Sahā
| Translations of Sahā | |
|---|---|
Tibetan | མི་འཇེད་འཇིག་རྟེན་ Wylie: mi 'jed 'jig rten |
| Vietnamese | Sa bà |
| Glossary of Buddhism | |
Sahā or more formally the Sahā world (
It is the entirety of conditioned phenomena, also referred to as the trichiliocosm.
As a term, its usage is comparable to the Earth (pṛthivī) or as the place where all beings are subject to the cycle of birth and death (
The Sahā world is divided into three distinct realms or worlds (traidhātuka or trailokya).
Its ruler is Mahābrahmā Sahāmpati.
Etymology
Sahā is a Sanskrit term meaning "together" or "enduring."
Chinese texts sometimes translate the term as 忍土 (pinyin: Rěntǔ), literally "land of endurance."[1]
Composition
Realm of Desire
The
In Buddhist cosmology, the desire realm is often described as being composed of four continents (cāturdvīpaka) which surround Mount Sumeru, which itself is surrounded by oceans and mountain ranges. The four continents are
- Jambudvīpa in the South
- Pūrvavideha in the East
- Uttarakuru in the North
- Avaragodānīya in the West
Realm of Form
Realm of Non-Form
As a Pure Land
The Vimalakirti Sutra further elaborates on the nature of the Sahā world.[2] It is treated as a pure land of its own, under the jurisdiction of Śākyamuni Buddha. It has ten features distinct from other pure lands:
- The poor are attracted by charity
- The transgressors are attracted by pure precepts
- The angry are attracted by forbearance
- The lazy are attracted by exertion
- The perturbed are attracted by meditation
- The foolish are attracted by wisdom
- Those who experience the eight difficulties are saved by explanation of how to eliminate difficulties
- Those who take pleasure in the Hinayana are saved by the teaching of the Mahayana
- Those without merit may be saved by the various good roots
- The liberation of sentient beings is constantly being accomplished by means of the four attractions
See also
References
- ^ "sahā world". Nichiren Buddhism Library. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
- ^ McRae, John R. (2004). The Vimalakīrti Sutra (PDF). Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.