How does buddhism explain creation?
- Thread starter lixluke
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According to Buddhism, nothing happens without a cause, therefore the universe is infinite with no real beginning. However, it does run in cycles, so there can be a beginning for each particular era.
The origin of beings has been described in some texts as evolutionary (or de-evolutionary) with humans descended from cosmic beings/forces.
There were also a bunch of question which Buddha felt were not answerable, or counterproductive to enlightenment. They call these the 14 questions:
So basically, don't worry about it.
The origin of beings has been described in some texts as evolutionary (or de-evolutionary) with humans descended from cosmic beings/forces.
There were also a bunch of question which Buddha felt were not answerable, or counterproductive to enlightenment. They call these the 14 questions:
The Buddha remained silent when asked these fourteen questions. He described them as a net and refused to be drawn into such a net of theories, speculations, and dogmas. He said that it was because he was free of bondage to all theories and dogmas that he had attained liberation. Such speculations, he said, are attended by fever, unease, bewilderment, and suffering, and it is by freeing oneself of them that one achieves liberation.
So basically, don't worry about it.
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So basically, Buddhism has no writings that explain how or why physical reality was created?
So the purpose of human is to attain enlightenment (freedom from attatchment/suffering). But it never explains what created human life, how, or why?
Other than the blanket "Seeking wisdom means you're not liberated. So being liberated means being ignorant, and not actively pursuing wisdom."
So the purpose of human is to attain enlightenment (freedom from attatchment/suffering). But it never explains what created human life, how, or why?
Other than the blanket "Seeking wisdom means you're not liberated. So being liberated means being ignorant, and not actively pursuing wisdom."
Buddhism traditionally avoids speculative metaphysical questions as irrelevant distractions. Questions of origin in particular are noted as unfruitful and divisive because they have no concrete answer.
It is likened to a wounded man demanding to know who made the arrow before he will allow treatment.
In short, work on being here before you consider why or how you came to be here.
No there are various buddhist cosmologies, buddhists are as esily seduced by speculative metaphysics as anyone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology
They just aren't relevant.
Its not relevant. You don't need to know any of that to achieve enlightenment and it is a powerful distraction.
That sounds like a taoist quote, or a zen borrowing of a taoist quote. Such are non literal statements and are meant to evoke a particular mental state, and generally were originally given to a particular student in a particular context.
For example the person who uttered it doubtless not ignorant and had spent most of his life in intense seeking of wisdom and in imparting wisdon to others. Also wisdom is one of the three key pillars of Buddhism (morality/compassion, wisdom/insight, focus/attention) and ignorance is a root cause of suffering (ignorance, fear/anger, clinging/greed).
Part of the koan would be trying to resolve this statement with the life of the one who uttered it. This style seeks to set up deductive impossibilities in hopes that an intuitive grasp of the point can be achieved.
Variations on the theme would be...what is liberation? Three pounds of flax. Or, after finishing your meal, wash your bowl.
If you can see how these answer the same question, you might have some insight into the matter.
Thanks for this interesting thread Lixluke.
I as you have assume that many humans past and present with evolving intellect have asked these big questions. It is only natural is it not? So what is the answer?
I have been studying Buddhism formally and alone for over 10 years incorporating meditation into my life and have learnt much about cultivating compassion and
reflecting on the realities of existence and other realms of consciousness during meditations, being prepared for suffering and death and recognizing the beauty of the moment and THIS particular life I am living...
As for these big questions, I only have my ideas based on belief, science and intuition (free will).Personally I can sympathize greatly with Buddhas teachings and try to apply it practically to my daily life as I live within my family- community not in a monastery.
As the Buddha did not elaborate as stated on these questions I can only assume also that he didnt know or found it counter productive to his quest and final realizations.
Over 2500 years later as a evolving intellect I will continue to strive to understand the universe its forces and mysteries as I am naturally curious. Cheers and good luck.
Nope
Nope
Buddhism is all about pursuing wisdom.
What does wild speculation about unanswerable questions or making up fairy tales as placebos have to do with wisdom?
What he said was that it is not fruitful to ponder and analyze what does not matter or what cannot be answered.
So basically, Buddhism claims "how or why physical reality was created" is not only unanswerable, but also irrelevant?
And "what created human life, how, or why" is also unanswerable/irrelevant?
Therefore, no man can know? Or if any man could know, it would be irrelevant if he did know or not?
Thus one should pursue wisdom, but not irrelevant wisdom such as understanding how/why physical reality was created including human life?
Maybe he just couldn't figure it out, and stopped trying. Then claimed it was irrelevant, and that trying to figure it out leads to suffering for people weren't too bright.
Wisdom and knowledge are very different things.
Whoe cares? Truth. Pursuit of knowledge of truth. The truth about how the self was created, and why.
That doesn't matter for the purposes of Buddhism. However, Buddhism more than most religions respects science. They never proposed that scientists shouldn't look into these things, only that the practice of Buddhism doesn't require it.
It would say that the self is created by the mind.
Generally buddhism deals with the problem of desire (from which we get the self and mind) by positing that the building blocks of the universe are infinitely regressive.
hence (forgive the upper case but its from the website)
No. It does not take a firm stance like that concerning the metaphyical questions of existence. Neither yes nor no.
There is "The Twelve Nidānas " metaphor which LG posted. (note the numbering is arbitrary, there is no "first" link.) more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Nidānas
The aim of the Twelve Nidānas analysis is to reveal the origins of phenomena, and the feedback loop of conditioning and causation that leads to suffering in current and future lives.
I.e. despite being about as obtruse as it is possible to be, it is supposed to be answering a pragmatic question, not a metaphysical one. Though people often spring board off it into the metaphysical deep end.
In modern terms its a root cause analysis.
Its hardly surprising that LG's vedic site can't understand it a lot of Buddhists don't either.Well, I have the feeling Bill Clinton delved a little into Buddhism and it did him well.
Why are you looking for a religion to fill your head with candy-coated lies and conjecture claimed as truth?
I've never understood why people look for, and accept, that.
If you want a religion to claim to have all the answers of the universe, you will not find that in Buddhism.