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Cosmological Explanations of Buddhism - An Introduction

Ven. Dr. Beligalle Dhammajoti

According to the teachings of the Buddha, thinking about the world is called “loka-cintā,” but humans cannot gain the complete knowledge of the four fields of knowledge, viz:

  1. The sphere, scope or power of the Buddha (Buddha-visaya)
  2. The sphere of the meditative absorptions (Jhāna-visaya)
  3. The sphere of kamma (Kamma-visaya)
  4. The sphere of universe (Loka-visaya)

This means that complete knowledge of these four spheres is impossible and they are acinteyyāni - thoughts not to be thought out. Although we can obtain knowledge to a certain extent there would be no end to seeking or researching those fields. They are unthinkable, unimaginable, incomprehensible and impenetrable and they transcend the limits of thinking.

A unit of the universe is called “loka” or “lokadhātu” and another Pāli term for universe is “cakkavāla”. The term “cakka” (in Sanskrit, cakra) means wheel, cycles or something that is continuously turning. There are smaller world systems and also larger world systems. A somewhat wider sphere is perhaps indicated by “sabbaloka”.

The “kappa” (in Sanskrit, kalpa) means “World-period” and it is an inconceivable long period, an aeon. The Buddha explains:

How long a world-dissolution will continue, how long the chaos, how long the formation, how long the continuation of the formed world of these things, O Monks, one can hardly say that it will be so many years, or so many centuries or so many míllenniums or so many hundred thousand years.i

The world or universe has its kappas or evolutionaiy periods as follows:

  1. Sanvatta kappa - the ascending aeon or evolving cycle (or rolling forward)
  2. Sanvattatthāyi kappa - the period after the ascending aeon or the continuation
  3. Vivatta kappa - the descending aeon or devolving cycle (or rolling back)
  4. Vivattattāyi kappa - the period after the descending aeon or the continuation
  5. Sanvatta-vivatta kappa - a period within which evolution and dissolution of the world takes place; a complete world cycle.ii

These words clearly express the idea of constant change of everything - arising and disappearing. We sometimes find vivatta in the sense of renewal and sanvatta in the sense of distinction where we should expect the opposite meaning for each. The Pāli term “lokantara” means the space between the single worlds.

  1. When we consider the Buddha's appearance in the world, there are five kinds of kappas:
    1. Sāra-kappa - One Buddha is born in this kappa
    2. Manda-kappa - Two Buddhas are born
    3. Vara-kappa - Three Buddhas are born
    4. Sāramanda-kappa - Four Buddhas are born
    5. Bhadda-kappa - Five Buddhas are born and this is very rare.

Now we are in Bhadda-kappa in which five Buddhas are born and Gotama in this time period is the forth Enlightened One.iii

  1. The Buddha explains that there are three kinds of universal systems:
    1. Sahassi Cūlanikā lokadhātu 
      The system of the 1000 lesser worlds. It consists of l000 suns and 1000 moons and l000 places where there are living things.
    2. Dvisahassi Majjhimanikā lokadhātu 
      The Twice-a-thousand Middling thousand-fold world systems. It consists of 1000 Sahassi Cūlanikā lokadhātus or 1000 X 1000 lesser worlds.
    3. Tisahassi Mahāsahassi lokadhātu 
      The Thrice-a-thousand Mighty thousand-fold world system. lt consists of 1000 dvisahassi majjhiminikā lokadhātus or 1000 x 1000 x 1000 lesser worlds.iv

In some places of Pāli canonical texts and commentaries, we find a Pāli term, dasahassi lokadhātu or ten times-a-thousand-fold World systems which we cannot comprehend.v

The Buddha has mastered this field of knowledge by his full enlightenment (loka thatāgatena abhisambuddho) and he is also lokavidū or the knower of the universe.

  1. In the Samaññaphala Sutta, we find many Pāli terms pertaining to space (Ākāsa) and cosmology, such as:
    • Candaggaho - the moon-eclipse
    • Suriyaggaho - the sun-eclipse
    • Nakkhattaggaho - the seizure of a star (the disappearance of a planet)
    • Ukkapato - a meteor
    • Candimasuriyānam pathagamanam - usual course of the sun and moon
    • Candimasuriyānam uppathagamanam - unusual course of the sun and moon
    • Nakkhattānam pathgamanam usual course of the stars / planets
    • Nakkhattānam uppathagamanam - unusual course of the stars / planetsvi
  2. There are three kinds of Buddha-khettas or regions of the Buddhas:

Jātikkheta

A universal system on which the Buddha may be born. There can appear only one Buddha at a time. No Buddha can arise until the Order of the previous Buddha has completely disappeared from the world. When a Boddhisattva takes conception in his mother's womb in his last life after leaving a divine place (divya loka), there is manifested throughout these worlds a wonderful radiance and the ten thousand world systems tremble.vii

Ānakkheta

The region of authority and command of the Buddha.

Visayakkhetta

The region of Wisdom power of the Buddha.

  1. Though the Theravāda texts give scanty ideas of cosmology, the Mahayana texts contain many more details. Mahayana texts speak of incalculable stars and innumerable galaxies. The Mahāvastu explains that the Buddhakkhetta (region of the Buddha) is equivalent to 61 billion cosmos (61 x 1,000,000,000).

The Mahā-Prajñāpāramitā-Śāstra mentions millions of suns, moons and celestial abodes and it is said that a Buddhakkhetta or Buddhalokadhātu, the region of the Buddha's universal system is equivalent to the sands of the Ganges River in India. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra also explains the thousands of world systems. In this way the Mahayana tradition gives a number of discourses that help us to understand the universal systems. I assume that a day will come when modern cosmological scientists would have to go back to the ancient Buddhist texts and find the answers to the questions pertaining to the universal systems.

References:

i Angutara-nikāya, vol. IV, 156 and vol. VII, 62, P.T.S., London

ii Anguttara nikāya, V01. 11, 142, P.T.S., London

iii Buddhavansa Atthakathā, 158 f., P.T.S., London

iv Anguttara-nikāya, V01. 1, 226, P.T.S., London; 
Samyutta-nikāya Atthakathā, Vol. II, 525, P.T.S., London

v Buddhavansa Atthakathā, f. 158, P.T.S., London

vi Samaññaphala-Sutta, Digha-nikāya, vol. I, P.T.S., London

vii Digha-nikāya, vol II, f. 108 and Digha-nikāya Atthakathā, vol. III, 897, P.T.S., London

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