A hymn of the Hindhu canon, the Rig Veda, describes the creation of the world in this way: “Nor aught nor nought existed; yonder bright sky was not, nor heaven's broad roof outstretched above. What covered all? What sheltered? What concealed? Was it the water's fathomless abyss? There was not death - yet there was not immortality, there was no separation between day and night; The only One breathed breathless by itself, other than it there nothing since has been. There was darkness, and all was veiled at first in gloom profound - an ocean without light - the germ that still lay covered in the husk burst forth, one nature, from the fervent heat. - And the Veda poet wrote, “The Gods themselves came later into being."
We find the Buddhist description of the begining of the world in Vasbandhu's Abidharmakosha Bhasya. Sattva karman (karma of being) began to act in the space where nothing was. Then a breath emerged. This breath subsequently became the atmosphere. A cloud was formed above the atmosphere by sattva karman and it rained. Then the watery layer was formed over the atmosphere. The wind arose by sattva karman blew in the watery layer, and the upper part of the watery layer, became the golden layer. The surface of the golden layer was the earth. Heavenly gods were born, beings on earth were born, and the beings in hell were born.
Buddhists think there are four kalpas (epochs) in a world: an epoch for forming, an epoch for maintaining, an epoch for destroying, and an epoch of nothingness. A universe is born, maintains its existence, crumbles, and finally there is no universe. The universe endlessly repeats this process.
Buddhists explain that “A universe is born and retains its existence. Then seven suns appear in the sky, and fire destroys this world to the first three heavens of rupa dhatu. This process repeats seven times. And then water destroys the world to the second three heavens of rupa dhatu. This whole process repeats seven times, and fire destroys the world seven times, then wind destroys the world to the third three heavens of rupa dhatu."
Aggannya Suttanta, one of the Agama Sutras, spoke about the origin of human beings on earth. Human beings had previously lived pure life in the sky with illumined bodies. There was no sun nor moon. Human beings were sexless, and light constituted their food. A honeylike sweetness appeared on the watery earth. Human beings consumed this sweetness. Then arose the sensual desire. The earth in turn became solid, and human beings ate solid foods. Their bodies became coarsened. They descended earthwards, and their inner light dulled. Sun and earth and stars appeared. Day and night and seasons appeared. Human beings were divided into men and women. And consequently every suffering arose from sensual desire.
We find the Buddhist description of the begining of the world in Vasbandhu's Abidharmakosha Bhasya. Sattva karman (karma of being) began to act in the space where nothing was. Then a breath emerged. This breath subsequently became the atmosphere. A cloud was formed above the atmosphere by sattva karman and it rained. Then the watery layer was formed over the atmosphere. The wind arose by sattva karman blew in the watery layer, and the upper part of the watery layer, became the golden layer. The surface of the golden layer was the earth. Heavenly gods were born, beings on earth were born, and the beings in hell were born.
Buddhists think there are four kalpas (epochs) in a world: an epoch for forming, an epoch for maintaining, an epoch for destroying, and an epoch of nothingness. A universe is born, maintains its existence, crumbles, and finally there is no universe. The universe endlessly repeats this process.
Buddhists explain that “A universe is born and retains its existence. Then seven suns appear in the sky, and fire destroys this world to the first three heavens of rupa dhatu. This process repeats seven times. And then water destroys the world to the second three heavens of rupa dhatu. This whole process repeats seven times, and fire destroys the world seven times, then wind destroys the world to the third three heavens of rupa dhatu."
Aggannya Suttanta, one of the Agama Sutras, spoke about the origin of human beings on earth. Human beings had previously lived pure life in the sky with illumined bodies. There was no sun nor moon. Human beings were sexless, and light constituted their food. A honeylike sweetness appeared on the watery earth. Human beings consumed this sweetness. Then arose the sensual desire. The earth in turn became solid, and human beings ate solid foods. Their bodies became coarsened. They descended earthwards, and their inner light dulled. Sun and earth and stars appeared. Day and night and seasons appeared. Human beings were divided into men and women. And consequently every suffering arose from sensual desire.