Ahaha, Atata, Arara

I have often been derided by SGI members. Sometimes, they state, "I am laughing at you." I then teach them about Ahaha, Atata, Arara which few of them have ever heard of. I tell them they are confusing laughter with Ahaha, Atata, and Arara. I would like to share with you this concept.

"Two different kinds of hell exist beneath the earth. The first is a hell of flame; the fire of this hell is like molten iron, which ignites charcoal, burns fields, and consumes all things. To burn sinners in such a fire is simple, exactly like throwing paper or wood chips into  a bonfire. Those who commit arson-robbery, who attack  their enemies with fire, or women whose hearts burn  with jealousy fall into this flaming hell and must suffer the intense heat.

The second kind of hell is a hell of ice. There are eight hells of ice as explained by the Nirvana Sutra: "Eight hells of ice and cold exist. They are the Ahaha Hell, the Atata Hell, the Arara Hell, the Ababa Hell, the Ubara Hell, the Hazuma Hell, the Kumozu Hell, and the Fundara Hell." The names of the eight hells of ice and cold arise from sinners' different screams of pain and their different skin colors caused by the cold. The bitter cold of these hells is like the north wind of Lake Suwa in Shinano Province (Nagano Prefecture) or on Mount Tateyama in Etchu Province (Toyama Prefecture). Imagine the intense cold which causes the birds atop Mount Hakusan of Kaga Province (Ishikawa Prefecture) to huddle with their wings folded. Imagine the lonely cold of the widow's feet. Imagine the desperate cold of the pheasant, forced down and surrounded by snow. Having to endure the cold, the sinners shiver with their chins chattering, and they say, "ahaha, atata, arara." The cold causes the sinners' skins to turn red, a condition called "red lotus" or "great red lotus."

Those who fall into this hell are those who steal clothes, or who warm themselves while their parents or teachers suffer from the cold in this life. (A Response to the Wife of  Lord Ota).

Those who make offerings to the Lotus Sutra and the votaries avoid falling into such hells. Those who trouble the votaries and slander the Lotus Sutra fall into such hells.

President Ikeda and the Leaders of the SGI who trample on the dignity of the Lotus Sutra and the true disciples of Nichiren Daishonin are already in the two cold hells. "I Seek Sensei" is Ahaha. "Buddhahood is only found in the SGI" is Atata. "The Lotus Sutra has lost its validity in Mappo" is Arara.