What
Buddhists Believe
Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera
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Part Six -
This World And Other Worlds
Chapter 16 - Realms
of Existence
The Origin
of the World
'There is no reason to suppose that
the world had a beginning at all. The idea that things must have a
beginning is really due to the poverty of our thoughts.'(Bertrand
Russell)
There
are three schools of thought regarding the origin of the world. The first
school of thought claims that this world came into existence by nature and
that nature is not an intelligent force. However, nature works no its own
accord and goes on changing.
The second school of
thought says that the world was created by an almighty God who is
responsible for everything.
The third school of
thought says that the beginning of this world and of life is inconceivable
since they have neither beginning nor end. Buddhism is in accordance with
this third school of thought. Bertrand Russell supports this school of
thought by saying, 'There is no reason to suppose that the world had a
beginning at all. The idea that things must have a beginning is really due
to the poverty of our thoughts.'
Modern science says that
some millions of years ago, the newly cooled earth was lifeless and that
life originated in the ocean. Buddhism never claimed that the world, sun,
moon, stars, wind, water, days and nights were created by a powerful god
or by a Buddha. Buddhists believe that the world was not created once upon
a time, but that the world has been created millions of times every second
and will continue to do so by itself and will break away by itself.
According to Buddhism, world systems always appear and disappear in the
universe.
H.G. Wells, in A
Short History of the World, says 'It is universally recognized that
the universe in which we live, has to all appearance, existed for an
enormous period of time and possibly for endless time. But that the
universe in which we live, has existed only for six or seven thousand
years may be regarded as an altogether exploded idea. No life seems to
have happened suddenly upon earth.'
The efforts made by many
religions to explain the beginning and the end of the universe are indeed
ill-conceived. The position of religions which propound the view that the
universe was created by god in an exactly fixed year, has become a
difficult one to maintain in the light of modern and scientific knowledge.
Today scientists,
historians, astronomers, biologists, botanists, anthropologists and great
thinkers have all contributed vast new knowledge about the origin of the
world. This latest discovery and knowledge is not at all contradictory to
the Teachings of the Buddha. Bertrand Russell again says that he respects
the Buddha for not making false statements like others who committed
themselves regarding the origin of the world.
The speculative
explanations of the origin of the universe that are presented by various
religions are not acceptable to the modern scientists and intellectuals.
Even the commentaries of the Buddhist Scriptures, written by certain
Buddhist writers, cannot be challenged by scientific thinking in regard to
this question. The Buddha did not waste His time on this issue. The reason
for His silence was that this issue has no religious value for gaining
spiritual wisdom. The explanation of the origin of the universe is not the
concern of religion. Such theorizing is not necessary for living a
righteous way of life and for shaping our future life. However, if one
insists on studying this subject, then one must investigate the sciences,
astronomy, geology, biology and anthropology. These sciences can offer
more reliable and tested information on this subject than can be supplied
by any religion. The purpose of a religion is to cultivate the life here
in this world and hereafter until liberation is gained.
In the eyes of the Buddha,
the world is nothing but Samsara -- the cycle of repeated births and
deaths. To Him, the beginning of the world and the end of the world is
within this Samsara. Since elements and energies are relative and
inter-dependent, it is meaningless to single out anything as the
beginning. Whatever speculation we make regarding the origin of the world,
there is no absolute truth in our notion.
'Infinite
is the sky, infinite is the number of beings,
Infinite are the worlds in the vast universe,
Infinite in wisdom the Buddha teaches these,
Infinite are the virtues of Him who teaches these.'
- (Sri Ramachandra)
One day a man
called Malunkyaputta approached the Master and demanded that He explain
the origin of the Universe to him. He even threatened to cease to be His
follow if the Buddha's answer was not satisfactory. The Buddha calmly
retorted that it was of no consequence to Him whether or not Malunkyaputta
followed Him, because the Truth did not need anyone's support. Then the
Buddha said that He would not go into a discussion of the origin of the
Universe. To Him, gaining knowledge about such matters was a waste of time
because a man's task was to liberate himself from the present, not the
past or the future. To illustrate this, the Enlightened One related the
parable of a man who was shot by a poisoned arrow. This foolish man
refused to have the arrow removed until he found out all about the person
who shot the arrow. By the time his attendants discovered these
unnecessary details, the man was dead. Similarly, our immediate task is to
attain Nibbana, not to worry about our beginnings.
-ooOoo-
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Source: Buddhist
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Update : 01-11-2002
