Religion and Theology

Buddhists may know about the various planets and the sun as well as the wider cosmos, but have a very different idea to that generally held as to what actually constitutes the universe.  Buddhism is not concerned as are many religions, with how the universe came into existence- it was always there is their view.  They believe rather that all things and conditions are in a continual state of change and that ultimately nothing is fixed. The only things that do not ever alter are the universal laws of cause and effect. It follows that Buddhists see birth, maturing and eventual decay, as inevitable. Mahidol University, Bangkok, on their web page Buddhism , quote the Buddha as describing the existence of -

At least a billion other world-sun systems like our own, and as these grow old and die out new solar systems evolve and come into being.

This constant fluctuating state they feel is the same for all whether living beings, groups and societies and even states of mind. They hold that new forms evolve from the old and that each new condition arises in the form it does because of what has gone before. This Buddhist view of the universe is at the basis of their belief system and pattern for living.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 According to Doctor Senaka Ranasinghe within Buddhist thought the entire universe is made up of one web of energy. This Buddhist concept of the oneness of life and its environment is described as esho-funi in Mahayana Buddhism as stated by Yoichi Kawada in an article entitled Humanity Earth and the Universe. Kawada goes on to cite Miao-lo (711782C.E),
who stated  that while  a living being and its surrounding environment may seem to be
distinct and separate entities, they are rather to be considered as two facets of one undivided  reality.                                                                                                                                                                  
This energy in the universe exists in three forms  - as free energy, as matter and as forces. All of these energies are also present within the human body.

Free, or undifferentiated, energy is considered to be so pure that it is incapable of being perceived. In the human body this same energy is what is described as consciousness or Vinnana.

Matter is an expression of energy which is differentiated. Unlike free energy it can be easily perceived. In human terms matter is expressed by the physical body. All matter is said to have  four qualities that define it, these being heat, solidity, motion and liquidity. Matter varies an d this variation depends upon which of the four qualities is dominant.-

Solidity is predominant in the earth itself and in humans in the skeletal system as well as in the liver, the muscles and the kidneys.

Liquidity is obviously dominant in the earths various water features, but in man in such things as the saliva and the various other bodily secretions.

Motion is represented by the winds and in man by the rise and fall of the rib cage in respiration and by the circulatory system.

Heat is in earthquakes and fire and within the body it is found in the bile.

It is through his material body that man is capable of perceiving the universe. He sees with his eyes, smells with his nose, listens with his ears, tastes with his tongue, he has a sense of touch and a mind with which to think.

Forces are another form of differentiated energy that is produced by the movement of matter. There are said to be three forces which exist in the universe, these being   electricity, magnetism and gravity. Such forces do not exist in any material form such as particles or waves, but as an energy field which can be verified indirectly, as when Sir Isaac Newton observed the apple falling from the tree. Because of these forces the movements of matter throughout the universe are connected, which comes back to the idea of a complex energy web. Although these are three different forces they exist in unity producing a unified field - the thought force.  It is this that controls all movement throughout the universe. Moving matter gives rise to thought forces and these in their turn cause matter to move. Within the human body the thought force exists as the persons subconscious. It is by this force that he is connected as an individual to all other people and happenings in the cosmos. It is this subconscious force, known as Bhavanga which is believed to determine an individuals future.

Buddhists are not concerned with measuring the universe because it can be found both in the vastness of space and also in tiny things. The religion-religions.com web page Universe and Buddhism quotes Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, who said It is so large that it has no exterior, and so small that it has no interior. This is taken to mean that man is incapable of seeing the  universe to its very edges and is just as incapable of viewing its minutest part. He  also talked about the theory that there were some 3,000 such boundless universe in existance. The Buddha believed that within our own galaxy there were some 3,000 planets that have livng beings, and that even a grain of sand had  the sam enumber of boundless universes within it.

The Buddhist tourism web page in its article More Buddhist Principles of 2007, discusses the four fold Buddhist view of the universe. It is formed they believe not by any god, but as a result of the combined karma of all mankind, created out of what are described as mankinds five sorrows. The earth is created out of pride, water by lust, and fire caused by anger, the air by mans doubt, and space by his ignorance. These sorrows, when they become too great, are capable of destruction. From this premise earthquakes are caused by too much pride and so on. This so called right view of the universe determines the correct view of human life.  If someone sees the world as being caused  by the collective  Karma of peoples former  past lives and the consequent pain caused, and that person also  believes in the noble four fold paths they will  take the view  that the only true value of an individual life  is to get rid of the personal egoism that controls suffering  by following  the eight-fold  Path,  being neither proud of their material achievements  nor fearful of their future.

Just as there are various branches of many religions so it is in Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism perceives the universe as being populated by celestial buddhas, bodhisattvas,  that is those who have unselfishly forgone Nirvana in order to aid others, and gods who assist the person who practices Buddhism. Life is seen as a journey and death simply a return to earth to begin the cycle again. Something exists because something else also exists. One event occurs because something else has  already happened. Nothing exists in isolation and cannot exist without cause.

Many non Buddhists are aware of the Buddhist term Nirvana. This, as described by the Buddha, is neither matter nor energy of any type and does not exist as far as space and time are concerned, and so cannot be described or understood by the human mind in its normal state. It can therefore be said to lie outside the universe as ordinary man knows it. Yet in some mystical way it can be experienced in life if all egotism, selfishness and craving have died. Yet this is a state that continues within the universe as the person who has achieved Nirvana continues to act and work for the rest of their earthly life. Because all beings are seen as being facets of one thing the purpose of life within the universe is to develop an empathy with all living creatures of what ever kind and to work towards producing  peace and happiness for all.