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Buddhist Concept of Being and the Origin of Life

Buddhism sees things from a different perspective. It has its own profound and solid vision of the world and beings in the world. Basically, Buddhism never believes that a creator created the world and beings. The Buddhist perspective is that beings are roaming from one world system to another, from one realm to another. This is very clearly shown in the Aggañña Sutta of the Digha Nikāya. According to Buddhism, beings are born again and again, and die again and again. This is a cycle, which is formally called "samsāra" or the "samsāric cycle". It is clear to everybody that in a cycle, one cannot find a beginning. In many of his wonderful and marvelous discourses delivered throughout the 45 years of his ministry, the Buddha has very clearly and vividly said over and over again, this samsāra is without discoverable beginning. Therefore, the absolute first point of beings cannot be traced.

On the day of attaining his Perfect Enlightenment, the Buddha traced back his previous lives through the special knowledge that he had gained (Pubbe nivāsa anussati ñāna). He recollected one life, two lives, three lives, four lives, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty, ninety, hundred, thousand, hundred thousands, millions, billions, trillions, eons and eons of lives, how he lived in the different realms. Then he saw his mother, father, brothers, sisters, and other family members in different existences with him also.

But the Buddha himself could not trace back to the very first point of even his own life, unless this had been all he did throughout his lifetime. So, having realized that it was a useless effort and an unbeneficial for the realization of Nibbana; he went forward for the realization of the complete destruction of cankers and the attainment of Enlightenment. Upon a later occasion, He said, "Monks, this samsāra is without discoverable beginning. A first point is not discerned of beings roaming and wandering [onward] hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving. Whenever you see anyone in misfortune, in misery, you can conclude: ' We too have experienced the same thing in this long course'. For what reason? Because, monks, this samsāra is without discoverable beginning." (Samyutta Nikāya- Anamatagga Samyutta) In order to understand this further, let us take another example given by the Buddha in the Cula Mālunkyaputta Sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya. Once while the Buddha was living at Sāvatthi in the Jeta's park, Venerable Mālunkyaputta was alone in meditation. He was contemplating thusly, "These speculative views have been left undeclared by the Blessed One, set aside and rejected by him, namely: 'the world is eternal', and 'the world is not eternal'; 'the world is finite' and 'the world is infinite'; ' the soul is the same as the body' and 'the soul is one thing and the body another'; and 'after death a Tathāgata (Enlightened One) exists' and 'after death a Tathāgata does not exist' and after death a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist' and 'after death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist'. The Blessed One does not declare these to me, and I do not approve of and accept the fact that he does not declare these to me, so I shall go to the Blessed One now and ask him the meaning of this. If he declares [all thus] to me, then I will lead the holy life under him; if he does not declare these to me, then I will abandon the training and return to the lay life."

With these foolish thoughts, he went to the Buddha and asked why? The Buddha explained that there was no such bond between the Buddha and him at the time of his ordination. In giving further explanation, the Buddha gave this classic example to him, saying, "Mālunkyaputta, if anyone would say 'I will not lead the holy life under the Blessed One until the Blessed One declares to me the world is eternal...or after death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist'; that would still remain undeclared by the Tathāgata and meanwhile that person would die.

"Suppose, Mālunkyaputta, a man were wounded by an arrow thickly smeared with poison, and his friends and companions, his kinsmen and relatives, brought a surgeon to treat him. The man would say: ' I will not let the surgeon pull out this arrow until I know whether the man who wounded me was a noble or a brahman or a merchant or a worker.' And he would say: 'I will not let the surgeon pull out the arrow until I know the name and clan of the man who wounded me; ... until I know whether the man who wounded me was tall or short or of middle height... until I know whether the man who wounded me was dark or brown or golden-skinned.. until I know whether the man who wounded me lives in such a village or town or city... until I know whether the bow that wounded me was a long bow or a crossbow;... until I know whether the bowstring that was wounded me was fiber or reed or sinew or hemp or bark;... until I know whether the shaft that wounded me was wild or cultivate;... until I know with what kind of feathers the shaft that wounded me was fitted-whether those of a vulture or a heron or a hawk or a peacock or a stork;...until I know with what kind of sinew the shaft that wounded me was bound-whether that of an ox or a buffalo or a deer or a monkey;... until I know what kind of arrow it was that wounded me- whether it was hoof-tipped or curved or barbed or calf-toothed or oleander.

"All this would still not be known to that man and meanwhile he would die. So too Mālunkyaputta, if anyone should say that I would not lead the holy life under the Blessed One until the Blessed One declares to me,' the world is eternal... or after death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist'; that would still remain undeclared by the Tathāgata and meanwhile that person would die.

"Mālunkyaputta, if there is the view, 'the world is eternal' the holy life cannot be lived, and if there is the view, 'the world is not eternal', the holy life cannot be lived. Whether there is the view 'the world is eternal' or the view 'the world is not eternal'; there is birth, there is ageing, there is death, there is sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair, the destruction of which I prescribe here and now. Therefore, Mālunkyaputta, remember what I have left undeclared as undeclared and remember what I have declared as declared. And what have I left undeclared: 'The world is eternal'- I have left undeclared. 'The world is not eternal'- I have left undeclared. 'The world is finite' – I have left undeclared. 'The world is infinite'- I have left undeclared. 'The soul is the same as the body'- I have left undeclared. 'The soul is one thing and the body is another'- I have left undeclared. 'After death a Tathāgata exists'- I have left undeclared. 'After death a Tathāgata does not exist'- I have left undeclared. 'After death a Tathāgata both exists and does not exist'- I have left undeclared. 'After death a Tathāgata neither exists not does not exist'- I have left undeclared.

"Why have I left that undeclared? Because it is unbeneficial, it does not belong to the fundamentals of the holy life, it does not lead to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna. That is why I have left it undeclared.

"And what have I declared? 'This is unsatisfactory'- I have declared. 'This is the origin of unsātisfactoriness'- I have declared. 'This is the cessation of unsātisfactoriness'- I have declared. 'This is the way leading to the cessation of unsātisfactoriness'- I have declared.

"Why have I declared that? Because it is beneficial, it belongs to the fundamentals of the holy life; it leads to disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna. That is why I have declared it."

The word used in Buddhist language (Pāli) for being is "satta". In Sanskrit it is "sakta" meaning, the one who has clung to something. Most Buddhists know well the term "Bodhisatta or "Bodhisatva". Bodhisatta is the one who has clung to the Bodhi, the enlightenment, who has entirely dedicated himself to attain Enlightenment.

Satta as mentioned earlier, means clinging. So, to what does he/she or it cling to? He/she or it has clung to the five aggregates. That is why he/she or it is called satta, being.

So what are the five aggregates?

Form aggregate
Feeling aggregate
Perception aggregate
Volitional formation aggregate
Consciousness aggregate

In short, the one who has clung to these five aggregates is called satta or being. There are many different kinds of beings in the world. The Buddha once said that 'beings' was a subject that should not be contemplated upon as it is a vast and endless, subject. Since one cannot reach a conclusion on this subject, our short precious lifespan becomes wasted with this pursuit. Addressing the monks, the Buddha once said, "Monks, just as a stick thrown up into the air falls now on its bottom, now on its top, so too as beings roam and wander on hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving, they go from this world to the other world; they come from the other world to this world, [and] for what reason; because they have not seen the Four Noble Truths."

On one occasion, Ven. Samiddhi went to the Buddha and said, "Venerable Sir, it is said, 'a being, a being'. In what way venerable Sir, might there be 'a being' or the description of a being?" The Buddha replied, "Where there is the eye, Samiddhi, where there are forms, eye consciousness, thing to be cognized by eye-consciousness, there a being exists or the description of a being. Where there is the ear, where there is sound, ear- consciousness, things to be cognized by ear-consciousness, there a being exists or the description of a being. Where there is nose, where there is smell, nose-consciousness, things to be cognized by nose-consciousness, there a being exists or the description of a being. Where there is tongue, where there is taste, tongue-consciousness, things to be cognized by tongue-consciousness, there a being exists or the description of a being. Where there is body Samiddhi, where there are tangibles, body-consciousness, things to be cognized by body-consciousness, there a being exists or the description of a being. Where there is mind Samiddhi, where there are mental phenomena, mind-consciousness, things to be cognized by mind-consciousness, there a being exists or the description of a being."

As the Buddha explains, there is no permanent entity to be called a being, but the existence of different senses, their external bases and respective consciousness. When these are combined well; togetherness of the three (eye, forms, and consciousness) is called contact, dependent on contact feelings come to be, dependent on feelings craving comes to be, dependent of craving attachment comes to be, dependent on attachment existence comes to be, dependent on existence birth comes to be, dependent on birth decay, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, despair and whole mass of suffering come to be (this is the appearance of a being). So, the arising of this mass of suffering is the arising of a being.

On another occasion, when the Buddha delivered the sermon of 'The Exposition of the Elements' to Pukkusa, the Buddha said that this so called man is nothing but elements, bases and mental explorations. "Monk, this person consists of six elements, six bases of contact, and eighteen kinds of mental exploration and he has four foundations... when the tides of conceiving no longer sweep over him he is called a sage at peace." (M.N. 140 Sutta)

In accordance with the teaching of the Buddha, there is no person to be grasped as 'I' 'my' or 'myself'. Things are interdependent and conditioned. All conditioned things have three characteristics. 1-There is an origination. 2- a cessation, and 3- an ever-changing existence (uppādo paññāyati, vayo paññāyati, thitassa aññatattam paññāyati).

In this body, every molecule exists for only a moment. It is because of not understanding, not realizing this nature of continual change, that all beings are attached to their body and keep the notion that 'I' exist. They then take as 'this is mine, this I am, this is myself’. However, when one sees five aggregates (being) as they really are through tranquilized mind and insight meditation, one comes to realize and understand that there is no such thing within or without to be grasped as 'I', 'my' or 'myself'; where one realizes that whatever the thing may be, 'it is not mine, not I am, not myself. With that realization, one can realize the nature of existence in the world and beings completely. Then he or she starts to detach from all attachments and lives an unattached life. One such as this, exists neither on the near nor the farther shore; nor both the hither and the farther shore. He, totally un-distressed and unbound, is called an Enlightened One.

Let us all understand this Dhamma and practice it throughout our lifetime, so that we all can realize the three characteristics of existence, dependent origination and the Four Noble Truths as the realization of Nibbāna here in this very life.

May you all, May we all, attain Supreme Bliss of Nibbāna!

Perfect Personality Through Meditation and Right Perception

Buddhist Meditation is a mental development (Bhāvana). When one’s mind is developed, one’s perception of 'being' and the 'world' becomes more and more clear. Eventually such a person becomes a perfect person. He or she is an enlightened one in the world, one who has no further perverted perception (saññā vipallāsa).

The English term "meditation" does not give the real meaning of Buddhist mental development. The meaning given in the Oxford Dictionary for the word 'meditation' is, "The practice of thinking deeply in silence, especially for religious reasons or in order to make your mind calm". In contrast, Buddhist meditation is not merely deep thinking or calming the mind.

However, meditation is a very popular topic these days and many around the world practice many varieties and versions. Meditation is a wonderful trend in the present world system, which everyone should appreciate.

The necessity for meditation in the world has arisen due to so called ‘development’ which in turn creates stress, depression, anxiety, and frustration. This ‘development’ only emphasizes the accumulation of the materials giving rise to artificially inflating ego or the self-centered personality.

This is not a sustainable development since development should be both material and spiritual. For the last decade, especially in the West, people did not realize the necessity of spiritual development. But today, more people are seeking spiritual guidance as more spiritual courses and classes are being offered and conducted.

Once the Buddha said, "I don't envision a single thing that when developed and cultivated leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind, when developed and cultivated leads to great benefit."[i] Development of mind, in the teaching of the Buddha is different from many other techniques that have been introduced in many non-Buddhist institutions around the world today. In fact, that is one of the major differences between Buddhism and other faiths (development of mind).

Mental development in Buddhism leads to the complete extirpation of all impurities or latent tendencies of mind culminating in the path, fruits and ultimate bliss of Nibbana. It is according to Buddhism, the only way to realize the Four Noble Truths.

Once the Buddha took up a little bit of soil in his fingernail and addressing the monks said, "What do you think, monks, which are more; the little bit of soil in my fingernail or the great earth?" The monks replied, "Venerable sir, the great earth is more, the little bit of soil that the Blessed one has taken up in his fingernail is trifling." The Buddha then said, "So too monks, those beings are few who are reborn among humans but are more numerous who are reborn elsewhere. [This is] for what reason? [It is] because they have not seen the Four Noble Truths."[ii]

Beings are born into the 31 realms of existence again and again which is called samsāra. They are hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving. Therefore, all beings are really trapped in this cycle of births and deaths. In comparison to some other beings in the lower realms, such as animal, we humans have a developed mind, which can be further developed. In the teachings of the Buddha, there is a proper way to develop this mind. As most Buddhists know well, the admonition of all the Buddhās is to avoid all evil, do what is good, and develop mind. The Buddha of our era, Sakyamuni Gotama has dissected both mind and matter, has very clearly defined mind and matter, expounding the way to develop mind and reach the highest goal of Nibbāna[iii].

Perverted Perception and Right Perception

Perception simply means the way that we notice things through our senses. We all have our own perception of things in the world. According to Eastern thought there are six senses, they are: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. In practicing Buddhist meditation or mental development, we all strive to understand these six senses and their concomitances as they really are. Those who have perverted perception always see things in a wrong manner. They strive to grasp things as their own. However, the world is not to be grasped but lived in peacefully and harmoniously, using life and earth resources in a non-destructive way. The Buddha said,"There is nothing to cling to in the world".[iv]

When the mind is well developed through mental development, one's perception becomes very sharp and clear with right understanding. This right understanding is very significant from the beginning to the end of Buddhist practice. When the perception is clear with insightfulness, one's perception becomes a right perception, which leads to an extrasensory perception. This is the way to see things as they really are, the result of Vipassana or insight meditation.

Perception has been very clearly spelled out by the Buddha in the Madhupindika Sutta of the Majjima Nikāya. The Buddha said, "Dependent on the eye and forms, eye-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition there is feeling. What one feels, one perceives. What one perceives that one thinks about. What one thinks about that one mentally proliferates. With what one has mentally proliferated as the source, perceptions and notions [born of] mental proliferation beset a man with respect to past, present, and future forms cognizable through the eye. Dependent on the ear and sounds... Dependent on the nose and odors... Dependent on the tongue and flavors... Dependent on the body and tangibles... Dependent on the mind and mind objects, mind-consciousness arises. The meeting of the three is contact. With contact as condition, there is feeling. What one feels that one perceives. What one perceives that one thinks about. What one thinks about that one mentally proliferates. With what one has mentally proliferated as the source, perceptions and notions [born of] mental proliferation beset a man with respect to past, present, and future, mind-objects cognizable through the mind."[v]

Most of us in society have wrong perceptions; so, with a wrong perception would anyone come to a right conclusion? Through this perverted perception, one would never come to a right or harmonious perception and with the result of that the whole process of thinking becomes wrong. When one's pattern of thinking is wrong, one's vision, view or understanding, becomes wrong. When one has wrong understanding, one's intention becomes wrong, when one has wrong intention, his/her speech becomes wrong-speech, when one's speech is wrong, action becomes wrong, when one's action is wrong, way of living becomes wrong, when one's way of living is wrong, one’s effort becomes wrong, when one's effort is wrong, one's mindfulness becomes wrong, when one's mindfulness is wrong his/her concentration becomes wrong. Then with a wrong concentration (meditation) one does never does achieve right Liberation.

On the other hand, for the right liberation one should have a right concentration. For the right concentration one needs right mindfulness, for the right mindfulness, a right effort, for the right effort, right living, for the right living, right action, for the right action, right speech, for the right speech, right intention, for the right intention, one should have a right and clear vision. This is what we call right understanding. This is how one's perception becomes right perception; then such a personality becomes a perfect personality.

Five aggregates and six elements

When we examine perception, we should understand well that one's perception of being or oneself should be more and more clear. It is because of wrong perception and wrong understanding of this mass of suffering, the evanescent phenomena (five aggregates of clinging) that beings are born again and again to suffer in existences. This so-called man, woman, "being", "I", or the five aggregates are certainly empty of a permanent entity. They all are impermanent, unsatisfactory and soullessness. The Buddha, in many discourses, especially in the Khanda Samyutta of the Samyutta Nikāya, vividly and categorically illustrates the real nature of five aggregates. Those Five aggregates are as follows.

Form aggregate
Feeling aggregate
Perception aggregate
Volitional formations aggregate
Consciousness aggregate.

According to the Buddhist scriptures, birth of a being is the appearance of aggregates (khandhānam pātubhāvo) and the gaining of the six senses (āyatanānam patilabho). In the Dhatuvibhanga sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya,[vi] the Buddha clearly said that this ‘so called person’ is nothing but the six elements, six bases of contact, and eighteen kinds of mental exploration.

So what are the six elements; earth element, water element, fire element, wind element, space element and consciousness element. The six bases are the six sense-bases as said previously. The eighteen kinds of mental explorations take place together with the arising of feeling. Feeling arises dependent on contact. The togetherness of the sense-base, its external object, and the respective sense-consciousness is called contact. Whenever there is contact, there arise three kinds of feeling namely; pleasant feeling, painful feeling, and neither painful nor pleasant feeling. When these three kinds of feelings arise in each sense dependent upon contact, it is called 'exploration'. So there are eighteen kinds of exploration.

Therefore, we all have to understand that this man or woman is nothing but mentality and materiality (nāma rupa). According to the Dependent Origination (paticcasamuppāda) six senses come to be because of mentality and materiality. It further illustrates that contact comes to be because of six senses. Now this point of contact is very significant in the whole process of right understanding. It is because of contact that feeling arises. It is because of contact that perception arises. It is because of contact volitional formations arise. That is why it is so important for us to understand the deeper aspects of the Dhamma.

With the analysis of matter, in modern science physicists especially, talk about the atoms, electrons, protons, neutrons, quanta or quantum world. Now, as most of us are aware, the latest revolution of evolution in physics is quantum theory. Regarding quantum physics physicists like Niels Bohr, Max Planck, Heisenberg, Albert Einstein and others, accept that there is nothing permanently existing in the world of matter. They now proclaim, "When you enter the quantum world, everything changes and there is no longer any possibility of certainty". Once Niels Bohr said, "Since everything is made out of atoms, the entire universe should have disappeared within a split second of its creation".[vii] Unfortunately, they see this ever-changing phenomenon only in matter. The Buddha, fortunately, saw this same ever-changing nature in both mind and matter 2550 years ago, realizing the true nature of all things in the whole universe through his extra-sensory perception or intuitive wisdom. When one has this right perception, one sees one's own nature, where one is able to realize, "this is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself". As long as one's perception is a perverted perception one regards the five aggregates and the world as "this is mine, this I am, this is myself". So, this is really a mental revolution through meditation. That is the perfect or harmonious perception of things in the world.

Not only did the Buddha have this perception, but also thousands of his disciples who succeeded through meditation and lived their lives as perfect personalities. They were called Mahā purisha, the Great men. This status can be gained only through practicing calmness and insight (Samatha-vipassanā). For this purpose, the Buddha has inculcated a technique to observe one's own nature first, then to focus attention to the external world. That is the purpose of Buddhist meditation or mental development.

Present Problem

Today, most people in the world suffer from various kinds of mental and physical diseases. Day-by-day, new brands of medicines and medical technologies are invented. There are thousands of pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies to give protection to humans. But still stress, depression, anxiety, worry and frustration are ever increasing. Stress, especially, has become a universal malady with mind as its base. Mind should be treated through mind; for that mind should be calmed and controlled through spiritual development.

Sustainable Solution

We all like to live in sound health. However, no one is able to lead a 100 per cent healthy life due to the intrinsic nature of these five aggregates to fall sick. One should understand clearly that this body is a nest for diseases. Once the Buddha himself said, "If anyone carrying around this body were to claim to be healthy even for a moment, what is that due to other than foolishness"[viii] The Buddha's advice is this, "Train yourself thus: Even though I am afflicted in body, my mind will be un-afflicted." How should we keep an un-afflicted mind? For this purpose, we should practice and develop our mind. When we develop our mind, our perception of 'being' and the 'world' becomes different, and then our personality becomes more and more fruitful and harmonious. Such a person has sound health and that personality leads towards the end of suffering in this very world to gain the ultimate bliss of Nibbāna. That is how one can gain the perfect personality through mental development and right perception.

May we all come to realize the true nature of ourselves and attain Nibbāna!

References:

[i] Anguttara Nikāya Book I

[ii] Samyutta Nikāya. Sacca Samyutta. (56.61.1.) Aññatra Sutta ( Elsewhere)

[iii] See. Dhammapada. Chapter 3 -The mind-: A.N. 1; and The Mahā Satipatthāna Sutta (The Great Discourse on the Foundations of Mindfulness) of the Digha Nikaya (Sutta. No.22.). It is also available in the Majjhima Nikāya (Sutta. No.10).

[iv] D.N. Mahā Satipatthana Sutta ( na ca kinci loke upādiyati)

[v] M.N. Madhupindika Sutta (Sutta N0.18). Majjhima Nikāya Translated by Ven. Bhikkhu Ñānamoli and edited by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi – Wisdom publications- 2001, Second Edition.

[vi] Sutta No. 140 (Majjhima Nikāya)

[vii] Quantum Consciousness by Stephen Wolinsky-1993 and Einstein's Moon by F. David Peat - 1938

[viii] Samyutta Nikāya 22.1.1