Infinity
By Sujin Boriharnwanaket
| To demonstrate the great beneficent
karuna of the Buddha, who has the great kindness in manifesting the dhamma
minutely, the Atthasalini, the commentary of the Dhammasanganipakarana
Cittupadakandha, explains "ananta" or the four greatest expanses [infinity]
as follows.
These are considered the 4 "ananta", being 1 akasa (space) is ananta, infinite; 2 the universe is ananta, infinite; 3 the sattanikaya (species of animals and entities) is ananta, infinite; 4 the Buddha-nana (the Buddha's omniscience) is ananta, infinite. Truly, it is not possible to calculate akasa to the north, south, east or west to be so many hundred or thousand yojana. [one yojana = 16 km.] If one were to use an iron hammer as big as the Sineru Mountain to pound the earth in two and then toss the iron hammer into the space, it would truly fall below. There would be nothing to restrain it. Called ananta, the akasa is infinite, thus. To calculate the universe as so many hundred, thousand or hundred thousand in worlds is impossible. Truly, if the four great Brahma born in the Akanittha-plane (the fifth level of the Sudhavasa, which is the five highest levels the rupa-brahma-bhumi) who are so swift that they could pass ten thousand galaxies in the time it takes an arrow of an archer of great strength to pass the shadow of the sugar-palm crosswise, were to run with such speed, thinking we shall see the edges of the universe, these great Brahma are certain to attain parinibbana before ever having done so. All the universe is thus called ananta, infinite. To calculate the number of aquatic and land animals in the universe is impossible. Sattanikaya is thus called ananta (infinite). The Buddha-nana is said to be more ananta than all the three ananta above combined. Akasa, we can see, is endless. None can measure how many hundred, thousand or hundred thousand yojana it is. Nor can one measure the universe, who wants to count stars, galaxies? One can never succeed because the universe is ananta, infinite. Even sattanikaya, or all the life forms of the universe, cannot be counted or made into statistics, humans, deva, brahma, land animals, aquatic animals, animals in apaya. Still the Buddha-nana is said to be more ananta than all three: the innumerable beings, the boundless universe and the immeasurable space. (Considering the incalculably infinite number of entities in the universe, the citta of these entities must be very intricately different indeed.) August 5, 2000 |
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