[drs8]

Hi Lal

Our current physics states nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. If we travel closer to the speed of light, time slows down. And if we travel faster than the speed of light, the time goes reverse. I’ve heard in the Brahma and other celestial realms that one minute in their world is like a few months/years (may not be the most accurate context here) in the human domain. So, does this mean those beings always travel closer to the speed of light, or perhaps faster? Could this be a reason why we can’t see them?

[Lal]

Hello drs8,

“If we travel closer to the speed of light, time slows down.”

• Yes. That is true and has been verified by experiments.

 

“And if we travel faster than the speed of light, the time goes reverse.”

• That is not correct. What happens is that as an object’s speed approaches the speed of light, that object’s mass increases enormously. Then, it will not be possible even to approach the speed of light. 
• Your first statement, “Our current physics states nothing can travel faster than the speed of light,” is correct due to that reason.

The last part of your comment/question: ” I’ve heard in the Brahma and other celestial realms that one minute in their world is like a few months/years (may not be the most accurate context here) in the human domain. So, does this mean those beings always travel closer to the speed of light, or perhaps faster? Could this be a reason why we can’t see them?”

• Indeed, things located high above the Earth travel faster. For example, geocentric satellites have high speeds. However, that is not enough to account for the enormous increase in lifetimes in the Brahma realms. 
• The extremely high lifetimes in those realms are due to a different reason. Their minds don’t generate anger/hate and the level of raga is extremely low. So, their kammic energies “wear away” very slowly. 
• The fact that we cannot see them is due to a different reason. They don’t have dense physical bodies like us. Just give a crude analogy: their “bodies” are much finer than mist, like air (even lighter than air.) We cannot “see” air. See “Body Types in 31 Realms – Importance of Manomaya Kaya.”

[drs8]

Hi Lal, So when Ven Moggallana went to find the end of the universe, how did he go ? Was it like a photon type of massless state? So he could travel faster than the speed of light?  Or when this astral travel happens during meditation, how is the astral body made of(In terms of physics)?. Is it correct to assume there are more fundamental forces than gravity, electromagnetism, and weak and strong nuclear force? Because modern physics cannot correctly explain these phenomena.  I understand these questions are unrelated to Nibbana. But I was just curious.

[Lal]

I have discussed this to some extent in the post “Pāṭihāriya (Supernormal Abilities) of a Buddha – Part I.”

• More relevant posts in “Buddhahood Associated Controversies.”

The answer to your question is partly in your question: “So when Ven Moggallana went to find the end of the universe, how did he go? Was it like a photon type of massless state?”

• The manomaya kaya (gandhabba kaya) that Ven Moggallana traveled with is almost like a photon; it gas only a few suddhatthaka. A photon has a zero rest mass, meaning it is “all energy.” See “The Origin of Matter – Suddhāṭṭhaka.” P.S. The transition from pure energy to suddhatthaka is evident in the chart made by Dosakkhayo; see #5 of “Bhūta and Yathābhūta – What Do They Really Mean.”
• A suddhatthaka is just above that “zero energy state.” Thus, a manomaya kaya can approach the speed of light. That is how Ven Moggallana (or the Buddha and others) traveled at such high speeds.
• The “body” of a Brahma is also made with a few suddhatthaka. They also can travel close to the speed of light. When the Buddha attained Buddhahood and saw how hard it would be to teach his “newfound Dhamma” to humans, he was slightly discouraged. Brahma Sahamapati (an Anagami) read Buddha’s mind and came to visit the Buddha to remind him that there are enough humans who are capable of comprehending the profound Dhamma.

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