaru, nobara and megumi with a scarf that resembles too much of sukuna’s tattoos,, so many thoughts head full (3)

extra : i think yuuta’s appearance confirmed my initial suspicion that yuki might be based on tsukumogami. from wiki : “tsukumogami (付喪神 or つくも神,lit. "tool kami") are tools that have acquired a kami or spirit.”,,, maybe her CT?

yuuta channeled rika’s curse from the pipe (the ring) and into a katana gojoy mentioned, could be applied to yuuji and sukuna’s situation? ie : yuuji and itadorimaru. his connection to sukuna came abt through him swallowing that finger, making it into a pipe (like the ring) and him being shown with the—possibly—itadorimaru to channel sukuna’s curse into the katana and making it another vessel?

note:  ring = connection+pipe ; katana = vessel

which is rather concerning since the vessel is a living being than an object, the control aspect of that logic can go both ways,,, sukuna taking control of yuji’s body. and then there’s also the dangers of the vessel breaking,, but then again, yuuji body was modified to be the perfect vessel so the only thing that could happen is him losing control of his body (for a period of time? depends tbh) to sukuna rather than breaking.

so yeah, maybe yuuji is going to resort to a more proactive route of using itadorimaru (which would probably be more durable than that katana gojou gave to yuta)  to channel sukuna’s curse into it, so his body won’t bear that much burden, in this new arc. but then again, seeing as the sword might have the same positive energy as mahoraga’s sword of extermination (theoretically, the kusanagi no tsurugi in the 10 sacred treasures and yamato takeru folklore). it might be used to channel and slowly get rid of sukuna’s curse in the long run

tho, mayb,, that’s just me being too technical abt kusanagi no tsurugi and itadorimaru being a sacred weapon/treasure (judging by each of its folklores) rather than the usual cursed weapon

also, after re-reading 137, i think the title “堅白”, which means "hard and white" isn't necessarily an awful eng title, imo tho i would have gone for "of hardness and whiteness", to make the reference to gongsun long's theory clearer and i feel like this is referencing to yuuji's body's "yuuji-ness", and the separability between the "yuuji-ness of yuuji" and the "sukuna-ness of yuuji", and yuuta's (and the higher-ups') perception of this. i'm not eloquent enough to explain this properly but based off "a hard and white stone", yuuji's body as a vessel cannot be both yuuji and sukuna — there is no entity that is just "yuuji's body",, so it likely doesn't matter to yuuta if yuuji is only a vessel, bc he's also sukuna (🧍i rly cant put this into words properly, learning eng and chn simultaneously when i was 3-5 as a 2nd language was a horrible idea, i would translate my mother tongue to eng to explain this better but it’s like 95% of slangs so that won’t help)

thinking this is more and more likely *sits down* if akutami is bad at math does that mean he/ they are a humanities person, bc i don't think i can take more philosophy references from the song dynasty or chinese philosophy in general

yuki on some bishamon type of beat if she’s capable of making curses into her clothes/ items sumn

and i just realized that i forgot to mention, if jujutsu kaisen means “sorcery endless/ unending fight” then kaikaikitan would mean “unending/ endless weird story/ tale”. so yeah, in a way yuuji was right abt the “grand scheme of things”, it’s just that we as a reader/ watcher get to see one of those endless story in the midst of the endless fights.

also that tenjou tenge yuiga dokuson phrase piques my interest (again) and LMFAOOO,, no one rly hates gojou more than akutami bc i found sth ironic in that phrase when he’s the one who said it

sjsjsjejwj i end up rambling ,i’m so sry (next time u see my ask pls just delete it if it makes u annoyed bc at one point u rly need to tell to stfu if/when i crossed a line which i think i did atp, or maybe that’s just my anxiety speaking 🚶🏻),, anyways if u want to, follow nanami-says (tumblr), they’re doing a huge project and god’s work to analyse and re-translate the errors/ mistranslations in jjk and u can see the difference between eng and raws,, the next one will be HI arc 😳,, and whoever reading this have a good day (and partially sry that ur stuck reading my shitty take again) - 🐱 (end)

NOOOOOO STOP DON’T SAY THAT I LITERALLY LOVE READING EVERYTHING YOU WRITE IM HONORED YOU WANT TO SHARE IT WITH ME IM SERIOUS

I HAVE SO MANY FUCKING THOUGHTS

megumi and gojo’s relationship is probably one of my favorite relationships in the manga tbh. it’s so complex and not to say that I necessarily disagree with the whole father-son dynamic, but it’s so much more...nuanced than that yk? canonically it’d probably be more of a reluctant student (bc gojo is probably megumi’s best choice. like he says ‘beggars can’t be choosers’) to mentor relationship to me anyway. but the part that stood out to me is that even though megumi doesn’t hold gojo to a high regard (i think megumi does respect gojo’s power and strength, but on a personal level...he’s.....not impressed lmao) yet he still addresses gojo as gojo-sensei (which the second years don’t do!!! and this may be because gojo isn’t their teacher anymore but it’s still smt interesting to note. and yeah, yuuji and nobara also do but they haven’t known gojo for as long as he has) also megumi still not knowing about gojo killing his father....the fallout!!! maybe megumi doesn’t care, but he probably does imo.

I could literally talk about megumi’s personality 180 personality change for ages like i don’t think people realize that delinquent megumi was like....a year/two years ago??? and in the arc megumi seems reasonably embarrassed over it like a bad emo phase which is...hm.... i’m pretty sure the personality change happened right before he enrolled into the college bc the kids at his school were still scared of him when they tried to talk to him. his personality change has to be jarring to those who knew before and after (tsumiki is going to wake up to a whole new brother LOL) and I do think tsumiki falling into the coma had to do with it.

you talking about how he’s still that delinquent in his head is!! it’s hard to change that drastically in such a short amount of time. and since he’s trying to be polite the only way he can really do it is with his words.

you do make sense!! if gojo were a little more respectable then I think megumi would have actually resented gojo more. i think good people would have made him even more distrustful which obviously rears its head in how he can’t stand “good” people in middle school.

i don’t even think megumi called them out he just went for it because they pissed him off. even the bullies are like “what did we do to you” like megumi probably overheard them talking about beating some kid up and then beat them up first (and not out of some misguided sense of justice for the beaten either. but because of their presumed arrogance that their actions wouldn’t have consequences) LMFAO also.........im not sure how correct those translations were but megumi’s spiel about being arrogant without a regard for others........who do you think he’s @ ing 😳👀

gojo telling megumi to be more selfish/greedy,,,.... he’s right obviously, but the message would hit home more if it came from anyone BUT gojo. that’s like. the worst person you know being right. i’d die on the spot from the spite. i think the manga tries to push the “gojo is a good teacher” agenda but i’m glad to know that gojo is as bad a teacher as I think. of course gojo would tell instead of encourage.

I’M SO GLAD I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS MEGUMI IS A SOFT PERSON and not the fandom soft boi either, but like actually caring. silent but there. maybe a hand on yours for reassurance. megumi isn’t bad with feelings as much as he’s probably bad at expressing them tbh. if anything i don’t think he’d be “cold” as much as awkward and blunt, but he still tries to be polite with it. if megumi had feelings he’d know immediately, maybe deny them, but I can’t see him being oblivious. yuji too is a pretty forward person and empathetic in a way megumi is. like you said they really do have similarities!! i also am not a fan of fandom pushing what isn’t there for shipping purposes. characters lose so much complexity that way.

also you bringing up megumi and nobara’s relationship.....YES!!! ok...not to be a debbie downer or anything but when megumi asked kamo if they were planning on killing itadori and him making an angry face about it (that had everyone in the shipping mood) I thought was really interesting outside it’s shipping connotation. yeah obviously megumi respects yuuji and chose to save him, someone he thinks is a good person, but I personally thought it might have been more than just yuuji, but the injustice of the entire situation. megumi hasn’t even known yuuji for that long yet. megumi and nobara would be closer than megumi and yuuji at this point. anyway nobara making megumi carry her bags....yes he would do that....bc he respects women!!! he and yuuji both!!! anyway...give me more of their friendship akutami...

Dhammapada XIII: Lokavagga: The World

167. Follow not the vulgar way; live not in heedlessness; hold not false views; linger not long in worldly existence.

168. Arise! Do not be heedless! Lead a righteous life. The righteous live happily both in this world and the next.

169. Lead a righteous life; lead not a base life. The righteous live happily both in this world and the next.

170. One who looks upon the world as a bubble and a mirage, him the King of Death sees not.

171. Come! Behold this world, which is like a decorated royal chariot. Here fools flounder, but the wise have no attachment to it.

172. He who having been heedless is heedless no more, illuminates this world like the moon freed from clouds.

173. He, who by good deeds covers the evil he has done, illuminates this world like the moon freed from clouds.

174. Blind is the world; here only a few possess insight. Only a few, like birds escaping from the net, go to realms of bliss.

175. Swans fly on the path of the sun; men pass through the air by psychic powers; the wise are led away from the world after vanquishing Mara and his host.

176. For a liar who has violated the one law (of truthfulness) who holds in scorn the hereafter, there is no evil that he cannot do.

177. Truly, misers fare not to heavenly realms; nor, indeed, do fools praise generosity. But the wise man rejoices in giving, and by that alone does he become happy hereafter.

178. Better than sole sovereignty over the earth, better than going to heaven, better even than lordship over all the worlds is the supramundane Fruition of Stream Entrance. [15] Notes:

15.(v. 178) Stream-entry (sotapatti): the first stage of supramundane attainment. Source: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.13.budd.html

26092017 Terrific Tuesday

Contemplate the Benefits of Listening to the Teachings - What does virtue and non-virtue mean in Buddhism?

Without listening to the teachings from an enlightened being, it is hard to distinguish virtue from non-virtue. This discernment is a supramundane skill, not a mundane skill.

The worldly virtuous and non-virtuous standards are only to maintain a stable society. By engaging in virtuous deeds, one is called a good person in this world, and they are praised and encouraged. Does this praise have value? Yes, it lasts several decades. Then upon death when one is migrating to another realm, this [worldly] value becomes completely useless.

Whereas now, what does virtue and non-virtue mean in Buddhism? It is measured by the standard of the Buddha Dharma. Virtuous deeds enable you to advance, to continuously advance.

In order [for us] to achieve uncontaminated virtue, [we] must be liberated beyond the three realms. As for non-virtuous deeds, in the same way, they lead to your downfall, fall from virtue.

Therefore, only through hearing the teachings can we truly understand what virtue and non-virtue are, and what will enable [us to] escape from cyclic existence to be liberated from the suffering of birth and death.

~ Master Ri-Chang

If dharma teachings interest you, catch more at BW Monastery’s seminars -  https://bwmonastery.org.sg/events-list

( Pure mind leads to wisdom - Buddhist Wisdom) Master Chin Kung 9.1 无量寿经...

In “quickly reach the shore of ultimate enlightenment,” the words “shore of ultimate enlightenment” refer to perfect and complete Buddhahood. In other words, “boundless doors of the evil paths” means that the path of the bodhisattvas of the Provisional Teaching and all the paths below are bad paths. Therefore, the bad paths include not only the Six Paths but also the realms of sound-hearers, pratyekabuddhas, and the bodhisattvas of the Provisional Teaching. 「無明貪瞋皆永無」，這是講三種煩惱，見思煩惱、塵沙煩惱、無明煩惱統統斷 盡了，這是如來果地上的境界。 26 “Forever free of greed, anger, and ignorance” is saying that the three kinds of affliction—Affliction of Views and Thoughts, Affliction of Dust and Sand, and Affliction of Ignorance12—are completely eradicated. This is the state of Tathagata at the attainment stage. 「惑盡過亡三昧力」 。「惑」是迷惑。於世出世間所有一切法中，他不迷惑了。 過是過失，無論是自己修行，或是教化眾生，對人對事對物，絕對不犯過失。 這些要 靠什麼？三昧力。「三昧」，當然是指念佛三昧。 The words “with the power of samadhi end all delusions and faults” are saying that one is no longer deluded about anything in this world and beyond. Whether cultivating, teaching, interacting with people, or engaging in tasks, one will definitely not commit wrongdoings. How does one achieve this? With the power of samadhi. “Samadhi” used here refers to the Buddha-name Chanting Samadhi. 以上六句是阿彌陀佛在因地求學時的修學綱領，我們今天所修的，與阿彌陀佛當 年修行做個比較，我們是不是把智慧擺在第一目標，其他的什麼都不求？ The last few sentences [starting from “May my wisdom be as vast and as deep as the sea”] were Amitabha Buddha’s guidelines for learning and practice when he was at the causal stage. Compare our practice to that of Amitabha Buddha at the causal stage. Do we also seek wisdom as our ultimate goal and seek nothing else? 要求智慧，一定要得清淨心，清淨心的作用就是智慧。清淨心像一面鏡子，起用 是照見，這是有智慧。要想心地清淨，心就不能有一絲毫的染著，世間法五欲六塵， 出世間法大小權實統統不染，這個要緊。務要心地純淨，言行純善。 If one seeks wisdom, one must achieve a pure mind. When one has a pure mind, wisdom manifests. A pure mind is like a mirror. Its function is to see everything clearly in its reflection. This [seeing everything clearly] is having wisdom. If one wants to have a pure mind, one’s mind must not be contaminated even in the slightest way—by mundane teachings (the Five Desires and the Six Dusts) or by supramundane teachings (that is, Mahayana, Theravada, True Teachings, or Provisional Teachings). This is very important. One must try to have a mind of the utmost purity, and speech and behavior of the utmost virtuousness. 學佛有兩種方式，一種從行門真正用功夫，從修清淨心下手；另一種，從解門研 究理論下手。這兩條路，哪一條佔便宜？行門佔便宜。從行門下手，只要心清淨，不 懂佛法沒有關係，只要能斷煩惱，心淨則佛土淨，決定能往生。從解門下手，一切理 論、方法、境界都清楚了，然後還是要從頭修起，因為有解無行是不能成就的。從行 門下手，是以心行為主，以解為輔助，不必刻意求解，自然就通達了，這個方法非常 12 The three kinds of afflictions refer to attachments, discriminations, and wandering thoughts respectively.—Trans. 27 正確。 走這個門，無論是讀經、聽講，懂一句就得一句受用，懂兩句就得兩句受用； 不懂的不要緊，下一次再聽就懂了，多聽幾遍自然就明瞭，不必在這一段、這一句裡 鑽牛角尖，反而把心搞得不清淨。 There are two approaches in learning Buddhism. The first is practice—here one starts with cultivating a pure mind. The other is understanding—here one studies the teachings. Which approach is more advantageous? Practice. As long as one has a pure mind, it does not matter that one has no knowledge of Buddhism. If one eradicates affliction, then the mind is pure and the Buddha Land will also be pure. One will be able to attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land. If one uses the approach of understanding, after one is clear about all the principles, methods, and states, one still needs to practice, starting from the basics. One cannot achieve in one’s cultivation with only knowledge and no practice. When one uses the approach of practice, one mainly cultivates mindfulness; understanding of the teachings is supplementary. One need not make painstaking effort to seek understanding—it will come naturally. Practice is the correct approach. If one uses this approach, whether one reads the sutras or listens to lectures, one will benefit from each particular sentence that one understands. If one does not understand a sentence, it does not matter, as one will understand it when one listens to the lectures again. One will naturally understand after listening to lectures a few times. One need not get stuck on a sentence or a paragraph; otherwise, one’s mind will become disturbed. 本經經題中有「清淨平等覺」 ，這三個是一而三、三而一，一個得到了，三個統 統得到。而這三個當中，還是清淨心容易修。 修清淨心的方法是執持名號，不念佛的 時候聽佛號，佛號最好聽自己念的。 把自己平常念佛的聲音錄下來，不念佛的時候， 放錄音帶聽，非常有受用，這是修清淨心。 In the title of this sutra are the words “purity, impartiality, and enlightenment.” These three are one in three and three in one. When we attain one, we attain all three. Of the three, cultivating a pure mind is the easiest. The way to cultivate a pure mind is to mindfully chant the Buddha-name. When we are not chanting the Buddha-name, we should listen to the chanting of the Buddha-name. It is best if we can listen to our own chanting. So, we could record our chanting, and when we are not chanting, listen to this recording. This is very effective. This is cultivating a pure mind. 所以，法藏比丘以智慧為首，以定慧等持，以惑盡過亡三昧力作總結，這個用意 很深很深，確實提供我們非常寶貴的修學參考。 [In the part of the excerpt that talks about Dharmakara Bhiksu’s practice for his own enlightenment,] Dharmakara Bhiksu put wisdom as his first priority and the result of his practice is this: with the power of samadhi he ended all delusions and faults. [This samadhi 28 places] equal emphasis on both meditative concentration and wisdom. The purpose [of Dharmakara practicing this way] is tremendously profound. It truly provides a very valuable reference for our learning practice