(Update Pending)
In this post, we discuss the Four Realms of Reality, a Buddhist doctrine in which the Buddha teaches that there are four ways of understanding the reality that exist within the two realms of reality that comprise the Buddha’s three-body cosmos.
A realm of reality is known in Romanized Sanskrit as dharmadhatu, which, according to the Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, is “in Sanskrit, ‘dharma realm,’ viz., ‘realm of reality,’ or ‘dharma element.'” Furthermore, “The Chinese Huayan School recognizes a set of four dharmadhatus (Chinese=四法界), that is, four successively more profound levels of reality.“
The Huayan School of Chinese Buddhism is also known as Huanyan Zong (Chinese=華嚴宗). According to The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Huayan Zong is “in Chinese, ‘Flower Garland School,’ an important exegetical tradition in East Asian Buddhism. Huayan takes its name from the Chinese tradition of the title of its central scripture, the Avatamaskasutra (or perhaps the Buddhaavatamsaka). The Huayan tradition is also sometimes referred to as the Xianshou zong, after the sobriquet, Xianshou (Chinese=賢首法藏法師 ), one of its greatest exegetes.”
The Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Chinese=大方廣佛華嚴經/華嚴經), or The Buddhāvataṃsaka-nāma-mahāvaipulya-sūtra (The Mahāvaipulya Sūtra named “Buddhāvataṃsaka”), is, according to this article, “one of the most influential Mahāyāna sutras of East Asian Buddhism.” “The text has been described by the translator Thomas Cleary as ‘the most grandiose, the most comprehensive, and the most beautifully arrayed of the Buddhist scriptures.’ The Buddhāvataṃsaka describes a cosmos of infinite realms upon realms filled with an immeasurable number of Buddhas. This sutra was especially influential in East Asian Buddhism. The vision expressed in this work was the foundation for the creation of the Huayan school of Chinese Buddhism, which was characterized by a philosophy of interpenetration. The Huayan school is known as Hwaeom in Korea, Kegon in Japan, and Hoa Nghiêm in Vietnam. The sutra is also influential in Chan Buddhism.“
These four dharmadhatus are:
- The dharmadhatu of phenomena (Chinese=事法界).
- “The dharmadhatu of the principle (Chinese=理法界).
- “The dharmadhatu of the unobstructed interpenetration between principle and phenomena (Chinese=理事無礙法界).
- The dharmadhatu of the unobstructed interpretation of phenomena and phenomena (Chinese=事事無礙法界).
From the names of these dharmadhatus, we can surmise that there are two realities in the four dhamadhatus: phenomena and principle.
While we can understand that phenomena refer to the myriad phenomena of the world, what is principle (Chinese=理)?
As mentioned when discussing Citta as the Ultimate Reality, tattva (Chinese=實相) is a term for the Ultimate Reality that can sometimes be translated as “principle (Chinese=理).” Additionally, principle refers to the essence (Chinese=本質) of all visible phenomena, which is mentality. So, principle refers to mentality.
So, these four dharmadhatus concern different relationships between the phenomena of the world and mentality, the essence of their existence. Furthermore, given that phenomena are visible but mentality is invisible and must be directly perceived, humanity’s understanding of the relationships between the four dharmadhatus depends on whether they are visible, must be directly perceived, or involve combinations thereof.
A) The dharmadhatu of phenomena (Chinese=事法界).
The dharmadhatu of phenomena represents the visible phenomenal world that humans experience. It is the easiest dharmadhatu for humans to understand because not only is it observable, but inferentially connected word-based knowledge is readily available and transmitted.
B) The dharmadhatu of the principle (Chinese=理法界).
The dharmadhatu of the principle refers to the realm of mentality. In a cosmos where there is Nothing but Mentality, this dharmadhatu encompasses everything in the two realms of reality in Buddha’s three-body cosmos. Except for a few enlightened individuals who can perceive mentality directly, this dharmadhatu is beyond the understanding of the vast majority of humanity, who are limited to using inferentially connected word-based knowledge.
C) The dharmadhatu of the unobstructed interpenetration between principle and phenomena (Chinese=理事無礙法界) represents a higher level of understanding reality because it not only requires an observer to recognize that all observable phenomena are illusional, but also that their essence is mental.
As mentioned in an earlier post, understanding the dharmadhatu of the unobstructed interpenetration between principle and phenomena was such a difficult task that even Ananda, “the primary attendant of the Buddha and one of his ten principal disciples,” could not grasp. It was why Buddha had to instruct him in Śūraṅgama Sūtra (Chinese=首楞嚴經), “Ananda, you still have not understood that all dust floating and sinking are illusional manifestations, born here and annihilated the same here. (They are) Illusions delusionally considered observable phenomena; their true nature remains enlightened and luminous. (Chinese=阿難！汝猶未明一切浮塵諸幻化相，當處出生，隨處滅盡；幻妄稱相，其性真為妙覺明體),“
Indeed, understanding that the phenomenal world is illusional is already not easy; requiring one to knowing additionally that all phenomena are so because their true nature is “enlightened and luminous,” which is Buddha’s description for Citta, the quiescent mentality of the Ultimate Reality of the cosmos, is highly challenging, even for Buddha’s primary attendant.
Additionally, the dharmadhatu of the unobstructed interpenetration between principle and phenomena possesses a unique property. While humans cannot sense the mental nature of the phenomenal world, quantum mechanics has detected non-luminosity as a quantum energy field, the description of which is through mathematical equations. In other words, mathematical equations have replaced mentality as the essence of the phenomenal world in physics.
While quantum field theory works exceptionally well as an investigative scientific tool, it is the root cause of what is called the central mystery of quantum mechanics. Coined by 1965 Nobel Laureate in Physics Richard Feynman to describe the result of his well-known Double-Slit Experiment, the central mystery of quantum mechanics describes “One of the most amazing facts in physics: everything in the universe, from light to electrons to atoms, behaves like a particle and wave at the same time.”
However, with the advent of quantum field theory after 1965, the idea that particles and waves exist at the same time should no longer be a mystery in physics. Quantum field theory suggests that particles no longer exist, as all particles have become epiphenomena —ripples in the quantum field. Therefore, epiphenomena and the quantum field are the same in the same sense that ripples and the oceans that the ripples ripple in are the same. Indeed, with the advent of quantum field theory, the idea that particles and waves are dualistic is no longer valid.
A graphic presentation of why particles have become epiphenomena, and that epiphenomena are the ripples in the quantum field, can be seen from the following video, “Quantum Fields: The Most Beautiful Theory in Physics,” at approximately 8:30 minutes in.
It is the same in Buddhism, except that Buddha’s epiphenomena are conscious because they are ripples in non-luminosity, which is a realm of fluctuating mentality rather than of energy. This is the meaning of the dharmadhatu of the unobstructed interpenetration between principle and phenomena: phenomena and principle can interpenetrate because they are the same.
Apparently, some physicists find it challenging to accept the teachings of their quantum field theorists colleagues in the same manner as Ananda found it difficult to accept Buddha’s teachings.
However, this non-acceptance of quantum field theory is also the root cause of some physicists suggesting that the Observer Effect from the double-slit experiment alters reality, whereas it does not. For more details on the discussion of these two related issues, please visit the Observer Effect.
D) The dharmadhatu of the unobstructed interpretation of phenomena and phenomena (Chinese=事事無礙法界) signifies a still higher understanding of reality because it requires one to understand that while myriad phenomena seem separate, they are, in fact, a community, as they are interconnected.
Quantum field theory also indicates that all phenomena are interconnected. This can be seen from the following familiar images from Dr. Tong and Tyson. As mentioned in many previous posts, these images demonstrate that, from the ripples in the quantum field to the giant cluster of galaxies in the sky, all phenomena in the universe are interconnected, as shown by the “carpet” shown in their respective images.
Dr. Tong’s image showing ripples as epiphenomena
.
Dr. Tyson’s image showing clusters of galaxies as epiphenomena
Again, what connects all phenomena in Buddha’s universe is consciousness, not quantum energy. Indeed, it is the connection of consciousness that makes it possible for humans to interact with one another and their environment. This is the meaning of the dharmadhatu of the unobstructed interpretation of phenomena and phenomena: all phenomena can interpenetrate unobstructedly because their shared consciousness interconnects them.
Here, we have examples of the power of direct perception. While humanity can understand that particles and waves are not dualistic, and that all phenomena are interconnected through quantum field theory nowadays, direct perception allowed Buddha to understand this about 2600 years ago.
Understanding the interconnectedness of all phenomena is critically important in Buddhism because it is the reason why Buddha teaches altruism, compassion, and empathy. Because all humans are interconnected and form a community, being altruistic towards others should be a way of life, as it benefits both those who do good and those who receive the benefits. The primary difference between compassion and empathy is that compassionate deeds bring joy to others, whereas empathy alleviates sorrow in those who suffer.
To understand why Buddha teaches that all phenomena in the cosmos can interpenetrate, we start with non-luminosity. Since non-luminosity is the only noncausal field existing everywhere for all times in the cosmos that gave rise to our universe when conditions were right more than 13 billion years ago, it certainly is also the only field that could give rise to other universes anywhere in the cosmos when the local conditions are right. In such a multiverse, all the universes must be like ours, where mentality is the essence of all observable phenomena. Therefore, all the phenomena within a universe, as well as the various universes in the cosmos, should be interconnected and be able to interpenetrate without obstructions in the same way that our universe can.
(If you like this post, please like it on our Facebook page and share. Thank you.)
