Friday, May 27, 2011

A Buddhist perspective Go beyond the material world

By Ven. Derangala Kusalanana,
Department of Pali and Buddhist studies,
University of Peradeniya

At one time the Exalted One dwelt at Anathapindika’s Park in the Jeta grow at Savatthi. At that time Rohitassa, son of a deva, of surpassing beauty, at the waning of the night, illuminating the whole of the Jeta grow came to where the Exalted One was. Having so come he made obeisance to the Exalted One, and stood at one side standing at one side.


Rohitassa, son of a deva, said thus to the Exalted One: “Lord, is there any world wherein there is no birth, death, decay or repeated births and deaths, the whereof (such world) it is possible to know, see or reach by going?” The Buddha said, “indeed, friend, I do declare that there is no such world, where there is no birth.... etc.” Then the young god repeating what the Buddha said, was very surprised and said thus to the Lord.

“Long ago I was a seer called Rohitassa, son of Bhoja, possessed of psychic powers and able to go through the air. Lord, I had then command of such a speed, even as a skilled, trained archer easily shoots a light arrow far beyond the shadow of a plam-tree. I was able to take such a long pace that my pace extended from the eastern ocean to the western ocean.

I was endowed with such speed and pace and this desire arose: ‘I shall by walking reach the end of the world’. Indeed, Lord, excluding the time occupied with eating, drinking, attending to the calls of nature, sleeping and resting, I had one hundred length of life, and I walked for a hundred years, yet I died on the way, not having reached the end of the world.” (Anguttara Nikaya, Catukka Nipata, Rohitassa Vagga, Pathama Rohitassa Sutta)

The earth is a particle of the universe. My country is a particle of the earth. My village is a particle of my country. As well as I am a particle of my village.The Buddhist concept of ‘loka’ was presented by the Buddha on the basis of giving an idea about the world of ‘microcosm’.

First, one should have glimpsed on ‘microcosm’ in order to have a clear understanding about ‘microcosm’. The present world has come across with many attempts by launching many spacecraft to travel in the space to find the end of it. (naham bhikkhave gamanena lokassaantam natayyam dattheyyam patteyyanti vadami; samyuttanikaya, iv, lokantagamana sutta) The Buddha, having observed the entire universe by his own knowledge in the 6th century BC, to a great extent than a modern astronomer; explained the arising, existing and ending of the world and preached several discourses, in order to make people understand as it is and eradicate cankers.

Basically, the ‘loka’ means universe, cosmoses, an individual’s world, and the planet etc. Vedic ‘loka’ in the oldest meaning is ‘space’ or ‘open space’. According to etymology, loka can be rendered as ‘ruppati’ meaning constantly changing. Sometimes, the term is applied collectively to the creatures inhabiting this or various other worlds such as man, mankind, people and other beings. It comprises immateriality as well as materiality and emphasizes either one or the other meaning according to the view applied to the object or category in question. But the Buddhist idea is understood in terms of the world within oneself. There are several basic features of loka. Loka is impermanent (-anicca) and is constantly breaking up. It is evolving and dissolving (samvatta and vivatta) and it is empty of everlasting incorruptible substance. It is not a creation of God, it is large from scale, and it is countless in time and wideness. The most important teaching is that the loka has dependently arisen. (paticca samuppanna) The purpose of the Buddha is to teach the concept of the world and to make the people understand its nature of tininess when compared with the entire universe. Therefore, it can be seen that it is very rarely discussed in terms of macrocosm in Buddhism; but most frequently, the microcosm or individual’s world.

Among the unanswered questions (dasaavyakatapanhas) in Cullamalunkya putta sutta (Majjhimanikaya, Majjhima pannasaka, Bhikkhuvagga), the first four are involved with the universe. They are:sassato loko - Is the world not eternal?; antava loko-Does it have an end? ; anantava loko - Is it unending? When these questions were asked by Ven. Malunkyaputta, the Buddha discouraged him by remaining silent. The Buddha did not want to answer these questions as they were not useful to attain Nibbana. (na nibbidaya na nirodhaya samvattati).

The outer world is the world of the mundane people but the inner world or the conceptual world of an individual is the aim of the Buddha’s teachings. There are uncountable worlds in the universe. In an individual’s world which is bound with the cycle of rebirth (samsara), he can never see the beginning of it (anamataggayam vo bhikkhave samsaro pubbakoti na pannayati). According to Anguttara nikaya, lokadhatu is constantly evolving and dissolving. The Buddha discoursed on three fold world systems such as:

i. sahassiculanika dhatu-consists 1000 suns

ii. dvisahassimajjhimikalokadhatu-consists of 1000x1000 suns (10)6

iii. tisahassi mahasahassi lokadhatu - 1000x1000x1000 (10)9 suns. Modern scientists are involved in finding more planets day by day but still they do so without an end. The Buddha discovered these things by his own great wisdom.

Further, the Buddha explains the world as a place where a person is born. They are: Kama dhadu the world of the sensual desire: Rupa dhatu world of shuttle matter; Arupa dhatu the formless world. As such, there are many other classifications found in the Sutta Pitaka. In terms of time, the aeon (the kappa) is incalculable. There is a rolling up period, standing still period and also a rolling out period. The largeness of an aeon is explained by certain similes. One of them is the city of iron walls.

which has seven yojanas in height; where as the length is also seven yojanas. It is jam-packed with mustard seeds. A person takes one seed per year continuously but the aeon still remains while the seeds go over. Buddhist texts always explain that there is a great time difference among the various worlds. Thus, 50 years from the human world is only a day in a particular heaven. In another heaven 1600 years count as one day.

The Buddha explained that a person wanders here and there in the cycle of re-birth (sandhavitam samsaritam). Besides, there are five destinies (panca gati) where the beings are born called naraka, tiracchana, peta, asura and deva. These teachings explain about the worlds depending on the basis of the desire and take changes according to one’s own merits.

According to Mahasihanada sutta in Majjhima nikaya, the Buddha empasized the rareness of being born in the human world.

The minority of human beings is distinguished by following rhetorical figures. on one occasion the Buddha, while holding some sands on his finger tips asked “O Monks, what is greater, the grains of sand on my fingertips, or the grains of sand in the vast expanse on the earth.” The monks replied, “The grains of sand in the vast expanse of the earth are greater, and the grains of the sand on the fingertips of the Thathagata are insignificant by comparison.” In like manner, the Buddha explained that only a minority of beings are born in the human world.

The most distinguished feature in the human world is, both the pleasure and the displeasure (sukha and dukkha), exists simultaneously only in this human world. In the heaven, only the pleasure (sukha) can be experienced.

In the hell, only the torture or the displeasure (dukkha) can be experienced. Therefore, one should have accumulated merits in order to get this rare opportunity and eliminate his cankers. In the world of an individual, there is the arising of the dukkha, existing, and overcoming the dukkha. Death has no particular time to take place, so without grasping in self bounded way, or without justifying it in miccha ditthi (wrong views). one should see the world as it is. Buddha uttered thus in his last words, ‘appamadena bhikkhave sampadetha’: ‘O Monks! Strive on untiringly’.

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