Chapter 5-5 The Origin of Humans in Buddhism

After reading the legends from both the East and the West, let's explore how Buddhism, which has deeply influenced Eastern culture, begins the story of humanity.

Buddhism originated in ancient India (not specific region of modern India). In modern times, despite being one of the world's three major religions and having a large number of followers in East Asia and Southeast Asia, Buddhism has gradually declined in its birthplace, India and Nepal. Due to the violent combination of politics and religion, the main religions in India today are Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, among others. Consequently, there are very few Buddhist practitioners in India, with the essence of Buddhism instead flourishing and developing in East Asia, particularly in China.

The Buddhist view of the reality of life aligns with the ever-developing scientific perspective, making it a philosophy rich in wisdom that has profoundly influenced humanity for thousands of years. It is said that before Gautama Siddhartha renounced his royal life, he was a prince of the Kingdom of Kapilavastu (located in present-day Nepal). The Buddha attained enlightenment (around 531BC) under the Bodhi tree, where he expounded his teachings, officially founding Buddhism and leaving behind many scriptures. Subsequently, scholars such as Kumārajīva and Xuanzang brought these teachings to China, translating them into Buddhist classics.

Einstein was full of admiration for the wisdom of Buddhism: "If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs, it would be Buddhism." and "If there is any religion that would be acceptable to modern scientific demands, it would be Buddhism."

There are many Buddhist scriptures that address the origin of humanity, such as the "Dīrgha Āgama"《长阿含经》, "Sūtra of the World Arising"《起世经》 and the "Śūraṅgama Sūtra"《楞严经》. According to Buddhist scriptures, humans descended from another world called the "Heaven of Radiant Sound" (Ābhāsvara).

Where is the "Heaven of Radiant Sound"?

In Buddhist cosmology, the universe is divided into three realms from the bottom up: the Desire Realm (Kāmadhātu), the Form Realm (Rūpadhātu), and the Formless Realm (Ārūpyadhātu). In total, there are 28 heavens. The "Heaven of Radiant Sound" is the 3rd heaven in the 2nd meditative heaven of the Form Realm. (See Figure 5.10)

Figure 5.10: Schematic diagram of the 28 heavens in the Three Realms

Why is it called "Heaven of Radiant Sound"?

The "Heaven of Radiant Sound" is a very special and wondrous realm, also known as the "Heaven of Supreme Light and Purity". The celestial beings in that realm do not use sound when they speak. Instead, pure light emanates from their mouths. The intended message is understood by the recipient through the light. Because they communicate with light instead of sound, it is called "Radiant Sound".

Humans on Earth come from the "Heaven of Radiant Sound", but where are the beings from other celestial realms?

In the "Sūtra of the World Arising", the Buddha said: "In this world where we live, there is one sun and one moon. The places illuminated by this sun and moon are known as a world. In the three realms, there are a thousand suns and moons, and the places they illuminate are known as a thousand worlds... These three thousand worlds are called the Buddha realm, where sentient beings reside. The entire Dharma realm contains innumerable worlds and countless sentient beings."

Where are we now?

Jambudvipa（南赡部洲）, also translated as "Southern Jambudvipa", was named after the Jambu trees that grow abundantly on the island and located south of Mount Sumeru. According to Buddhist scriptures, the four continents surrounding the Salt Sea around Mount Sumeru are the Eastern Continent, the Western Continent, the Southern Continent, and the Northern Continent, each inhabited by one of the "Four Heavenly Kings", along with 8 smaller continents.

Interestingly, the "Dīrgha Āgama" mentions that the lifespans of people in the 4 continents differ: "The people of Jambudvipa (Southern Continent) have a lifespan of 100 years, with some dying prematurely. The people of the Western Continent have a lifespan of 200 years, also with some dying prematurely. The people of the Eastern Continent have a lifespan of 300 years, with some dying prematurely as well. The people of the Northern Continent have a fixed lifespan of 1,000 years, with no premature deaths."

The Buddha believed that: humans, like all sentient beings in the three realms, have existed continuously since immeasurable eons ago. They may be reborn as humans or fall into other realms, perpetually cycling through the six realms without cessation.

For heavenly beings, once their heavenly blessings are exhausted and their meditative absorption ends, they inevitably undergo karmic retribution according to their actions, determining their rebirth into different worlds. This cycle repeats endlessly across all directions of the universe. In other words, before celestial beings are born into the "Heaven of Radiant Sound", they have already created karmic causes that lead them to be born there. This process continues indefinitely, illustrating the beginningless nature of life, where fortunes and misfortunes, as well as good and evil consequences, unfold according to karmic retribution.

Before discussing the origin story of human beings on Earth, let's first introduce the concept of a "kalpa" (劫) in Buddhism.

In Buddhist cosmology, a "great kalpa" is divided into 4 stages: formation, existence, decay and emptiness. From the initial chaos of heaven and earth slowly forming a stable spatial state (formation,成), to the long period of maintaining this stable state (existence,住), to the beginning of chaos in the stable space (destruction,坏), and finally returning to a state of complete emptiness (or śūnyatā ,空). This cycle constitutes one round of the universe.

In the "Sūtra of the Worlds Arising", the Buddha narrated the story of beings from the "Heaven of Radiant Sound" descending to Earth to a gathering of monks (Figure 5.11):

Figure 5.11: The Buddha preaching (imaginary depiction)

The Buddha first introduced the situation in the "Heaven of Radiant Sound": During the cycle of "formation, existence, decay and emptiness", at the end of the last great kalpa, heaven and earth collapsed, the universe became empty, and a new cosmic space was formed from the previous chaos. In the "formation" stage, all beings were reborn in the "Heaven of Radiant Sound", which is the third heaven of the second meditative heaven in the Form Realm. These beings, upon birth in that realm, experience joy and delight in body and mind, nourished by joy itself. They naturally emit light, possess divine powers, can fly, and have very long lifespans.

After a long time, as this space transitioned to the next chaotic stage, the Earth was empty and devoid of any life. At this point, some beings from the Heaven of Radiant Sound, whose blessings had been exhausted, descended to Earth. They were not born from a mother's womb but were spontaneously generated through the convergence of conditions. These beings were called Saha Pati.

Later, more beings from the Heaven of Radiant Sound arrived on Earth. Although they were born on Earth, they retained their celestial forms. They did not need to consume earthly food, subsisting instead on joy. Their bodies emitted light, and they could fly through the air. They were of beautiful and dignified appearance, with long lifespans. They had no differences in gender, race, status, or wealth; everyone was equal, and they were collectively known as sentient beings.

Later, the earth produced a fertility that was like cheese and tasted like honey. A person with a greedy nature wanted to know the taste and began tasting it with their finger. After tasting it, he exclaimed that it was the most delicious flavor he had ever experienced. He licked his fingers and tasted it two more times, and then greed arose within him. He started grabbing it with his hands to eat, but still unsatisfied, he began scooping it up with both hands, eating with great indulgence. Seeing this, others followed his example and also started consuming the earth's fertility.

Unable to control their greed for the delicious food, the sentient beings consumed too much of the earth's fertility. As a result, their skin became very rough, their complexion turned dull and gray, and their appearance changed significantly. Their bodies no longer emitted light, and they could no longer fly. Due to their consumption of the earth's fertility, their super-normal powers vanished.

Initially, when the sentient beings started consuming the earth's fertility, it seemed inexhaustible. Those who ate more experienced significant changes in their bodies and appearance, while those who ate less experienced smaller changes and remained more attractive. Because of these differences in appearance, the beings began to compare and compete with each other, with the more attractive ones developing arrogance. As arrogance grew, the earth's fertility disappeared.

Then, the sentient beings gathered together, sighing repeatedly: "Oh, my taste of earth's fertility!" Someone discovered the earth-skin, and after tasting it, felt that the flavor was similar. This person became fixated on it, thinking: "This is just the taste I want." Others followed and agreed, not realizing that the earth skin was no longer the original earth's fertility.

Although the earth-skin seemed inexhaustible, the sentient beings' appearances changed significantly as they consumed it. Those who ate more experienced greater changes, while those who ate less experienced smaller changes. They began to compare and bully each other. Due to their arrogance, the earth-skin also disappeared.

After the earth skin disappeared, vines (with forest-like) emerged, but their taste was much worse. The sentient beings, feeling distressed and troubled, began to eat the vines. This led to even greater differences in appearance, with those consuming more vines experiencing more significant changes. Due to their increasing arrogance, the vines also disappeared, and rice plants grew in their place. At that time, the rice did not need to be cultivated; it grew naturally, without husks, and the grains were pure and aromatic.

Because of eating the rice, the sentient beings developed bones, marrow, flesh, skin, veins, and blood, and they also began to differentiate into males and females. As they observed each other more, feelings of attachment arose, leading to desires of love and passion...

The subsequent stories, connecting to Adam and Eve and the Great Flood, are part of humanity's shared memory. Since the Buddha was teaching in India, he also spoke about the origin of social classes and castes. Let's explain this further:

As rice became scarce, people thought: "Why not cultivate it?" To prevent their crops from being stolen, they began to erect markers and divide the land for farming. The Buddha said: "This is the origin of farmland in the world." After dividing the land, some people developed a tendency to steal others' crops. When caught, they were reprimanded, but some persisted in their theft and deceit, leading to constant disputes. The Buddha said, "The turning of human nature towards evil, and the unwholesome and impure actions in the world, are the roots of birth, aging, sickness, and death!"

What could be done? They decided to choose a ruler to protect the good farmers and punish the thieves. This ruler would not need to farm, as everyone would contribute some rice to support him so that he could focus on resolving disputes. So they selected someone who was "tall, with a dignified appearance and authority", and told him: "You will now be our equal leader. Protect those who need protection, punish those who need punishment, and expel those who need expelling. We will gather rice to provide for you." This person devoted himself to fairly settling disputes and encouraging people to do good deeds. Everyone happily called him "Kshatriya" (meaning "landowner" or "great king"), and this is the origin of the Kshatriya caste.

At that time, some people thought: "Having a home is a great burden. Now, I would rather abandon my family and live alone in the mountains and forests, practicing meditation in peace." So, they retreated to the mountains and forests, meditating in solitude, and when they needed food, they would go to the villages to beg. The villagers, seeing such ascetics, were happy to support them and praised them, saying, "This person is truly remarkable! Able to renounce all evils and leave home to practice the Way." Thus, the "Brahmin" (meaning "pure") caste was established.

Finally, some people were good at managing households and accumulating wealth; these people were called Vaishyas (meaning "merchants"). Others were skilled and adept at craftsmanship and were called Shudras (meaning "laborers"). These became the "four major castes" of ancient India.