Earthly Desires: The Root of Unhappiness

I. What is the Cause of Suffering?

In Buddhism, while it is taught that there are Four Sufferings from which no one can escape – birth, old age, sickness, and death – there are many other hardships and worries, in addition to the above mentioned four, with which we are constantly beset in our daily lives. The question is: “How do these endless troubles come about, and where do they come from?” If we can penetrate the origin of suffering, and transform its root function, then we should be able to eliminate unhappiness and suffering from our lives. In accordance with the Gosho’s statement about the “Three Paths of Earthly Desire, Karma (Action) and Suffering,” Buddhism explains that suffering arises from negative (evil) action, which is in turn born from earthly desires.

II. What are Earthly Desires?

“Klesa”, the Sanskrit word for “earthly desires”, is translated as meaning: “that which possesses a polluted heart”, or, “that which causes distress”. The classical Chinese characters for “earthly desires” translate as some of the following: “temptation/losing oneself”; “driven by evil paths” and; “unclean, polluted”. Hinayana Buddhism uses another word for earthly desires – zuimin, (literally, to accompany, sleeping). This word is used because earthly desires do not appear on the surface, but lay dormant deep within the recesses of the heart. Quite disconnected from an individual’s conscious, these desires will come into function in accordance with the outside stimuli being encountered. As can be understood from these interpretations, earthly desires function both to cause anguish in the human mind and body, and to obstruct the correct path to the attainment of Buddhahood.

III. Kinds of Earthly Desire

It is taught in the “Theory on the Attainment of the One Consciousness” (“Joyui Yuishiki ron”), that earthly desires are divided between the basic “Fundamental Earthly Desires”, and their derivatives, the “Accompanying Earthly Desires”. The “Fundamental Earthly Desires” are:

1) Ton: Attachment

2) Jin: Anger

3) Chi: Stupidity (blind to reason)

4) Man: Arrogance

5) Gi: Doubt (with disbelief in the Law, hesitation)

6) Ken: Views (clinging to heretical views)

The first five desires are known as the Five Delusive Passions, and 3), stupidity, is sometimes also called “ignorance” or “spiritual darkness”.

We next present the twenty kinds of “Accompanying Earthly Desires”: (1) anger, (2) bearing of grudges, (3) deceit, (4) worry, (5) jealousy, (6) stinginess, (7) lying, (8) flattery, (9) pride, (10) to cause injury, (11) cruelty, (12) shamelessness, (13) brooding, (14) ostentation, (15) disbelief, (16) sloth, neglect, laziness, (17) self-indulgence, (18) mindlessness, (19) creation of disturbance and, (20) adherence to incorrect information.

IV. What are the Three Illusions?

In his Maka Shikan, the great Buddhist master T’ien-t’ai explained that all earthly desires (illusions) are divided into three kinds. They are called the Three Illusions and consist of: (1) illusions of thought and desires; (3) illusions innumerable as particles of dust and sand, and; (2) illusions about the true nature of life.

(1) Illusions of thought and desire (Japan: kenji-waku)

The Japanese word “kenji-waku” refers to illusions of thought (kenwaku) and illusions of desire (shiwaku), and because they are the cause of suffering in the threefold world and the six paths, they are known as “Worldly Illusions” (within the threefold world and the six paths). Further, because they are illusions which people of the three vehicles of Learning, Realization and Bodhisattva share in common, and should suppress, another term for these illusions is “Shared Illusions”.

Illusions of thought are learned illusions, referring to confusion about the reason of worldly matters, and are called mistaken ideas. Kenwaku are further divided into two groups of five, respectively called the “Five Rishi [Reasoning Devices]” and the “Five Donshi [Subtle Devices]”1

The Five Rishi are:

(a) Shinken: the self-centered view that we exist as independent individuals. Another aspect is Gashoken, or the view that we own or possess things.

(b) Henken: Within Henken, there are two one-sided views, Danken being the view that our being ceases at death, while Joken is the view that after death we exist as eternal, individual souls.

(d) Kenjuken: attachment to the above three distorted views, as well as belief in the superiority of things which are actually inferior.

(e) Kaigonshuken: includes a distorted view of cause and effect and belief in heretical religious’ assertions that theirs are correct paths to enlightenment. Kaishuken is adherence to the prohibitive Hinayana/heretical precepts against evil conduct. Gonshuken is attachment to the austerities of these heretical religions.

Because the above are based on ideology and are incisive earthly desires that can immediately be eliminated through understanding of correct reasoning, these illusions are called “Reasoning Devices”.

Contrary to these, the Five Donshi refer to the first five of the above mentioned fundamental earthly desires – attachment, anger, stupidity, arrogance, and doubt. Even when we are careful to avoid these errors, because these illusions possess characteristics that we cannot instantly eradicate, they are referred to as “Subtle Devices”.

Subsequently, illusions of desire (shiwaku), also known as “Illusions Pervading All Life”, are emotional illusions which arise instinctively, and include four of the Five Subtle Devices – attachment, anger, stupidity and arrogance.

According to Hinayana training, the level of one who has severed himself from kenwaku (illusions of thought) is called kendo (to see the path), while the level of one who has severed himself from shiwaku (illusions of desire) is called shudo (to master the path).

Further, the level of one who has severed himself from both kenwaku and shiwaku can either be called mugakudo (not study the path) or arakan (arhat).

However, in terms of the numbers of illusions, there are eighty-eight illusions of thought and eighty-one illusions of desire. In Japanese society, earthly desires are numbered according to the one hundred and eight times temple bells are struck to ring out the old year and bring in the new. But the number (108) actually comes from an assortment of illusions of thought and desire.

(2) Illusions Innumerable as Particles of Dust and Sand (Japan: Jinja-waku)

These illusions, together with the third group – illusions about the true nature of life (Japan: Mumyo-waku), can only be eradicated by bodhisattvas, and are therefore Betsu-waku (distinct illusions). Because these illusions do not belong to the sphere of the six paths, they are also referred to as “Outer-world Illusions”.

The Japanese word Jinja means “dust” and “sand”. Just as these words imply minuteness, so the word Jinja indicates the infinite and the countless. When a Mahayana bodhisattva tries to lead mankind with these obstacles, such a bodhisattva needs to communicate countless teachings. The countless illusions which arise from the study of such teachings are called Jinja-waku, or illusions innumerable as particles of dust and sand.

(3) Illusions about the True Nature of Life (Japan: Mumyo-waku)

These illusions are the foundation of all earthly desires which obstruct one from attaining enlightenment to the truth of the middle path (Buddhahood). Until Shakyamuni’s Perfect Teaching – the combined Lotus and Nirvana Sutras, it was stipulated that there were forty-two stages one must pass before achieving the highest stage of Buddhahood. Each stage along the way has its own illusions about the true nature of life, from which a bodhisattva must extricate him or herself. The final illusion to be overcome before attaining the forty-second stage is known as “fundamental darkness” or “primal ignorance”. The Daishonin states in The Treatment of Illness:

The fundamental nature of enlightenment manifests itself as Bonten and Taishaku, whereas the fundamental darkness manifests itself as the Devil of the Sixth Heaven. (M.W., Vol. 3, p. 279)

This passage explains that just before a person reaches enlightenment, the fundamental darkness changes into the form of the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, who tries in every way possible to prevent that person from attaining Buddhahood.

V. What are the Causes of Earthly Desires?

Because our suffering arises from earthly desire, what then is the origin of earthly desire? A passage from the Yugashiji Ron (Treatise on the Stages of Yoga Practice) states:

It is said that there are six kinds of causes for earthly desire. The first kind is due to outer appearance, the second is due to religion, the third is due to close intimacy, the fourth is due to heretical teachings, the fifth is due to instruction and the sixth is due to the intention to act.

The reason that we refute heretical teachings and warn against close intimacy with slander is that heretical teachings and slander are causes for earthly desire and become causes for unhappiness.

VI. Earthly Desires Contradict But Are Endowed With Enlightenment

Hinayana Buddhism explains that a person cannot attain enlightenment unless he extinguishes earthly desire. In the extreme, Hinayana teachings use a term which means to burn the physical body to ashes and extinguish wisdom of the heart to say that reaching the highest life condition of enlightenment is impossible unless a person goes as far as to destroy the body. But the Lotus Sutra explains:

Without eradicating earthly desire or ridding oneself from desires arising from the five senses, one will purify the various senses and eradicate various offenses. (Kanfugen Sutra)

This passage teaches that without eradicating earthly desire, we can convert them into enlightenment just as we are. In the Teaching of the True Body, the Daishonin states:

A person who honestly discards the provisional teachings and wholeheartedly believing in the Lotus Sutra chants only Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo will transform the three paths of worldly desire, evil karma and suffering into the three virtuous fortunes of enlightened life, Buddha wisdom and illusion-free mind.

The Daishonin teaches us that when we chant to the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws with pure faith, our earthly desires become the cause for enlightenment and our mortal bodies, just as we are, can attain the life condition of the Buddha.

Footnotes:

1 Five Rishi and Five Donshi: “reasoning” refers to ideological matters, while “subtle” refers to emotional matters. We use both ideological and emotional devices to accomplish desired ends. When these devices are employed without practice to the Gohonzon, we tend to be overtaken or enslaved by those very devices. Therefore, in a negative context, the word “device” could be replaced by the word “slavery”, (e.g., “slavery to alcohol/drugs” or “slavery to love”.)

Myohoji TempleApril 18, 2021