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The Buddha discovered reality of time and space more than 2,500 years ago. The Buddha maintained that time does not exist. The past and future are just illusions. When you watch a movie, you see moving pictures. But in fact, you are seeing a succession of still pictures, totalling 24-26 pictures per second. We think that time moves like the flow of water. This is all illusion. We think that we see light from a candle. In fact, the light comes into being and passes out, only to come into being and pass out again. This happens so fast that we see only the light and don't see the darkness after the light passes out.
To be more precise, time exists only in the present. The past can be the future and the future can be the past, depending on relativity. Anybody who has perfected meditation can see the present state clearly and thoroughly, which is the secret of our universe.
If you can build a spaceship that can travel at the speed of light, time will stop. It is impossible to build a physical spaceship to challenge the speed of time, but the Buddha's spirit, which exists in an abstract form, can travel faster than the speed of light. In a second, his mind travels to the edge of the universe, allowing him to see all realms in different dimensions. The Buddha pointed out that there are 31 realms of existence - comprising the realms of the lower beings, human beings and angels.
The Buddha travelled to the Tavatimsa realm of heaven to preach to his mother. He compressed time so that the dimensions of the earth's time and the Tavatimsa's time were the same before setting off on the journey. He delivered a sermon to his mother and other devas before returning to earth. During the Buddha's absence the time that lapsed on earth was about three months, though he spent only a few hours in the Tavatimsa dimension. When he returned to earth, he walked slowly and revealed the realms of heavens for all beings to witness. His movements captured the imaginations of Thai artists, who built Phra Leela images, or the Walking Buddha. If you visit the Marble Temple or Wat Benjamaborphit, you can see a Phra Leela masterpiece built during the Sukhothai period.
Yet in all these realms, beings still go through the cycle of birth and rebirth, subject to the three characteristics of existence - anicca (impermanence), dukkha (suffering) and anatta (nothingness). To break from this cycle of suffering, we have to purify the spirit from all desire and illusion. Then we will achieve the state of blissfulness - not coming into being, not dying, not subject to time.
In Buddhist terms, our spirit, which exists in abstract and in energy-like form, has no beginning and no end, just like the universe, which comes into being, holds on to its status before passing away, only to repeat the cycle again and again. Only human beings can transcend this cycle of rebirth and death, by a process of enlightenment.
THE TIME AND SPACE FOR ALL LIVING BEINGS
The term "all living beings" includes not only human beings but also encompasses beings in the other five realms of existence: celestial beings, asuras, animals, hungry ghosts, and beings in the hell realm. What is the time and space for all living beings within the six realms of existence?
We will first talk about time.
A. Ksana
In Buddhism, a "ksana" is the smallest unit of time. Within the context of how we measure time today, it is approximately one seventy-fifth of a second. It is very brief. In Buddhism, how do we gauge such a short duration of time?
A reflection is a moment of thought; one human reflection takes up ninety ksanas.
Within one ksana, there are nine hundred instances of arising and ceasing.
There are 32,820,000 ksanas in one day.
From the descriptions above, we can glean that the arising and ceasing within a ksana occurs very rapidly. During any particular moment, we see flowers as red and leaves as green. In reality, they are constantly changing from ksana to ksana, and after a while, they will wilt. Within each ksana, they are perpetually growing and wilting. Take the example of a table: we see it standing firmly. However, if we were to look at it under an electron microscope, we would see that the internal fiber structure of the wood is changing, expanding and contracting as it decays from ksana to ksana. In a few years, this table will no longer be any good. In this world, how can there be any flowers and grass that will never wilt? How can there be any tables that will not be subjected to destruction? Because all phenomena and existences are arising from ksana to ksana, all phenomena and existence are therefore ceasing from ksana to ksana. There is a saying, "When a young man snaps his fingers, sixty-three ksanas have gone by." Time goes by very fast. Youth can disappear in a flash. A ksana is indeed an extremely brief and short span of time.
B. Asamkhya Kalpa
In Buddhism, a very long period of time is called an "asamkhya kalpa." It is a very, very long period of time; the duration of an "asamkhya kalpa" is so long that any attempts to describe it in words would be difficult. At this time, let me talk about two lesser units of time within an "asamkhya kalpa" so that you can have some general references.
"Mustard seed kalpa": Imagine if we were to take a huge container measuring ten kilometers on each side and fill it with mustard seeds. Then, every one hundred years, we were to remove one seed. The time it would take to empty the container of all the mustard seeds is one "mustard seed kalpa." Exactly how long a "mustard seed kalpa" is would probably have to be determined with the help of several computers.
"Boulder kalpa": Imagine if we were to take a huge boulder measuring ten kilometers on each side and sand the boulder with a piece of sandpaper every one hundred years. The time it would take to sand down the boulder to dust is "one boulder kalpa." This period of time is much longer than that of a "mustard seed kalpa."
Within the Buddhist time scale, both the "mustard seed kalpa" and the "boulder kalpa" are only considered to be minor kalpas. In contrast, the duration of a major kalpa like the "asamkhya kalpa" is so immeasurable and infinite that it is beyond words.
C. Life Span of Living Beings
Lives of living beings never remain still. Like bubbles on the surface of water, they arise as suddenly as they disappear, each with a different life span. Human beings typically can live to about a hundred; some insects are born at dawn and are dead by dusk. To such an insect, one day is the equivalent of one hundred years in human terms. Tortoises, the longest living creatures on earth, can live up to two hundred and fifty years. Viruses probably perish in less than three hours. Although there is a huge difference between three hours and two hundred fifty years, nevertheless, each existence spans a lifetime. Elephants and dolphins can live to be ninety. Cows, horses, monkeys, and dogs generally last fifteen to twenty years. Rats may live for three to four years. Although flies and mosquitoes can only live for a period of about seven days, this is still a lifetime. The life span of a living beinghether it is a day, a few hours, a century, or two hundred and fifty yearsay seem lengthy by worldly standards.
However, in the unlimited extent of time and space, these lengths of time are still quite brief. Why? According to Buddhist scriptures, there are beings with much longer life span than human beings. The realm above humans is the celestial realm consisting of many heavens. The heaven closest to us is called the "Caturmaharaja Heaven." Beings in "Caturmaharaja Heaven" can live to five hundred celestial years, or 25,000 human years. Above that is the "Trayastrimsat Heaven." Beings in "Trayastrimsat Heaven" can live to 50,000 human years. Beings in "Yama Heaven" have life span of around 400,000 human years. Beings in "Tusita Heaven" live for about 1,600,000 human years. Beings in the yet higher "Nirmanarati Heaven" can live for as long as 6,400,000 human years. Beyond the heavens in the realm of desire are the heavens of the realm of forms. The length of the life span there is beyond our comprehension. Within the heaven of forms is the "ParanirmitaVasavartin Heaven." Beings there can live to be what is the equivalent of 25,600,000 human years. Such long life span really stretches our imagination. Beyond the heavens in the realm of forms are the heavens in the realm of formlessness. Beings in this realm can live to 80,000 major kalpas. The duration of such a life span is incomprehensible. Regardless of how long these beings live, they are nonetheless still trapped in the cycle of rebirth. They still cannot transcend the boundary of time and space.
Conversely, below the human existence, the hungry ghosts of the Avici Hell suffer tremendously. Their ever-expansive bodies and their ever-conscious minds experience relentless torments. Furthermore, time in the Avici Hell stretches out endlessly. The sufferings from the incessant punishments are beyond description. The scriptures give this descriptive example of "a hungry ghost awaiting for spittle." There was a hungry ghost in hell who had been starving for a very long time. As he had not eaten anything for a long time, his hunger was unbearable. Every day, he painfully yearned for anything to eat. Eventually, he spotted a person who was about to spit. He eagerly waited for this person to spit so that he could consume the spittle. He waited and waited. During his wait, he saw a city crumbled and rebuilt seven times. Countless time passed before he finally got the spittle. In hell, where there is no day or night, time stretches out frighteningly long.
Let us now talk about space. In Buddhism, the largest unit of space is called a "Buddhaksetra" or Buddha Land, and the smallest unit of space is called a "suksma" or dust grain. Despite their differences in names, both terms ultimately describe the three thousand chiliocosms (major universe), which is endless, immeasurable, unlimited and unbounded.
How big is the universe? Modern astronomy says that the planet earth on which we live is only a part of the solar system. Earth is only 1/1,300,000th the size of the sun. In other words, the sun is 1,300,000 times the size of earth. In the expansive space, the Milky Way galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars, and a universe probably has hundreds of million of galaxies like the Milky Way. Just try to imagine the vast immenseness of the universe!
On the other end of the scale, modern physics analyzes matter into ever smaller particles called atoms, protons, electrons or neutrons. A suksma is even smaller than a neutron. For example, a piece of ox hair is very small. If we examine the tip of the ox hair under a high-powered microscope, we would discover that it is made up of many smaller elements. Similarly, a suksma is tens of thousands times smaller than anything we commonly know. Our little finger may look clean and spotless, yet it actually harbors millions of dust particles and microorganisms. Each eye of a housefly consists of four thousand lenses. Such spatial dimension is so minute that it is undetectable by the naked human eyes.
With the help of modern laboratory equipment, technology has provided us with a broad and detailed understanding of the time and space in which we live. When we learn of these modern interpretations based on scientific research, we realize that the universe is indeed extremely vast and deep. However, the dimensions offered by these interpretations are nonetheless small and shallow when we consider time and space from the Buddhist perspective. Why? In Buddhism, time and space are immense without an outer limit and yet miniscule without an inner limit. Time and space are immeasurable and boundless. Today we are here talking; by tomorrow this speech can be televised to all of Taiwan. The following day, it can be translated and distributed to the world in printed form. In the future, it can be published as a book to build Dharma connections with tens of millions of people everywhere in the world. The Buddhist Dharma is forever beyond the limits of time and space.
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In South Park's "Super Best Friends," Joseph Smith, the Buddha, Jesus, an unknown Muslim figure, Moses, and Krishna star. In "God's a Buddhist" (Episode 11, Season 4) God confesses he's Buddhist.
Do Buddhists Believe in God?
Text: Buddhist writer and teacher Lewis Richmond (Huffington Post)
In my upcoming book Aging as a Spiritual Practice (Gotham
But I wasn't just being polite. I was raised in a Christian church and went to Christian Sunday school. My favorite song as a child was "God is Love." After graduating from college, for a year I attended Christian seminary, with the idea of becoming a minister.
I didn't become a dedicated Buddhist until some time after that. I am comfortable with the word God.
It's true that by saying "Yes" I was also making an effort to establish some common ground. It was live radio, our time slot was 20 minutes and I was there to discuss a just-released book. I didn't want to spend the whole time trying to explain what Buddhists believe.
Also, I felt that a more nuanced answer, however I couched it, would have come across as some version of "No." I sensed the need to give a definitive answer. The answer I gave came closest to what was so for me - understanding that I was not trying to speak for the world's 320 million Buddhists, but only for myself.
The host knew I was a Buddhist; I was on her show to discuss my book, Healing Lazarus: A Buddhist's Journey from Near Death to New Life. I sensed from the way she posed her question that all she really wanted to know was whether I was a person of religious conviction and belief - a person of faith. And I am.
I'm an ordained Buddhist priest - a religious professional. My daily religious practice is the center of my life. I lead meditation groups, I am training and ordaining other priests. In that context, "Yes" is the best answer. More
* Early Buddhism and the God-Idea
* Buddhism in
There are, in fact, many "gods" (devas and brahmas, deities and divinities). There is, however, no ultimate "creator God," creator of the universe and its lawful (regular and dependable) operations such as karma, physics, chemistry, metaphysics, and the like.
There are many celestial space worlds, other planets, other dimensions, exalted and rarified. However joyful, long lived, glorious, or peaceful, none is permanent. Rebirth there ultimately leads to rebirth elsewhere. Only nirvana transcends the round of birth and death.
Therefore, Buddhists may wish to be reborn in a heaven with the God or gods of their choice. That is fine. That is perfectly fine. Even the gods are subject to karma. Even the gods ultimately fall to meet with the results of their less than skillful karma (intentional actions).
The best candidate for the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible is Buddhism's Maha Brahma ("Great Supremo). Why this sexless super being is called the great is a little difficult to understand. It is the lowlest of brahmas ("supremes"). The "supremes" themselves are subordinate to beings confusingly called devas ("shining ones"). The confusion stems from the fact that lesser beings are also referred to as devas.
Devas in art are represented as wispy, graceful, and crowned with space helmets.
For example, nature has "shining ones" (beautiful elementals, woodland fairies, dryads, sea nymphs). The skies are inhabited by tangible celestial rulers in spacecraft (vimanas). A second celestial plane, on a planet or platform known as the Realm of the Thirty-Three, there are other higher order beings generally superior (longer life, greater beauty, more influence, etc.) to the many varieties and species on Earth and below.
The archangelic devas of the Thirty-Three have one being in particular, the "god of Buddhism" - Sakka, King of the Devas. He is famous for casting out the unruly elements in heavens, an act that demonized them, at least in terms of their anger. This would make Sakka the "St. Michael" of Christian lore. Why is he called "Michael"?
The most telling piece of evidence for this connection was turned up by Wisdom Quarterly's ongoing research. Before Sakka became Sakka (which is more of a station or office than a single individual in time and space), the Buddha points out, he was Magha of Macala.
The Realm of the Thirty-Three (Tavatimsa) is an advanced world in space.
The Buddha revealed the nature of the good karma that led to Magha's rebirth as a "king of kings" (maharajika devas), a "lord of lord" (archangels in the Realm of the Thirty-Three), and the "son of god" (devaputta, which is a common term that simply means he's a deva).
His fame on Earth is widespread and well known throughout Europe in various mythologies. Long before that, in India he was known as Indra. But cultures stretching back to Egypt and Sumeria (Sumer), Assyria and Babylonia, the imprint and theme of a "Sakka" is consistent.
But Sakka is by no means the only God in Buddhism. There is Maha Brahma, Sahampati Brahma, Baka Brahma. Buddhist cosmology recognizes 31 planes of existence, most of them deva realms corresponding karmically to the attainment of various levels of meditative absorption.
Such attainments are weighty karma that, if held at the time of death, lead to rebirth in those planes. In a very real sense, anyone capable of mastering these states can be a "god" (brahma). Rebirth in the six lower "heavenly" (sky, space) worlds is attained by wholesome karma coming to fruition as one passes away.
Keeping the Five or Eight Precepts - when those acts of abstaining from harming or engaging in their positive counterparts of helping come to fruition at the moment of passing away - naturally results a fortunate rebirth. This includes rebirth in the human world, which is an extremely rare event. Such is the power of karma, of reaping what we sow.
Devas rejoiced at the birth of Siddhartha, a deva in his preceding life.
The brahmas are well born. Maha Brahma is great among devas, hailed by Earthlings, and may represent itself as the "creator" of all. Buddhists do not believe in this God in the sense of depending or asking things of it. But many do ask things of earthbound and celestial devas. It was a long standing tradition in India.
The Buddha discouraged it, instead encouraging humans to remember the devas and rejoice in the good they have accomplished bearing in mind that they are capable of the exact same thing. It is quite within reach to be born among the devas (sons and daughters of the gods).
But there is an advantage to being born a human: It is said that this is the easiest world in which to attain final liberation, enlightenment, nirvana. Such an accomplishment is praised by the devas.
Gods, no Gods, theists, atheists, or non-theists, Buddhists may believe what they like. But liberation has little to nothing to do with a belief in gods. Coming across or experiencing the Dharma is far more rare than any belief.
* Do Buddhists believe in God?
* Do Buddhists believe in god?
Letting Go of God (yoism.org)
(TheHour) The famous atheist Richard Dawkins views religion as absurd and pointless. He says God is no different than the tooth fairy: "The God Delusion," a CBC interview.
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Matter and antimatter phenomenology (xenomorphic.co.uk)
A Step Closer to Explaining our Existence
John Roach (Cosmic Log, MSNBC)
Why are we here? It remains one of the most perplexing unexplained mysteries of the universe. But particle physicists are gaining more confidence in a result from an atom smashing experiment that could be a step toward providing an answer: We exist because the universe is full of matter and not the opposite, so-called antimatter. When the Big Bang occurred, equal parts of both should have been created and immediately annihilated each other, leaving nothing leftover to build the stars, planets, and us. More
During insight meditation the body becomes transparent and particles become visible in the mind door (Buddhist-images.co.uk)
Why do "we" exist? (Buddhism answers)
Dharmachari Seven (Wisdom Quarterly)
Of course, ultimately speaking, we do not. That is what it means to say all conditioned things are impersonal (not self, anatta). What are "conditioned things"? They are the constituents of being, of clinging, of the delusion that things are self, permanent, or able to bring lasting satisfaction. It should be more obvious that there is a self. But what is the nature of that self?
Self, soul, ego, personality, "I" all refer to five functionally integrated components - the physical and the psychological. The physical or material components of the self are the four characteristics of matter (called the Great Elements, mahabhuta). They further break down to what is called derived materiality* that make the sense organs, which are just configurations of the Four Great Elements. All of this is referred to as one group labelled "form."
The other Five Aggregates feel closer - sensations, perceptions, mental formations (such as volition), and consciousness. They cling to the illusion of a "self" inDEPENDENT OF THEM, IN POSSESSION OF THEM, CONTROLLING THEM. THE SELF ORIGINATES DEPENDENT ON THEM. THE ILLUSION OF OUR ACTUAL EXISTENCE ARISES DEPENDENTLY ORIGINATED ON THE AGGREGATION OF THESE FIVE GROUPS OF FACTORS. THAT IS THE SELF (SOUL, ATTA, ATMAN, I, ME, MINE)! BUT WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE SELF? LOOKED AT CLOSELY - IN A PARTICLE PHYSICS LAB (IN THE CASE OF FORM AND KALAPAS) OR IN A MEDITATION HALL AFTER EMERGING FROM THE FOUR ABSORPTIONS (IN THE CASE OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND CITTAS) - IT BECOMES PERFECTLY CLEAR THAT THEY ARE:
* RADICALLY IMPERMANENT (ARISING, TURNING, PASSING)
* unsatisfactory (disappointing, distressing, unpleasant)
* impersonal (not subject to control, following their own nature, not able to be clung to, dependent on karma, not self, not me, not mine, devoid of an owner and in that sense "empty").
It is completely incorrect to say we are "nothing." What we call a "self" is composed of many things. However, as with all "things," the composite is not what it seems.
Buddhist phenomenology, the "Five Aggregates of Clinging" (khandha)
UNDER THE PENETRATING ANALYSIS OF MEDITATION (FOR PURIFYING CONCENTRATION AND ANALYTICAL INSIGHT, JHANA AND VIPASSANA), EVEN FORM IS REVEALED. IN BUDDHIST PHYSICS, FORM IS SEEN AS KALAPAS ("PARTICLES OF PERCEPTION") AS EXPLAINED IN THE ABHIDHARMA. IN BUDDHIST PSYCHOLOGY, THE AGGREGATES OF SELF-AWARENESS ARE CALLED CITTAS (MIND MOMENTS, PROCESSES, consciousnesses, which make the most sense to me as being comparable to neuronal impulses, bearing in mind that there are neurons in the heart and throughout the gut as well as the spine, nerves innervating the body, and concentrating in the brainstem and cavity of the skull but in no way limited to the skull).
Why?
What is impelling the process, what causes the "self" to re-arise after passing away? Karma. This is not a guess. It is revealed by the insight-meditation practice of Dependent Origination, tracing back this life through the chain of causation, which the mind discovers is not in this life. It is not the same self - which is passing away all the time - but a self dependent past causes and present conditions.
Meditation (virtue, concentration, insight) is the key to realization.
Moral of the Story
All of this is directly, personally verifiable. We don't own a large hadron collider; yet, it is possible for the mind to be collected and intensified (through optimal-concentration, samma-samadhi) to discern kalapas. None of this is to be taken on faith. None of this is dogma. It is all experiential. And this is sure: If one does not make the effort to realize THE TRUTH (NOT "LEARN" IT OR "BELIEVE" BUT REALIZE IT FOR ONESELF), WHATEVER THE TRUTH IS, ONE WILL NOT BECOME ENLIGHTENED OR LIBERATED FROM IGNORANCE AND ILLUSION. WITHOUT LIBERATION, DISAPPOINTMENT IS CERTAIN (NOT EVENTUALLY BUT IN EVERY MOMENT).
Particle Physics
* That wily Higgs boson is running out of places to hide
* New subatomic particle: real or anomaly?
* Aging U.S. particle accelerator gets more time
* Seven smashing atom smashers
* Night vision contact lenses?
Buddhist Physics
* The Nature of Materiality (Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw)
* Mindfulness and Four Elements Meditation
* *What is "derived materiality"?
* The "Ultimate Teaching" (Abhidharma) on materiality
* The "divine eye" knows and sees (direct knowing)
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