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Hi,
The answers to your questions are in the post “How the Buddha Described the Chance of Rebirth in the Human Realm.”
- Please don’t hesitate to ask questions if something is unclear.
1. The following posts were written several years ago about the ideas of a Creator:
“What Does Buddha Dhamma Say about Creator, Satan, Angels, and Demons?“
“The Language of God” by Francis Collins“
2. Regarding Yash’s question: “There is one more problem.When a wise person questions the existence of God, they ask this famous question “Who created you then?”
- Each person (living being) creates one’s future lives by acting with avijja. That is the Paticca Sasumuppada process. There was no beginning to the rebirth process. “Origin of Life – There is No Traceable Origin.”
- That was the first post in the section “Origin of Life.” I have discussed many issues in detail there. It will take a while to go through!
Conclusion: “Origin of Life – One Creates One’s Own Future Lives“
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I forgot to add the following in my earlier comment:
Hinduism (at least the early versions) originated with anariya yogis. They cultivated not only jhana but also abhinna powers (just like Devadatta, Alara Kalama, and Uddaka Ramaputta) in the days of the Buddha.
- Some of them visited those Brahma realms. So, it is quite likely that such yogis even had conversations with Maha Brahma and were convinced that Maha Brahma was the Creator of that Brahma realm. As described in the post ” “Anidassana, Appaṭigha Rupa Due to Anidassana Viññāṇa,” Maha Brahma believed that he and his fellow Brahmas would not die, i.e., they have attained “permanent life.”
- That was one reason the Buddha went to see Maha Brahma, as described in the “Brahmanimantanika Sutta (MN 49).” A brief description is at #4 in the above post. A longer description at #12 of “Anidassana Viññāṇa – What It Really Means.”
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Yes. Both Hinduism and Christianity are based on a Creator. But their descriptions are not related.
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Maybe they do. As far as I know, this is the only recorded account in the Tipitaka.
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Maha Brahma realm lies below the Abhassara realm and was destroyed in the last “loka vinasaya” described in the Agganna Sutta. See “Buddhism and Evolution – Aggañña Sutta (DN 27).”
- Maha Brahma (also called Baka Brahma) was the first to be born in that empty realm (coming down to that realm from the Abhassara realm) once the “reconstruction” started.
- He was there alone for a while and thought, “I was this realm’s Creator.” Then, he wished to have more “companions.” When others started coming down, he thought, “Oh, now I have created others too.”
- The Buddha visited that realm at least twice to try to dispel some of his misconceptions; see “Anidassana, Appaṭigha Rupa Due to Anidassana Viññāṇa.”
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No worries. It is good to have an inquisitive/curious mind. However, we need to be careful not to tackle more than we can handle. Some issues take a lot of effort only to gain a little knowledge.
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I have revised #16 and #15 to make it more clear.
- I have revised other parts of the post to refer to recent posts on “distorted saññā“ as well.
- “Upādāna Paccayā Bhava – Two Types of Bhava.”
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1. A and B are not the same, but they are “connected” via causes (hetu) and results (phala.)
- B would not have been born unless A was there.
- Had A followed Buddha’s path and ended the rebirth process, B would not have been born. Had A cultivated jhana or samapatti, B would have been born a Brahma with less suffering. If A had done papa kamma (highly immoral deeds), B would have been born in an apaya.
- This is why it is critical to understand Paticca Samuppada and how various gati lead to corresponding births.
2. We can end future suffering even in this life (let alone in future lives) by cultivating the path.
- Yet, we get “fooled” by our “built-in distorted sanna” and attach to worldly things, believing that “sensory pleasures (kama guna) are in that external object.” This is the main reason that most rebirths in the apayas.
- Think about the following. Some people force women to cover up their bodies, believing what causes men’s lust is beautiful women. Even though women need to be sensible about not “triggering” kama assada in ignorant minds by over-exposing themselves, that is NOT the ultimate solution. One can control one’s mind by comprehending Buddha Dhamma, i.e., “sensual pleasures” are not in external things, but in one’s own mind: “Fooled by Distorted Saññā (Sañjānāti) – Origin of Attachment (Taṇhā).”
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That is correct, Gad.
- But that is not what you wrote earlier: “It is said that King Sudoddhana (the father of Lord Buddha) attained the anagami stage by listening to a jataka.”
For the benefit of anyone not aware of this:
A “Jataka story” is an account of the previous life of the Bodhisatta while he was fulfilling “paramita” to attain Buddhahood. As Gad stated in his last comment, they describe how to live a moral life and realize that even to attain Arahanthood, one must start at some point.
- However, many of those accounts have been poorly translated. Thus, discussing such translations can just waste our time.
- More information in “Pāramitā and Niyata Vivarana – Myths or Realities?“
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“Having heard this news from the king, the Buddha delivered a sermon based on the Mahā Dhammapāla Jataka”
- According to your link, that statement refers to the occasion when the King attained the Anagami stage. He had already attained the Sotapanna and Sakdagami stages before that.
- The Buddha may have referred to a Jataka story where the two of them were born in a family, but I cannot see how one can attain the Anagami stage just by listening to a Jataka story. It is just an account of a past life.
- I am not sure what the point is. Are you saying that magga phala can be attained without comprehending the Four Noble Truths/Paticca Samuppada/Tilakkhana but just by listening to a Jataka story?
It is hard to say either way until a jhana is cultivated to the extent that one can willfully get into it.
- The Buddha described the jhanic experience of someone fully immersed in jhana. See “Jhānic Experience in Detail – Sāmaññaphala Sutta (DN 2).”
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What you quoted is not a sutta, Gad.
- Jataka stories are not suttas.
- I am not quite sure about their origins and have not read them. Most translations are old, and there are likely to be many translation errors.
- We do not discuss them in this forum.
To get to the Buddhahood, Paccekabuddhahood, or Arahanthood, one must comprehend the Four Noble Truths/Paticca Samuppada/Tilakkhana. I discussed this in “Key Problems with Mahāyāna Teachings.”
- We only know how to get to Arahanthood, as taught by the Buddha.
- But the Buddha has described the efforts of some previous Buddhas and himself in the “Mahāpadāna Sutta (DN 14).”
I thought about the issue of time a little bit.
- Of course, time is real (not an illusion). But it is likely that the “perception of how fast time goes by” may be relative.
- For example, a day in a specific Deva realm corresponds to many years in the human realm. See “Visākhā Sutta (AN 8.43).”
- As stated there (@6.4 marker), “Sixteen hundred years in the human realm is one day and night in the paranimmitavasavatti Deva realm.”
- Even among animals, we can have a wide variety of lifetimes. Some flies live only a week. Their time must be passing much more slowly compared to us.
It is OK to have a general idea about these facts.
- My point was that spending too much effort on these issues takes time away from more critical issues like understanding “distorted sanna.” That is one of the critical issues that can significantly impact one’s practice. It truly helps eliminate sakkaya ditthi (that the world can offer happiness; instead, any such enjoyment is “mind-made” and not real) as well kama raga.
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1. Sometimes, analyzing things in too much detail can lead to more questions than answers.
- I prefer to resolve critical issues as much as with the Sutta Pitaka and the critical concepts of the Abhidhamma Pitaka.
- The Vinaya Pitaka is mainly on issues with Vinaya (disciplinary) rules and incidents that led to specific Vinaya rules. Many of those accounts can provide additional information, but they are not critical.
- I never look at Commentaries outside the Tipitaka. I resort to even the Tipitaka Commentaries only if necessary.
- However, I am not saying to avoid consulting Tipitaka Commentaries.
2. I think we can get a good understanding of various types of “vipallasa” mostly with the aid of the Sutta Pitaka.
- Understanding “sanna vipallasa” (arising due to “distorted sanna“) can resolve many issues. It helps with the other types of vipallasa too.
- I prefer to discuss the posts that have been published rather than trying to analyze passages from the Commentaries.
- If there are issues that are contradictory or unclear or need further clarification, please ask specific questions by pointing to a post and specific bullet numbers.
- However, if you feel strongly about a specific passage in a Commentary, I can take a look.
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