:: 6. Belief Based on Speculation is Not Dhamma. ::
(i)
1. It was usual to ask such questions as
(1) Was I in ages past ?
(2) Was I not in ages past ?
(3) What was I then ?
(4) From what did I pass to what?
(5) Shall I be in ages to come?
(6) Shall I not be in ages to come?
(7) What shall I then be?
(8) How shall I then be ?
(9) From what shall I pass to what? Or, again, it is Self today about which he is in doubt, asking himself—
(1) Am I?
(2) Am I not?
(3) What am 1?
(4) How am I?
(5) Whence came my being ?
(6) Whither will it pass ? "
2. As regards the Universe various questions were raised. Some of them were as follows -
3. " How was the Universe created ? Is it everlasting ? "
4. In answer to the first question some said everything was created by Brahma—others said it was created by Prajapati.
5. In answer to the second question some said it was everlasting. Others said it was not. Some said it was finite. Others said. it was infinite.
6. These questions the Buddha refused to entertain. He said that they could only be asked and entertained by wrong-headed people. –
7. To answer these questions required omniscience which nobody had.
8. He said that he was not omniscient enough to answer these questions. No one could claim to know all that is to be known nor what we wish to know at any time is known at the time. There is always something that is unknown.
9. It is for these reasons that the Buddha excluded such doctrines from his religion.
10. He regarded a religion which made such doctrines a part of it as a religion not worth having.
(ii)
1. The doctrines with which the contemporaries of the Buddha had made the basis of their religion were concerned with (1) Self; and (2) the origin of the Universe.
2. They raised certain questions about the self. They asked : "(1) Was I in ages past? (2) Was I not in ages past ? (3) What was I then ? (4) From what did I pass to what ? (5) Shall I be in ages to come ? (6) Shall I not be in ages to come ? (7) What shall I then be ? (8) How. .shall I then be ? (9) From what shall I pass to what ? Or, again, it is Self today about which he is in doubt, asking himself—(1) Am I ? (2) Am I not? (3) What am 1, (4) How am 1, (5) Whence came my being ? (6) Whither will it pass ? "
3. Others raised the question regarding the origin of the Universe.
4. Some said it was created by Brahma. 5. Others said it was .created by Prajapati sacrificing himself.
6. Other teachers had other questions to raise : "The world is everlasting,—the world is not everlasting—the world is finite,—the world is infinite, the body is the life (jiva),—the body is the one thing and the life another,.—truth-finder exists after death,—a truth-finder does not exist after death,—he both exists and does not exist after death,—he neither exists nor does not exist after death."
7. These were questions which the Buddha said could be asked by wrong-headed persons.
8. There were three reasons why the Buddha condemned these religious theories.
9. In the first place, there was no reason to make them part of religion. '
10. In the second place, to answer these questions required omniscience which nobody had. He emphasised this in his addresses.
11. He said that at one and the same time, no one can know and see everything. Knowledge is never final. There is always something more to be known.
12. The third argument against these theories was that they were merely speculative. They are not verified nor are they verifiable.
13. They were the result of imagination let .loose. There was no reality behind them.
14. Besides of what good were these speculative theories to man in his relation to men? None whatever.
15. The Buddha did not believe that the world was created. He believed that the world had evolved.
(i)
1. It was usual to ask such questions as
(1) Was I in ages past ?
(2) Was I not in ages past ?
(3) What was I then ?
(4) From what did I pass to what?
(5) Shall I be in ages to come?
(6) Shall I not be in ages to come?
(7) What shall I then be?
(8) How shall I then be ?
(9) From what shall I pass to what? Or, again, it is Self today about which he is in doubt, asking himself—
(1) Am I?
(2) Am I not?
(3) What am 1?
(4) How am I?
(5) Whence came my being ?
(6) Whither will it pass ? "
2. As regards the Universe various questions were raised. Some of them were as follows -
3. " How was the Universe created ? Is it everlasting ? "
4. In answer to the first question some said everything was created by Brahma—others said it was created by Prajapati.
5. In answer to the second question some said it was everlasting. Others said it was not. Some said it was finite. Others said. it was infinite.
6. These questions the Buddha refused to entertain. He said that they could only be asked and entertained by wrong-headed people. –
7. To answer these questions required omniscience which nobody had.
8. He said that he was not omniscient enough to answer these questions. No one could claim to know all that is to be known nor what we wish to know at any time is known at the time. There is always something that is unknown.
9. It is for these reasons that the Buddha excluded such doctrines from his religion.
10. He regarded a religion which made such doctrines a part of it as a religion not worth having.
(ii)
1. The doctrines with which the contemporaries of the Buddha had made the basis of their religion were concerned with (1) Self; and (2) the origin of the Universe.
2. They raised certain questions about the self. They asked : "(1) Was I in ages past? (2) Was I not in ages past ? (3) What was I then ? (4) From what did I pass to what ? (5) Shall I be in ages to come ? (6) Shall I not be in ages to come ? (7) What shall I then be ? (8) How. .shall I then be ? (9) From what shall I pass to what ? Or, again, it is Self today about which he is in doubt, asking himself—(1) Am I ? (2) Am I not? (3) What am 1, (4) How am 1, (5) Whence came my being ? (6) Whither will it pass ? "
3. Others raised the question regarding the origin of the Universe.
4. Some said it was created by Brahma. 5. Others said it was .created by Prajapati sacrificing himself.
6. Other teachers had other questions to raise : "The world is everlasting,—the world is not everlasting—the world is finite,—the world is infinite, the body is the life (jiva),—the body is the one thing and the life another,.—truth-finder exists after death,—a truth-finder does not exist after death,—he both exists and does not exist after death,—he neither exists nor does not exist after death."
7. These were questions which the Buddha said could be asked by wrong-headed persons.
8. There were three reasons why the Buddha condemned these religious theories.
9. In the first place, there was no reason to make them part of religion. '
10. In the second place, to answer these questions required omniscience which nobody had. He emphasised this in his addresses.
11. He said that at one and the same time, no one can know and see everything. Knowledge is never final. There is always something more to be known.
12. The third argument against these theories was that they were merely speculative. They are not verified nor are they verifiable.
13. They were the result of imagination let .loose. There was no reality behind them.
14. Besides of what good were these speculative theories to man in his relation to men? None whatever.
15. The Buddha did not believe that the world was created. He believed that the world had evolved.
No comments:
Post a Comment