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By Jayaram V
The Buddha was silent about the existence of God. He said to
have
denied any first cause or the Cause of the Causes as the source
of all creation. Creation, according to early Buddhism, is an ongoing
and ever continuous process, which is without a beginning and without
an end.
All the things that exist in all the worlds are subject to infinite
changes. They are becoming continuously, becoming from something
into another thing. They pass from state of existence into another,
go from one set of conditions to another. This process is continuous
and natural to the beings who are subject to change and impermanence.
It goes on till a being is full liberated through attainment of
Niravana. Becoming is thus the inexorable law and the fundamental
Truth of our existence.
The Buddha denied the existence of God. But he confirmed the
existence of other worlds, of heavens and hells populated by celestial
beings, some of whom even bore the name of Hindu gods. In the early
Buddhist literature, the Buddha himself was described as having
gone to the heavens and meeting with the gods. The scriptures also
quoted instances of gods descending down to the earth to witness
some momentous events in the life of the Buddha.
Prominent among the Buddhist gods are Sakka and Brahma. Sakka
is like the Indra of the Buddhist pantheon. He is the ruler of gods
and stays in the world of desires. Brahma is the overlord of the
highest heavens, the Brahma lokas. He is is mentioned frequently
in the Buddhist scriptures. In Buddhism he becomes a follower of
the Buddha, as if he has become converted to Buddhism by the Buddha
himself.
The gods are not immortal, though they may live longer than the
earthly beings. They also are subject to decay and change, and the
process of becoming. The intensity and the manner in which these
processes take place however may be different and involve longer
periods of time. But like any other beings, they are with a beginning
and an end.
They are inferior in status to the Arhats who have attained Nirvana.
The gods were also from the lower worlds originally, but slowly
and gradually graduated themselves into higher worlds by virtue
of their past deeds and cultivation of virtuous qualities. Since
there are many heavens and higher worlds of Brahma, these gods may
evolve progressively from one heaven to another through their merit
or descend into lower worlds due to some misfortune or right intention.
The gods of Buddhism are therefore not immortal. Neither their position
in the heavens is permanent. They may however live for longer durations
of time. One of the Buddhist Sutras states that a hundred years
of our existence is equal to one day and one night in the world
of the thirty three gods. Thirty such days add up to their one month.
Twelve such months become their one year, while they live for a
thousand such years. If we translate this into our time frame, each
Buddhist should live for a minimum of thirty six million years.
The Buddhist worlds or heavens are of two types: rupa lokas (world
of forms) and arupa lokas (world of the formless). These worlds
exist in two different planes. The plane immediately above ours
hosts the Worlds of Desires (Kama Lokas) and the one above that,
the Worlds of Brahma (Brahma Lokas).
The Worlds of Desires (Kama Lokas):
The worlds of desire are six in number. They all are rupa lokas,
which means the worlds of forms. Shapes, sizes, forms, movements
populate and define these worlds. These heavens are attained by
the merit of good deeds. These worlds are described below:
The first world: At the lowest of the hierarchy are the
five worlds of men, demons, ghosts, animals and purgatory.
The second world: This is the world of The Four Great
Guardians who rule the four quarters.
The third world: This is the Tavatimsa Heaven where reside
the thirty three gods. Sakka is their chief. In nature and status
he is equivalent to the Indra of Hindu pantheon.
The fourth world: Known as the Tusita heaven, here the
Bodhisattvas await their rebirth on earth as the future Buddhas.
Gautama Buddha resided here before he was born on earth. Presently
Maitreya Buddha is said to be residing here here, awaiting his next
birth on earth.
The fifth world: This is the abode of the Nimmanarati
Gods
The sixth world: This is the Highest world in the plane
of Desires, where reside the Paranimitta Gods
Brahma Lokas (Brahma Worlds)
In the worlds of Brahma there are both the worlds of forms and
the worlds of the formless. The Brahma worlds are organized in the
following manner:
I. The sixteen rupa lokas stand at the lowest level in
this plane. They are free from kama vasanas. But beings of this
world are still conditioned by form and have to deal with forms.
These heavens are attained by the practice of the Four Noble Truths.
II. The four highest heavens, stand above the rest of
the planes and worlds. They are free from sensuous desires, and
devoid of all forms. These worlds are attained by the practices
of the Four Formless Truths.
Thus early Buddhism recognizes 26 heavens or worlds of existence.
It must be remembered that existence in these worlds was not considered
as a great attainment by the early Buddhist monks. For them Nirvana
was the the highest and the ultimate goal to strive for and achieve.
Suggested Further Reading
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