THE END OF THE WORLD in Buddhist Perspective – Bhikkhu Kaṭukurunde Ñāṇananda

END“It is in this very fathom- long physical frame with its perceptions and mind, that, I declare lies the world,   the arising of the world, the cessation of the world,   and the path leading to the cessation of the world” – Rohitassa Sutta , S.I.61

The Buddha’s concept of the world and its end comes to light in a number of discourses in the Pali Canon. It is of refreshing relevance in the context of the findings in modern Quantum physics. Rohitassa Sutta occurring in two discourse collections, probably due to its importance ( S I 61 , A II 47) is highly significant in this connection. In my “Samyutta Nikaya – An Anthology with Notes, First published in 1972 in the Wheel series of Buddhist    Publication Society, Kandy (Wh. Nos 183/184/185) I gave a long annotation to this sutta with a sidelight on Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Some of those who appreciated it, suggested the feasibility of bringing out the Sutta and the annotation1* as a separate……

That the Buddha’s redefinition of the world is in terms of the        six sense spheres is clearly revealed by his reply to venerable     Samiddhi’s following question in the Samiddhi Sutta (S IV 39f).

“ The world. the world, so it is said Venerable Sir, But how far, Venerable Sir, does this world or the concept of world go”?

The Buddha gives the following answer:

 “ Where there is the eye, Samiddhi, where there are forms,    where there is eye consciousness, where there are things cognizable by eye- consciousness, there exists the world, or the concept of the world. “ A similar statement is made with regard to the other spheres of sense, including the mind. That, according to the Buddha, is where   the world exists.

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