Ichinen sanzen is complex, so I am not asking for easy definitive answers (unless your grasp of the principle is that profound...). I am curious though about how different people from the same or different Nichiren schools with unique backgrounds would answer the following:

If you were telling a novice about Ichinen sanzen and that each of the Ten Worlds contained the others, and the novice asked "How is Buddhahood-within-Hell different than Hell-within-Buddhahood", what would be your reply?

Hello Tinythinker,

I would say....
Become a Buddha and the question will disappear.
If it could be answered, how would one expect a novice to understand?

With metta,
Koshada

One characteristic of hell is the absent of freedom
in constrast, One characteristic of Buddhahood is the absolute freedom


i) Buddhahood manifested in hell realm
a marco example of physical realm of hell is like in the war zone , where individual 'freewill/control' to life are gone, all are lead by the insane current of the war enviromental.
Nonetheless even in the harsh relam , some noble one could still emerged and courageously stood up to expound the correct Dharma/revert the perfect wisdom inorder to transform the collective karma of people fell into this hell realm. I think Nichiren himself is one of this kind of life state during the confused state of Karmakura period, with both internal strikes and foreign invasion ( the mighty Mongoh armies at their edge )

A more daily life micro example would be a terminal ill patient and lost his freedom of movement , but he/she could bring up his/her Bodhicitta and expressed the will to contribute to the Dharma propagation / benefit a great number of living beings.

ii) Hellhood manifested in Buddhahood realm
The enlightened person voluntary stay put ( restricted one's movement ) inorder to persistancely takes care/educate to the benefit the group of ignorance mind there.


Ansanna

I don't really view mutual inclusion the way some do. I might say that suffering is still part of an awakened persons life experience. They likely have moments when the feel depressed or experience rage. On the other hand, a person who leads a hellish existence will have moments of insight or compassion.

The main point of ichinen sanzen is that beings of the 9 nine worlds can all awaken, without changing their present form. We do not have to undergo kalpas of merit cultivation, make certain vows at just the right time, ascend to the tushita heaven, and be born in the world as a male arhat at a time when there is no extant Dharma or other arhats in the world.

We have an inherent Buddha nature regardless of our present life state. The Buddha has the inherent natures of the lower 9 nine world, so the Buddha can understand where we are. The Buddha had subdued all of the negative impulses as well as fully manifesting the 4 inherent virtues. As Buddhists, we are working on it.

Fisrt of all, you can't have the base state of hell that a person is in including Buddhahood. The person that is in a base state of hell is fundamentally unenlightened and cannot experience Buddhahood. However, you can have the base state of Buddhahood include the realm of hell in that a Buddha is able to experience through empathy the state of hell that other people are in.