The Geography of the Puranas c13.s3: Buddhist Concepts
The Geography of the Purāṇas c13.s3
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Buddhist Concepts
c13.s3.1
Buddhism believes that the world goes through periods of evolution and decline—which is one of the fundamental ideas in Vedic cosmogony. It does not reject the existence of the gods but it denies that they had any significant effect upon the cosmic process—in fact, according to Buddhists, the world came into being through the operation of natural laws. The following passage is attributed to the Buddha himself (from Digha Nikāya. 3:28).
c13.s3.2
There comes a time, my friends, sooner or later,... when the world is dissolved and beings are mostly reborn in the world of Radiance (*Abhassara*). There they dwell, made of the stuff of mind, feeding on joy, shining in their own light, flying through middle space, firm in their bliss for a long, long time.
c13.s3.3
Now there comes a time when this world begins to evolve, and then the world of Brahmā (which is below *Abhassara*, the third Buddhist heaven) appears, but it is empty. And some being, whether because his alloted span is passed or because his merit is exhausted, quits his body in the world of Radiance and is born in the empty world of Brahmā, where he dwells for a long time. Now because he has been so long alone he begins to feel dissatisfaction and longing, and wishes that other beings might come and live with him. And indeed soon other beings quit their bodies in the world of Radiance and come to keep him company in the world of Brahmā.
Linked texts (1)
- Pāthikasutta — Pāli