Let’s talk about Ichinen Sanzen for a moment, about how each of the Ten Worlds contain all of the other Worlds, meaning we can move from one to another in an instant.
Ichinen Sanzen means Three Thousand Realms in One Instant. The maths is simple, Ten Worlds each containing all the others makes one hundred Worlds.
Multiply them by the Ten Factors gives us one thousand ‘states’ of existence, giving us three thousand when we take the Three Realms into account.
Here is a list of The Ten Worlds, The Ten Factors and the Three Realms.
| The Ten Worlds | |
| Buddhahood | Enlightenment |
| Bodhisattva | Helping others |
| Realisation | Absorption and understanding |
| Learning | Self reflection and study |
| Heaven | Rapture |
| Humanity | Tranquillity |
| Anger | Self righteousness |
| Animality | Instinct |
| Hunger | Insatiability |
| Hell | Extreme suffering |
| The Ten Factors | |
| Appearance | Physical aspect |
| Nature | Mental aspect |
| Entity | Substance, life itself |
| Power | Inherent energy |
| Influence | Influence or power |
| Inherent Cause | Habit or karma |
| Relation | External cause |
| Latent Effect | Potential effect |
| Manifest Effect | Visible outcome |
| Consistency | Connected nature of all |
| The Three Realms | |
| The Self | Form, perception and consciousness |
| Living Beings | Society, community, people |
| The Land | The natural environment |
I hope this helps you understand the concept of Ichinen Sanzen and the true nature of Life at any given instant. It shows us why, in any particular situation, there are so many factors that will influence our actions, reactions and the eventual outcome.
Maybe we should now grasp the reason why being mindful of all things, and reacting to the situations of daily life, in a controlled manner, is such a challenge.
The Search For Enlightenment 
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