What is Aggañña Sutta?
Aggañña Sutta is one of several complex suttā that requires a lengthy explanation. To understand the sutta, one needs to have a broad background in Buddha Dhamma. I have been very reluctant to write even this post because it could lead to many questions in many people who do not yet have that necessary background.
What is the meaning of the word Aggañña?
“ Agga ” means “highest,” and thus, the word “ Aggañña” means “highest knowledge,” in this case, about our world. The Buddha delivered the Aggañña sutta to two brahmins (Vāseṭṭha and Bhāradvāja), to explain the “human origins.”
How does the Aggañña Sutta present water?
Furthermore, the Aggañña Sutta presents water as pre-existent to earthlike planets, with the planet forming with water and the life moving from the water onto the earth. The Buddha does not talk about a specific earth, but about earthlike planets in general.
What does the Aggañña Sutta say about evolution?
This is often interpreted as a very rough theory of evolution. Furthermore, the Aggañña Sutta presents water as pre-existent to earthlike planets, with the planet forming with water and the life moving from the water onto the earth. The Buddha does not talk about a specific earth, but about earthlike planets in general.
Aggañña Sutta is the 27th Sutta of the Digha Nikaya collection (Pāli version ). The sutta describes a discourse imparted by the Buddha to two brahmins, Bharadvaja and Vasettha, who left their family and caste to become monks. The two brahmins are insulted and maligned by their own caste for their intention to become members of the Sangha.
What are the titles of the Tathagatha and Sutta?
Therefore, the titles of the Tathagatha are the Body of Dhamma, the Body of Brahma, the Manifestation of Dhamma, and the Manifestation of Brahma. In the second part of the Sutta, the Buddha tells the story of how human beings came to dwell on Earth.
How long will Gōtama Buddha Sāsana last?
That is 1200 billion years or over a trillion years! An even in this kappa, the Gōtama Buddha Sāsana would last only 5000 years, a negligible time in terms of a kappa. That is why we should not waste this rare opportunity.