Ven. BH Pannasara

Discuss the Buddhist attitude towards the worldly origin and evolution of society.

Buddhism appeared in India in the 6th century BC. Prior Buddhism there was many religions such as Vedicism, Brahmanism and Jainism. Each of them had their own teaching and concepts on society. The main religious was Brahmanism or Hinduism and in addition to that there were several other religious such as Jainism and Materialism. According to the SAmaGGaphala sutta of dIghanikaya there have been six famous religious views regarding the nature of the world and the besting of the man. They are (1) Puranakasspa (2) Mokkligosala (3) Ajita kesakambala (4) Pakudha kaccayana (5) Sanjaya bettatthiputta (6) Niganta nathaputta. According to the Brahmajalasutta of Dighanikaya there have been 62 wrong views held by views religious people in India.

According to Buddhism all the religious views and practices prevalence at that time can be classified into two main groups (1) Eternalism Sassada vada (2) Nihilism Uccheda vada. Sassadavada believes in the theory of soul, rebirth and karma. Ucchedavada believes that the world including human beings and other things are composed by great elements and five elements. They did not believe in rebirth and karma but only soul. Therefore, according to them there is no rebirth after death. Buddhism considered these two categories as extremist views and to be avoided. The Buddhist path of deliverance preached by the Buddha is called the middle path because it keeps away from the two extreme views and the religious practices mentioned above.

According to Brahmanism the world, human being including society and everything that exist in the world are created by the Supreme Being or the Creator God. Not only that they also believed that the society was divided into four main classes by Brahmins. They are (1) Brahamana (2) Ksatriya (3) Vaisya and (4) Sudra. The Brahmins religious activities were conducted by Brahmin and the political affairs were conducted by Ksatriya. The trading, farming etc. belonged to the Vaisya. And the last Sudra served as the slave of the other three classes of people. The women were not given freedom or a suitable place in the society.

Apart from these, some religious believes that the world and everything in the world came into being by faith. It is no need to do merit or demerit owing to this view. Some says that there is no cause and condition, which human beings have to exist. According to Jainism, all the things in the world are existed by karma. It will exist last long until the world disappears. According to modern world, they remark that the world and everything in the world exist due to the gradual evolution. They do not believe in God and Karma

The Buddhist explanation regarding the origin and evolution of society is completely different from the view of Brahmins. Thus, according to the Buddha, the origin and evolution of society and the world is the result of the process of cause and effect. The Buddha explained that owing to the cyclic process of involution (samvatta) and revolution (vivatta), which takes place at the end of the world disappeared (kalpa). At the

end of one world period, the world dissolves and then once again it gradually evolves. This is very vividly described in the Agganna Sutta of Digha Nikaya that at the beginning of the world was a nebulous mass with gradual turned into liquid form, the top of the layer of which turns into a crust, which becomes the earth.

There are beings who died from (Abhasara devaloka) comes to life on earth as humans were made up of mind. They fed on rapture, self-luminous, traversed in the air and beautiful. After sometime the surface of the earth appeared to them as a scum of boiled milky rice with an enchanting colour and odour. Some of greedy beings tasted the delicious scum. Craving entered into their heart of these beings, they tasted more and more. As a result of craving the luminous of them disappeared and then the sun, moon and star appeared and night and day also.

In this way, they lost their original form and character. After the disappeared of the earth scum, they began to feed on mushroom, creeping plants, rice ripening one after another. When the greedy being gathered food for morning and evening in one time the other being gathered food for one or two days. They became to do like this for so long time. Due to eating solid food, their bodies too became more and more solid and their physical changes sex differences appears. They gradually moved from the food gathering to the state of food producing by partitioning and cultivating lands. They put up boundaries over their fields of cultivation and divide the land which became the common property of all. His private ownership brings about a tendency to accumulate more and more.

Hence some being appropriated the property of others. This leads to social conflicts. It is this that necessitates a person to protect the field and punish the wrong doers. This marks the beginning of kingship or the state. The people themselves are completely to elect by common consent a particular person who was handsome and the most pleasant and capable as their head. Then he was called Mahasamata the great elect. They entrust him the task of punishing the wrong doers and in return he is given a share of their product. Being impartial, he punished those who transgressed the custom and traditions of the community of the country. Therefore he could be considered an authority of law and justice. Thus the social organization appeared among human being like this.

Hence, Mahasamata was elected by the people for the people not by creator god like other religions. Later on, the cope of the institution expanded the Mahasamata was then called Khattiya or lord of the field. Afterward, as his power of authority was gradually expended beyond the original assignment he was called Raja or King. He was delighted by the people for upholding the law and justice. According to Buddhism Brahmana is defined as a person who has avoided evil deeds such as stealing, scolding, lying etc. while those who resorted to meditation were known as Jhayakas. Those who gave up meditation and engaged in composing books and teaching from them were known as Ajjhayakas Vessa or the trade- folk. And the Suddas were supposed to be the people who lived by hunting and such other lower pursuits.

According to the short statement above, it is clear that the origin and evolution of society is not created by Brahmin but by human being.