The Geography of the Puranas c13.s3.1

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).