Dinosaurs and shape of the earth. . .

Viewing 6 reply threads
  • Author
    Posts
    • #51807
      TripleGemStudent
      Participant
      Some comments mentioned:
       
      “I do not understand how the first dinosaur or the first elephant or the first human appeared on earth. Can someone please explain?”
       
      “But we have dinosaur fossils which date back to that time with geological dating. If humans existed during that time, would we not expect to find human fossils that are as old?”
       
      “But I remember watching a YouTube video by Praveen Mohan where he showed dinosaur depictions in various temples.”
       
      “If humans saw Dinosaurs and put them in temples that would mean those temples have been there for more than 50 millions years and withstood a comet strike which is not possible.”
       
      The reason for the quotes and intention behind this message is hoping to share some materials /perspective / view for others consideration and scrutiny. What I’m about to say / share is really of no importance, but it was my interest at one point. Thought to share for those that might be interested and hoping it can help one to sometimes think outside the box. But what’s more important or of importance is that everyone here is learning and practicing the dhamma.   
       
      If I may share another view / opinion / belief on dinosaurs is what if in the first place there was never such a physical / “living” / “conscious” being (nama-rupa) that once lived / existed on this planet? Imagine being told some big lies from the very first day being born into this world . On a daily basis and in literally almost every aspects of our life being exposed to the influences that supports the lies.  Would it almost be impossible not to believe these lies?
       
      Big Lie

       
      “Psychologists, psychiatrists and others have explained why the big lie technique works. Dr. Ramani Durvasula, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor of psychology who is an expert on narcissistic personality disorder and narcissistic abuse says that:
      <br /> Repetition is important, because the Big Lie works through indoctrination. The Big Lie then becomes its own evidence base – if it is repeated enough, people believe it, and the very repetition almost tautologically becomes the support for the Lie. …”

       

      Some of us might not have personally seen an animal or human bone, but at least I’m sure we all can agree on that there are of such bones in a conventional sense. But I would like to question the existence of dinosaur bones or if there was ever such living beings that lived on this planet some millions of years ago . . .  

      I thought the videos linked below make some interesting points.     
       
       
       
       
      To me, the shape of the Earth is really not of importance, but the video below does challenge what was once my belief and learned throughout my life that the Earth is a sphere.  
       
       
      • This topic was modified 1 week ago by TripleGemStudent.
      • This topic was modified 1 week ago by TripleGemStudent. Reason: Added new link
      • This topic was modified 1 week ago by Lal.
    • #51810
      taryal
      Participant

      This is sounding a lot like those Young Earth Creationism propaganda BS. Uneducated people who read some ancient text like the Bible and see the pseudoscientific usage of Geocentric Model, claim that Earth was created 6000 years ago, etc. and go on to create conspiracies about how all the hardworking scientists are lying. Professor Dave Explains has debunked it multiple times:

      Response to Globebusters – The Earth Still Isn’t Flat

      10 Challenges For Flat Earthers

      The Definitive Guide to Debunking Creationists Part 1: Cosmology/Planetary Science

      The Definitive Guide to Debunking Creationists Part 2: Abiogenesis

    • #51811
      Waisaka
      Participant

      Hi triplegems, I’m also quite interested in this material.

       First about flatearth have you ever seen a pale blue dot, a photo taken by voyager (the farthest object made by humans on this planet. 

      For the shape of the planet earth I agree with NASA that its shape is round, but my perspective on the structure of our solar system is not yet valid. The reason as far as I know the farthest object sent has not reached the outermost point of our solar system is another thing, it doesn’t really matter to me personally. 

      For humans why there are no fossil discoveries I have 3 thoughts, I have seen writings that say humans (manossa) are creatures with superior souls. 

      1. The creature called human at that time did not have a solid body. 

      2. Maybe during the dinosaur era, human bhava at that time was not suitable to be born on earth because it had run out of the 80,000 year cycle to 10 years. 

      3. This is my wild thought, humans billions of years ago had a different form than humans today. 

      Things in the world are very complex, we are like microorganisms that think a glass of water is the world, even though there are rivers and oceans, we will not be able to express the whole world except a Sammasambuddha. 

      Buddha once explained that the knowledge he gave was only a handful of leaves in his hand, which he did not tell as many as the leaves in the entire Jetavata forest (correct me if I’m wrong) that shows how complex this world is. 

       

      Every being has their own world of mind, as Mr. Whynot said, more or less like this “different worlds different minds, different minds different worlds.” Every being has their own version of the world. 

      And people will definitely gather with the same thoughts and world. 

      Like me, my thoughts agree and believe in the world of the Buddha, the Buddha has shown a more logical law of karma, punabbhava, the nature of the world (tilakkhana), paticcasamuppada, the 4 truths of the arya. 

      The simplest example that we can see everyday is the difference in the condition of each being. Why is it different? Why are new species of living beings discovered every year? Why is it like there is no justice in this world if we use the perspective of no-punabbhava.. Only the sammasambudhha can explain very-very well and in detail like abhidhamma. And Buddha also has incomparable love, his love wants beings to be free from the trap of samsara. There is no benefit for Buddha to lie, he previously left power and wealth. 

      From this small thing I am very strong in believing in Buddha, dhamma, sangha. 

      Sorry in advance if there are many mistakes that are not right in quoting the sutta, because I am not a person who has a good memory, and sorry also if my English is bad. With Metta waisaka.

      1 user thanked author for this post.
    • #51815
      Lal
      Keymaster

      Topics like this can waste our time. I stopped responding in another related thread due to this reason. 

      • However, let me respond to some of TGS’s quotes because they could help us understand a bit of Buddha Dhamma or dispel some obviously wrong misconceptions.

      TGS quoted: “I do not understand how the first dinosaur or the first elephant or the first human appeared on earth. Can someone please explain?”

      • The appearance of humans with “Bahama-like subtle bodies” is explained in the “Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27).” Those humans are then gradually reborn in the other realms; that is how the first elephant appears, for example. 
      • Even when our cakkavala (Solar system) is destroyed, only the “dense matter” is destroyed. Higher Brahma realms (above the Abhassara Brahma realm) remain intact. 

      TGS quoted: “If humans saw Dinosaurs and put them in temples that would mean those temples have been there for more than 50 millions years and withstood a comet strike which is not possible.”

      • A comet strike does not physically damage everything on Earth. That is impossible. Read about it by doing a Google search.
      • For example, the comment strike that killed all dinosaurs only created a crater a few kilometers in diameter. It did not destroy other physical structures. However, the dust plume blanketed the Earth and blocked Sunlight for a long time. That led to the killing of all dinosaurs and many species of large animals, and it probably killed most humans, too.
      • However, all those who died survived in their gandhabba state. As conditions on Earth improve, the population of those species that were not completely wiped out can rebuild. That is how the populations of humans (and many smaller animals) grew over time.  Even those dinosaur gandhabbas would live in that state until the end of their bhava energy. There could be dinosaur gandhabbas living to this day. They cannot be reborn with dinosaurs with physical bodies because there are no dinosaur parents to give birth to them!

      Also, the videos about the “flat Earth hypothesis” are total garbage. I have seen them. They try to explain the pictures that show the Earth is round by saying that light curves due to Earth’s gravitational pull! However, only much more massive objects, like the Sun or other stars, can “bend the path of light,” and even that is a slight deviation.

      I must say that Waisaka has made some valid remarks.

      6 users thanked author for this post.
    • #51819
      Lal
      Keymaster

      Regarding the birth of the first few elephants or dinosaurs on Earth in a new eon, it happens as opapatika births. Humans who have degraded their gati are gradually reborn in the animal and other realms, according to the gati they develop. That happens after a very long time (probably around a billion years) when the conditions on Earth have changed so that vegetation has emerged. 

      • Even now, opapatika births can happen even in the human realm, but they are extremely rare. There is an account in the Tipitaka about at least one such birth.
      • See “Four Types of Births in Buddhism.”
      2 users thanked author for this post.
    • #51825
      Waisaka
      Participant

      Regarding the birth of opapātikā yoni in the human realm, if I am not mistaken, I once heard a lecture by a bhante in my country, a woman who was born spontaneously in a tree. I forgot the video and the sutta. 🙏

    • #51858
      TripleGemStudent
      Participant
      Hello Taryal, thank you for the video’s. They were informative and make some good points. Those that believe the Earth is flat would have a hard time to come up with some reasonable answers. 
       
      Hello Waisaka, in regards to your question if I ever seen the pale blue dot picture taken by voyager, yes I have.
       
      “The creature called human at that time did not have a solid body.”
      “This is my wild thought, humans billions of years ago had a different form than humans today.” 
       
      I also believed the same before this discussion. It’s been my belief that the first humans on this planet had brahma / deva like body or not solid body like what we currently have. Or I think similar to what Lal wrote in this thread and from the post Agganna sutta.  
       
      “Why is it like there is no justice in this world if we use the perspective of no-punabbhava.. Only the sammasambudhha can explain very-very well and in detail like abhidhamma. And Buddha also has incomparable love, his love wants beings to be free from the trap of samsara. There is no benefit for Buddha to lie, he previously left power and wealth. 
       
      From this small thing I am very strong in believing in Buddha, dhamma, sangha. “
       
      Wonderful to hear! Saddhu saddhu saddhu!!! May your and others belief in the triplegem and the carrying out of the Noble 8 Fold Path help us all living beings to attain the supreme bliss of nibbana!
Viewing 6 reply threads
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.