Aim64C
Anbu Operative 🎭
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I will start by saying that this is a topic I am still researching - but I believe my gasping of it to be solid enough to share my discoveries.
The concepts portrayed in the Rinnegan are heavily tied to Buddhism, with the 'Paths of Pain' being directly tied to the Buddhist concepts of Samsara. Buddhism, itself, deals heavily with the question and causes of human suffering (as well as the solution).
For a nice little diagram:
These represent different phases of death and rebirth (not necessarily tiers of existence - but some teachings portray such), and of different kinds of human experience/suffering, and overall cycle of human life. 'Godly' experiences lead to complacence, which lead to conflict, which leads to survival/instinct, which leads to hell, which leads to craving, which leads to aspiration... which leads to accomplishments/satisfaction... which leads to complacence....
This is the cycle that Nagato refers to:
The Rinnegan represents all of the states, phases, or 'tiers' of human suffering. That is what the six concentric rings of the Rinnegan represent. Spare one.
The Outer Path.
Buddhism has something of a heretical topic, depending upon what 'branch' of Buddhism you stem from (though, even then, the only real thing that differs is the terminology applied). In Naruto, this 'outer path' is represented by the Gedo - and the powers of Gedo are manifest in the wielder of the Rinnegan - granting the ability to control bodies using control rods, create powerful chakra chains, link vision, etc.
Mahāyāna Buddhism holds that Śrāvaka, or 'disciples' are often motivated by selfish reasoning and become what is referred to as Arahant:
To quote the wiki:
"In contrast to the goal of becoming a fully enlightened buddha, the path of a śrāvaka in being motivated by seeking personal liberation from saṃsāra, is often portrayed as selfish and undesirable.[26] There are even some Mahāyāna texts that regard the aspiration to arhatship and personal liberation as an outside path.[27] Instead of aspiring for arhatship, Mahāyāna Buddhists are urged to instead take up the path of a bodhisattva, and to not fall back to the level of arhats and śrāvakas.[25] Therefore, it is taught that an arhat must go on to become a bodhisattva eventually. If they fail to do so in the lifetime in which they reach the attainment, they will fall into a deep samādhi of emptiness, thence to be roused and taught the bodhisattva path, presumably when ready. According to the Lotus Sūtra (Skt. Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra), any true arhat will eventually accept the Mahāyāna path.[28]
The Mahāyāna teachings often consider the śrāvaka path to be motivated by fear of saṃsāra, which renders them incapable of aspiring to buddhahood, and that they therefore lack the courage and wisdom of a bodhisattva.[29] Novice bodhisattvas are compared to śrāvakas and arhats at times. In the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, there is an account of 60 novice bodhisattvas who attain arhatship despite themselves and their efforts at the bodhisattva path, because they lacked ability in prajñā-pāramitā and skillful means to progress as bodhisattvas toward complete enlightenment (Skt. Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi). This is because they are still viewed as having innate attachment and fear of saṃsāra. The Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra compares these people to a giant bird without wings that cannot help but plummet to the earth from the top of Mount Sumeru.[29]
.
.
.
In some respects, the path to arhatship and the path to complete enlightenment are seen as having common grounds. However, a distinctive difference is seen in the Mahāyāna doctrine pushing emotional and cognitive non-attachment to their logical consequences. Of this, Paul Williams writes that in Mahāyāna Buddhism, "Nirvāṇa must be sought without being sought (for oneself), and practice must be done without being practiced. The discursive mode of thinking cannot serve the basic purpose of attainment without attainment."[33]"
In other words - the 'outer path' is seen as a somewhat heretical rejection of the natural world and a sort of false or incomplete enlightenment.
"So, Aim - this is all well and good... but what does that tell us about how to obtain the Rinnegan?"
It's just as Madara said.
His rejection of the natural order of the world, of the notion of human existence - led to the development of the Rinnegan. It was from here that he truly began his quest for liberation from Samsara. The answer is staring us plain in the face. The person wielding the Rinnegan -is- the outer path, "Gedo."
Nagato rejected the natural cycle of human existence - and thus acquired the Rinnegan (though exactly when this happened is unknown).
Madara, similarly, rejected the notion.
And of the original Sage?
He, himself, realized that he'd erred. Perhaps in even seeking the power/ability that led to the formation of the Rinnegan. Now... what led him to reject the natural order of things?
Perhaps it had something to do with his sealing of the Juubi (or, rather, his reasons for doing so). Perhaps the Juubi, itself, represents the cycle of death and rebirth (it was, after all, stated to have created the world) - and the Sage's attempt to capture it (gotta catch 'em all!), motivated out of grief for the loss of something at its hand, led to him (and the Uchiha/Senju lineage) being cursed by his selfishness.
That part is mostly speculation, mind you.
"So... reject reality, and you get the Rinnegan?"
Well - that is one such requirement, is what I am arguing.
As for whether or not Uchiha/Senju DNA/body-parts/etc are required... that one can only be guessed at, currently. Though we've only seen descendants of The Sage having the Rinnegan (of course, it was also a mythological ability that many believed false, it was so rare... and now users of it keep crawling out of the wood-work).
Interestingly enough - this is the antithesis of what the Byakugan represents, as I have argued here:
and Here:
This thread should be considered an additional installment to those two in a sort of 'series' (though with no particular chronology).
So - for some predictions: Naruto will not obtain the Rinnegan - as the Rinnegan, itself, represents a false form of enlightenment - a 'curse,' even. Naruto, instead, will walk the true path to enlightenment - perhaps with an indigo haired Taoist female to help keep him from falling off the path.
The concepts portrayed in the Rinnegan are heavily tied to Buddhism, with the 'Paths of Pain' being directly tied to the Buddhist concepts of Samsara. Buddhism, itself, deals heavily with the question and causes of human suffering (as well as the solution).
You must be registered for see links
For a nice little diagram:
You must be registered for see images
These represent different phases of death and rebirth (not necessarily tiers of existence - but some teachings portray such), and of different kinds of human experience/suffering, and overall cycle of human life. 'Godly' experiences lead to complacence, which lead to conflict, which leads to survival/instinct, which leads to hell, which leads to craving, which leads to aspiration... which leads to accomplishments/satisfaction... which leads to complacence....
This is the cycle that Nagato refers to:
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
You must be registered for see images
The Rinnegan represents all of the states, phases, or 'tiers' of human suffering. That is what the six concentric rings of the Rinnegan represent. Spare one.
The Outer Path.
Buddhism has something of a heretical topic, depending upon what 'branch' of Buddhism you stem from (though, even then, the only real thing that differs is the terminology applied). In Naruto, this 'outer path' is represented by the Gedo - and the powers of Gedo are manifest in the wielder of the Rinnegan - granting the ability to control bodies using control rods, create powerful chakra chains, link vision, etc.
You must be registered for see links
Mahāyāna Buddhism holds that Śrāvaka, or 'disciples' are often motivated by selfish reasoning and become what is referred to as Arahant:
You must be registered for see links
.To quote the wiki:
"In contrast to the goal of becoming a fully enlightened buddha, the path of a śrāvaka in being motivated by seeking personal liberation from saṃsāra, is often portrayed as selfish and undesirable.[26] There are even some Mahāyāna texts that regard the aspiration to arhatship and personal liberation as an outside path.[27] Instead of aspiring for arhatship, Mahāyāna Buddhists are urged to instead take up the path of a bodhisattva, and to not fall back to the level of arhats and śrāvakas.[25] Therefore, it is taught that an arhat must go on to become a bodhisattva eventually. If they fail to do so in the lifetime in which they reach the attainment, they will fall into a deep samādhi of emptiness, thence to be roused and taught the bodhisattva path, presumably when ready. According to the Lotus Sūtra (Skt. Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra), any true arhat will eventually accept the Mahāyāna path.[28]
The Mahāyāna teachings often consider the śrāvaka path to be motivated by fear of saṃsāra, which renders them incapable of aspiring to buddhahood, and that they therefore lack the courage and wisdom of a bodhisattva.[29] Novice bodhisattvas are compared to śrāvakas and arhats at times. In the Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, there is an account of 60 novice bodhisattvas who attain arhatship despite themselves and their efforts at the bodhisattva path, because they lacked ability in prajñā-pāramitā and skillful means to progress as bodhisattvas toward complete enlightenment (Skt. Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi). This is because they are still viewed as having innate attachment and fear of saṃsāra. The Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra compares these people to a giant bird without wings that cannot help but plummet to the earth from the top of Mount Sumeru.[29]
.
.
.
In some respects, the path to arhatship and the path to complete enlightenment are seen as having common grounds. However, a distinctive difference is seen in the Mahāyāna doctrine pushing emotional and cognitive non-attachment to their logical consequences. Of this, Paul Williams writes that in Mahāyāna Buddhism, "Nirvāṇa must be sought without being sought (for oneself), and practice must be done without being practiced. The discursive mode of thinking cannot serve the basic purpose of attainment without attainment."[33]"
In other words - the 'outer path' is seen as a somewhat heretical rejection of the natural world and a sort of false or incomplete enlightenment.
"So, Aim - this is all well and good... but what does that tell us about how to obtain the Rinnegan?"
You must be registered for see images
It's just as Madara said.
His rejection of the natural order of the world, of the notion of human existence - led to the development of the Rinnegan. It was from here that he truly began his quest for liberation from Samsara. The answer is staring us plain in the face. The person wielding the Rinnegan -is- the outer path, "Gedo."
Nagato rejected the natural cycle of human existence - and thus acquired the Rinnegan (though exactly when this happened is unknown).
Madara, similarly, rejected the notion.
And of the original Sage?
You must be registered for see images
He, himself, realized that he'd erred. Perhaps in even seeking the power/ability that led to the formation of the Rinnegan. Now... what led him to reject the natural order of things?
Perhaps it had something to do with his sealing of the Juubi (or, rather, his reasons for doing so). Perhaps the Juubi, itself, represents the cycle of death and rebirth (it was, after all, stated to have created the world) - and the Sage's attempt to capture it (gotta catch 'em all!), motivated out of grief for the loss of something at its hand, led to him (and the Uchiha/Senju lineage) being cursed by his selfishness.
That part is mostly speculation, mind you.
"So... reject reality, and you get the Rinnegan?"
Well - that is one such requirement, is what I am arguing.
As for whether or not Uchiha/Senju DNA/body-parts/etc are required... that one can only be guessed at, currently. Though we've only seen descendants of The Sage having the Rinnegan (of course, it was also a mythological ability that many believed false, it was so rare... and now users of it keep crawling out of the wood-work).
Interestingly enough - this is the antithesis of what the Byakugan represents, as I have argued here:
You must be registered for see links
and Here:
You must be registered for see links
This thread should be considered an additional installment to those two in a sort of 'series' (though with no particular chronology).
So - for some predictions: Naruto will not obtain the Rinnegan - as the Rinnegan, itself, represents a false form of enlightenment - a 'curse,' even. Naruto, instead, will walk the true path to enlightenment - perhaps with an indigo haired Taoist female to help keep him from falling off the path.
