Enfant terrible
Fire
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The Animal Realm
The animal realm is one in which there is only consciousness of the self. Of immediate needs. Hunger, sex, rest. All activity is directed towards satisfaction of immediate needs and desires. All is instinct, no reflection. They have ranges of perception that humans do not, but reasoning and intellect are underdeveloped. They perceive the world entirely in relation to themselves, with no deeper meaning. Animals are far deeper in the delusion of self and object duality. The suffering here results from the struggle for survival. Killing or being killed. And most often by us in the human realm. Trapped, manipulated, and controlled by us. The voluntarily ignorant, those obsessed with hierarchy, those distrustful of outsiders, who are intolerant, or blindly led, those who have intellect but lack the imagination to use it, all may end up in the animal realm. Basically existence here is the result of mindless ignorance. In this realm, the Buddha appears as Dhruvasimha, the Steadfast Lion. He holds a sacred text in his hands, as a Buddhist symbol the text itself represents the dharma (teaching) itself. This is significant because language marks a crucial stage in the evolution of consciousness. The ability to reason beyond duality of subject and object. It is this higher intelligence which must be awakened for those in the animal realm to be liberated. By seeing the book, they are offered a glimpse of a different world and within the gap of uncertainty, enlightenment is possible. Am I asleep? Am I awake? Is this real life, or delusion? The act of questioning itself offers liberation.
The animal realm is one in which there is only consciousness of the self. Of immediate needs. Hunger, sex, rest. All activity is directed towards satisfaction of immediate needs and desires. All is instinct, no reflection. They have ranges of perception that humans do not, but reasoning and intellect are underdeveloped. They perceive the world entirely in relation to themselves, with no deeper meaning. Animals are far deeper in the delusion of self and object duality. The suffering here results from the struggle for survival. Killing or being killed. And most often by us in the human realm. Trapped, manipulated, and controlled by us. The voluntarily ignorant, those obsessed with hierarchy, those distrustful of outsiders, who are intolerant, or blindly led, those who have intellect but lack the imagination to use it, all may end up in the animal realm. Basically existence here is the result of mindless ignorance. In this realm, the Buddha appears as Dhruvasimha, the Steadfast Lion. He holds a sacred text in his hands, as a Buddhist symbol the text itself represents the dharma (teaching) itself. This is significant because language marks a crucial stage in the evolution of consciousness. The ability to reason beyond duality of subject and object. It is this higher intelligence which must be awakened for those in the animal realm to be liberated. By seeing the book, they are offered a glimpse of a different world and within the gap of uncertainty, enlightenment is possible. Am I asleep? Am I awake? Is this real life, or delusion? The act of questioning itself offers liberation.
