Opinion

COMPARISON OF DIGHA NIKAYA AND THE BIG BANG THEORY

November 26, 2018

 

According to Western scientists, the most recognised theory on the beginning of the Universe  is said to be the  ‘Big Bang’ theory, but  in a latest research by Prof.  Swanda Sugunasiri, in Canada, who entered the priesthood recently as Bikku Mihitha, states that Lord Buddha’s ‘Agganna’discoure in ‘Digha Nikaya’has a different view that goes even beyond the Big Bang theory claiming that ‘the ‘Universe evolves and devolves continuously, without a beginning or an end’’.

 

About a century ago, a pioneer in Pali Buddhism, Dr. T.W. Rhys Davids, commented on the Didha Nikaya theory  as a ‘ good humoured irony.  Many current scholars too  do not seem to attach much weigh to it. Prof. Richard Gombrich, an Indologist and scholar of Sanskrit, Pali, and Buddhist Studies & former Boden Professor of Sanskrit  at the University of Oxford, seemed to believe it as a mockery of an earlier Vedic created myth.

Prof. Steven Collin (University of  Chicago) seemed to consider it as a ‘satire’. However, Prof. Swanda Sugunasiri, who took up robes very recently as   Bhikkhu Mihitha, maintained that by contrast, the latest research on Buddhism has established what  was mentioned in Agganna discourse as historically and scientifically accurate, and the universe goes through cyclical cosmic process. Bhikkhu Mihitha maintains that the Big Bang theory of billions of years ago is, in fact the devolution of earlier evolutionary phase. This he revealed to the writer and KB, during a visit to Prof. Sugunasiri in Canada in 2014.

Unique Meaning.

How did the breakthrough come about? Prof. Sugunasiri  (Bikku Mihitha) who goes  into original Pali version has apparently managed to comprehend  the unique meaning intended by Lord Buddha  about the  new “ Evolutionary phase”as Abhassara Satt.

It appears that there is some conflict of disagreement between the traditional and Western Buddhist scholars referring to the Abhassara Brahma realm and photon, but Bikku Mihitha ( Prof. Sugunasiri)  has viewed this in a different dimension and translated it literally as “ &lt:-+-bha+sara”, and arrived at the  perception of what the Western science referred to a primordial  type of photon  (elementary part of light), or in the words of Albert Einstein of “quantum of energy.”

According to Western science, a ‘Photon’ is merely an electrical charge, but according to this Buddhist theory, it has to be interpreted as a sentient or “Brahma being” (without a human shape) of the earlier Evolutionary form.

Lord Buddha referred to ‘Abhassara being’ as a ‘human being who meditated and attained the 2ndstage of Jhana (super calm stage)  and ended up at death in the Brahma world  (at the end of the Devolutionary  phase), when everything went up in flames’.

Western theory

Western science completely believes in the Big Bang theory, but according to Bikku Mihitha’s explanation on Buddhism, Lord Buddha has explained about an ‘earlier Evolutionary phase’, about 4.5 billion years ago, comprising humans, animals, vegetation, mountain rivers etc., that was burnt down with “ Sweltering Seven Suns”, but  sparing the Abhassara Brahmaloka.

During this phase the whole atmosphere had been filled with completedarkness” and hot temperatures had later turned into “water,” followed by the gradual emergence of  the Moon, Sun and Earth, thus evolving the world again. Subsequently, over long stretches of time, the earth had once again   become vegetation friendly with rice coming to the flora scene.]

Buddha has also explained about the  evolutionary changes in physical nature of beings where  one’s ‘skin colour and quality” began to give rise to good-looking ones when the unattractive  ones began to denigrate, thus giving rise to ‘ jealousy’ and ‘ hatred.’ After a lapse of millions of years, sexuality  had matured in women ( first) and men later  that led to engagement in sex. Those who disapproved such deeds had  started to throw mud at others calling it “ filth”. Then building of homes had  commenced to seek some privacy that led to the creation of  families and communities. When those who piled up their aswenna from  their paddy fields, looting  had begun to escalate with craving, jealousy and passion , which led  the  society towards  a moral deterioration . Finally,  people had  united and chosen the first Great Elect (Mahasumata)  to deal with the ills of society.

The following statistics covering a period from 13.5 (Big Bang) million years  to 150,000 modern humans suggest the following:

  • “ Universe going through a cycle of Devolutionary and Evolutionary phase known as Samvatta and Vivatta respectively.
  • “ Sentient life in the Universe prior to the existence of earth goes against the Western science view point of life began after the earth theory”.
  • ” With the appearance of Earth, conditions conducive to sentient life appeared”.
  • “Over a period of billions and thousands of years, sentient life culminated in  in human  life and society later.

In Lord Buddha’s portrayal of evolution, the physical Universe comes up as a backdrop to the story of how Abhassara Beings ending up as human beings. Here the Buddha had not only explained the universal flow, but had set the wheels in motion with regard to the evolution of man and his relationship with nature.

 

Bikku Mihitha, referring to seven paragraphs of the ‘Agganna Sutta’ thus  has looked at Buddha as the greatest scientist to improve on Western science. Big Bang theory suggests the existence of a god or gods  as the first cause, whereas Lord Buddha’s description about the Universe is cyclic with no beginning or end.Another feature in Buddha’s discourse is about the moral dimension, which is missing in western science

Bikkhu Mihitha -né Professor Swanda Sugunasiri

Bikkhu Mihitha (Professor Swanda Sugunasiri) migrated to Canada on a Fulbright Scholarship. He did  actively engaged in research, primarily  on Buddhism. His scholarly paper  containing 87 pages, deals with ‘ Devolution and Evolution in the Agganna Sutta’ in the Canadian  Journal of Buddhist studies.

 

He has also authored  a popular text on  Abhidamma, under the title ‘You are what You  sense’; and ‘Buddha on Mindbody’ which are available from the Sri Lanka Buddhist Cultural Centre. Another breakthrough research by him was Arahant Mahinda as the Redactor of the Buddha puja, in Sihala language, on Buddhism

 

Picture credit: Ceylon Today, Google photos, space.com, pixels.com

 

Spread the love

You Might Also Like...