[Sammasambodhi Gami]

Lord Buddha said that Paticca Samuppada is very deep like an ocean.

Paticca Samuppada can explain the origination of anything and everything in this world.

We have seen many Paticca Samuppada cycles for the mind.

But there also exists Paticca Samuppada process for inanimate objects.

I would highly appreciate if someone knowledgeable could explain this in detail.

1. How did trees come into being?

2. How did mountains come into being?

3. How did ocean come into being?

4. How did the Earth come into being?

5. How did the Sun, Moon and other planets come into being?

6. How did the physical bodies of early humans come into being? (when we all came down from the Abhassara brahma loka after the starting of this Maha Kalpa)

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LayDhammaFollower

[Lal]

That is described in the Agganna Sutta.
– I have only written an introduction to the sutta: “Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27)“

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LayDhammaFollower

[Sammasambodhi Gami]

Can anyone give the correct explanation/description of the Agganna Sutta in detail ?

Thanks in advance.

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LayDhammaFollower

[Sammasambodhi Gami]

@Lal Sir, please forgive me as I didn’t pay due respect to your Noble efforts.
I realised my fault. I am really sorry for my discourteous response.

I want to emphasise that I am immensely grateful to all the endeavor you are putting in for spreading the pure Buddha Dhamma.

Thank you so much Lal Sir.

I am really fortunate to have come across puredhamma.net !!!

I asked for the explanation of the Agganna Sutta (in detail) because of a reason.

In today’s world, there are broadly two kinds of people (putthajana) :

(1) The “scientific” minded folks who believe that the physical world that we live in and all the matter was created by a “Big bang” 13.8 billion years ago. So humans and animals are nothing but permutations of atoms and molecules. Life just happened without any cause and nothing continues after death.

(2) The “religious” minded folks who believe that the physical world (including the Earth, Sun, Moon and other stuff) as well as living beings were created by an “All Powerful Creator” called God. So this physical world exists because of the “will” of the Creator.

According to Lord Buddha, both (1) and (2) are wrong views.

But when these two types of people ask me what Lord Buddha said about how the physical world was created, then I can’t give them a clear answer (including my parents!).

When their questions are not answered, then they disregard Buddhism.

So to give them at least an idea about the real depth of Buddha Dhamma, I was asking for the explanation of the Agganna Sutta in this forum.

So with the intention of arising AND strengthening faith in the Noble Triple Gem in the hearts of many putthajanas, I kindly request you to please explain the Agganna Sutta for the benefit of all.

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Jittananto

[cubibobi]

Ajahn Punnadhammo and Ajahn Sona have a series of discussion on Buddhist cosmology, starting with:

Buddhist Cosmology (1): Space, Time and Being

I don’t know if their discussions are based on the Agganna Sutta, but it’s fascinating nonetheless.

[Sammasambodhi Gami]

Thank you dear Dhamma friend for sharing the Dhamma talk with us.

May the blessings of Noble Triple Gem be with you always!

[Tobias G]

Unfortunately Ajahn Sona follows the breathing meditation. Also they translate all key words from Pali to English.

What I don’t know from the puredhamma website is the representation of the world with the central mountain “Sineru” and the other realms around it. 

[Lal]

No. I did not think that your response was discourteous.
– It is just that I think there are more urgent issues to address than to discuss the “formation of world systems.”

But I can see your “thirst” to figure out those issues. So, I will go through a quick point-form summary.

1. The Buddha said that only a small cluster of 10,000 world systems is destroyed at a given time. The whole universe will never be destroyed.
– A world system is a planetary system around a star. Thus, our Solar system is a world system (cakkavala). When one of the stars in such a cluster blows up in a supernova, the whole cluster of 10,000 will be destroyed.
– As I remember, there may be a few such “blowups” per year in our Milky Way galaxy, according to scientists.

2. Many cakkavala within a 10,000 system may have living beings located around a planet in each cakkavala. In ours, it is the Earth. All 31 realms in our cakkavala are based around the Earth.
– Living beings with “denser bodies” live close to the surface of the Earth. Devas in the Deva realms have “less dense bodies” and are far above the Earth.
– Rupavacara Brahmas live even further, and arupavacara Brahmas (with just hadaya vatthus) the furthest.
– Well before our cluster blows up in a few billion years, all living beings would have migrated to the Abhassara Brahma realm.
– When the Earth blows up (together with the Sun and many other stars in the vicinity), only those realms BELOW the Abhassara Brahma realm would be destroyed.
– Thus, all existing living beings can live at or above the Abhasara realm after that “blow up.”

3. Our 10,000 world system (let us call it our “cluster”) will be in that state for many billions of years.
– During that time, those Brahmas will gradually start “re-building” the material world (i.e., the Sun and the planets, including the Earth.) The same will happen in all other cakkavala in the “cluster.” That will lead to re-emerging of the “missing matter” in the “cluster” over many billions of years.
– It is the javana citta of those Brahmas over billions of years that will make enough suddhatthaka to re-form the whole system.
– Even now, we humans also make suddhatthaka, but those are in insignificant quantities. But uncountable Brahmas over many billions of years can make enough matter! Unlike our javana citta, Brahmas generate intense javana power. That is why yogis who can get to jhana samapatti can “generate” material objects like flowers or even larger objects!

4. What I very briefly described in #3 is the short answer to your question.
– When the Earth is re-formed (not the same Erath, but similar), then those Brahmas in the Abhassara realm will gradually be reborn on Earth as humans.
– That cyclic process has happened uncountable times in the past. That is why the Buddha said there is no discernible beginning to the rebirth process (Samsara).

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Jittananto

[Sammasambodhi Gami]

Sadu Sadu Sadu!!!

Thank you so much Sir for the brief explanation.

Theruvan Saranai.

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