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32 EASTERN HORIZON | FACE TO FACE

the monk Saṃkicca, when faced through managing nagas, subduing states of mind and areas of the
with a novice who continually demons, or feeding pretas. cosmos. But it is also important to
wavered in his commitment to the recognize that for many Buddhists
sangha, brought the novice to see Some secular Buddhists have today, and in the past, pretas and
his family who had been reborn as argued that the six realms, other non-human beings were real
pretas. The encounter causes the including the peta realm, are not historical presences. Buddhists
novice to become shaken (saṃvega). physical worlds where beings understood themselves to be in
He then firmly dedicates himself are reborn after death, but an interdependent relationship
to the sangha. There are several psychological representations of with such beings and had ethical
stories like this, where someone our different mental states. What responsibilities toward them. This
sees, hears, or learns about pretas are your thoughts on this? interdependent entanglement might
and experiences a sense of shock be able to teach us about how to
(saṃvega) that enables them to The interpretation of the six realms cultivate ethical relationships with
develop confidence and mental of rebirth as psychological metaphor the more-than-human world today.
clarity (śraddhā and prasāda) in is common among some modernist For this reason, I think we need to
the Buddha’s teachings. At the and secular interpretations of be cautious before reducing all of
same time, I don’t think we need Buddhism. Some scholars have Buddhist cosmology to psychology
to reduce these beings to only suggested that this reading might and symbolism. One goal I had in
having value when they can help not have been unfamiliar to writing my book was to show that
point someone to awakening. Early Buddhist monks, such as Śāntideva. stories about pretas, and, in general,
And some texts, like the Aggañña
Buddhist records show that monks conceptions of karma and rebirth,
were often involved with various Sutta (DN 27), do show some were—and still are—important
supernatural beings, whether that is correspondence between certain components of Buddhist ethical
thought. EH

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