The Six Worlds of Samsara, Cont.

These, then, are the six basic survival strategies as they are encountered in religious life. To see these Samsaric types as they exist in the secular world let us imagine that in a certain society women are compelled to marry at age eighteen. A reasonably mature woman who is genuinely in love has a good chance of entering into an abiding union with her husband; but those women whose marriage is not so sanctified are likely to respond to this traumatic event according to type. The Hungry Ghost will launch a series of reckless affairs; the Devil will pretend to be a loving wife while secretly despising the role and, presumably, her husband; the Human Being will take advantage of the partnership to merge assets, diversify incomes and investments, and organize doubles in tennis. The Titan will martyr herself; the Animal will passively submit to her fate; and the Angel will join the Junior League and the Symphony Society, take courses in Continuing Education and in record time emerge as one of society's leading young matrons.

And if it should happen that one of these marriages begins an unhappy dissolution, the woman, alone, miserable and confused, is sure to receive from family and friends advice that accords with these same six worlds' perspectives. The Hungry Ghosts will counsel her, "Get out and get yourself another man! There's more than one fish in the sea!" The Titans will chastise, "What did you expect marriage to be, a Tupperware party? Stop your griping! You made your bed, now lie in it." The Human Beings will recommend that she immediately get a lawyer, a financial counselor, and a membership in the YMCA. The Animals, seeing no problems at all since she holds title to her home and is assured of enough alimony to get by on, will ask incredulously, "What do you have to be miserable about? Do you know how many divorced women get stuck with nothing? Count your blessings!" The Devils, however, will have no trouble in recognizing the cause of her grief. "How do you expect to hold a man looking like that? Lose ten pounds, see a beauty consultant, and above all, get yourself some decent clothes!" And, of course, the Angels will insist that she seize the opportunity to expand her horizons by studying philosophy, psychology or, now that she's a 'woman of experience' and has a certain 'depth,' creative writing.

In Samsara, the world which the ego dominates and distorts, whenever someone is involved in an emotional crisis he receives or he gives advice of these six types. Such counsel is considered eminently sensible and no one perceives any contradiction in believing, for example, that happiness consists in being wealthy and that there is a lot of money to be made exploiting the discontented rich.

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