Questions about the earth’s origination have been discussed throughout
history. Aristotle said the earth was
the center of the universe through his experiments. He said the earth exists unchanged throughout
eternity. This belief was held strongly
as a religious philosophy for more than 2000 years. In 1543 AD, Nicolaus Copernicus, an
astronomer, published his theory on heliocentric cosmology, debunking the
ancient believe that began the revolution of astronomy. But many astronomers still doubted his theory
on cosmic origination. There, the
questions remain: “What is the origin of the Universe?” “What is its first cause?” “Is its existence necessary?” Or, “What is the ultimate reason for the
existence of the Universe?”
In the Buddhist Sutta (the scriptures containing the Buddhist
sermons), a consistent Buddhist cosmology is presented with the final analysis
and reconciliation of cosmological comments. In several suttas, the Lord Buddha described other worlds and states of
being, and one sutta described the origin and destruction of the universe: Agganna Sutta, Dhiga Nikaya. This sutta was presented as a formal
treatment by two novices, Bharadvaja and Vasettha. Therefore, according to the oldest record of
study, the synthesis of this data for a single comprehensive system must have
started from te history of Buddhism. Buddhist cosmology is the only religion that can explain the structure
of the universe and tell you how all beings have relations with its existence. Being proficient in the study of cosmology
will tell us why we are born and how to develop ourselves into a better life.
The picture of the world presented in Buddhist cosmological
descriptions cannot be described literally, with a literal description, or by
any scientific experiment. This picture
may be inconsistent with astronomical data that has been used up to the present
day. However, it can be perceived by
everyone through the means of meditation: the entire universe has been seen through the Dibbayacakkhu (the divine
eyes) by the Lord Buddha and people who have trained the mind enough to
perceive the existence of all worlds and their interrelatedness.
The Book of Buddhist Cosmology
