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’.
අව
අටවක
අමාවක
පුර අටවක
පසෙලාස්වක