Buddhist Beliefs about the Universe and Human Beings » Buddhism: Impermanence, Compassion and Caring for the World

A universe with no creator

Buddhism began with Siddhartha Gotama, who lived in north India about 2,500 years ago. Buddhists call him the Buddha, which means 'the enlightened one' or 'the one who woke up' to the truth about life. In How Did the Universe Begin? Religious and Scientific Views, you met the idea of a universe that moves in cycles, with no creator. This is the Buddhist view. The Buddha did not teach that a God made the universe. Buddhists do not worship a creator, and they have no creation story. This shapes the whole lesson:

• Buddhists do not believe that anyone owns the world, so they do not speak of looking after it on behalf of God.
• Buddhists do not believe the universe was made for a reason. They do find a goal for life within it: to end suffering and reach nibbana, a state of perfect peace and freedom.

Key terms:

• Dhamma: the Buddha's teaching, and the truth about life that it points to.
• Impermanence: the teaching that nothing lasts for ever. Everything changes.
• Dependent arising (paticca samuppada): the teaching that everything exists because of causes and conditions. Nothing exists on its own.
• Karuna: compassion. Feeling the suffering of others and wanting to relieve it.
• Prajna (panna in Pali): wisdom. Seeing the world as it really is.
• Samsara: the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.
• First precept: the promise to avoid harming or killing any living being.

Impermanence: a universe that never stands still

Buddhists believe the universe is impermanent and in a constant process of change. Mountains wear away. Stars are born and burn out. The word for impermanence in Pali, the language of the oldest Buddhist scriptures, is anicca. You will study it as a truth about human life in Anicca, Anatta and the Five Khandhas.

Change is not random. It follows dependent arising: each thing comes about because of causes and conditions, and passes away when those conditions end. A tree needs a seed, soil, rain and sunlight. Buddhists believe the whole universe works like this, with no need for a God to start it.

Caring for the planet: compassion and wisdom

In Caring for the Planet and Animal Rights, you saw that many believers speak of stewardship. Buddhists reach a duty of care by a different road. It has two foundations: compassion and wisdom.

Buddhists act on this responsibility in several ways:

• Not harming: keeping the first precept by avoiding actions that damage living things and the places where they live.
• Living simply: buying and wasting less. Buddhist monks and nuns set the example, because they own very few things.
• Taking action: in Thailand, some monks have 'ordained' trees by wrapping them in orange monks' robes. Local people respect the robes, so the forest is protected from being cut down.

Buddhists also believe that actions have results. This is the teaching of kamma (karma). Harmful actions bring suffering to the one who does them as well as to others.

The commonality of all living beings

Remember, commonality means what all living beings have in common. Buddhists give two reasons why humans and other creatures are deeply alike.

Does this mean humans and animals are exactly equal? Not quite. Buddhists believe a human life is a rare and precious chance, because humans are best able to understand the Dhamma and reach nibbana. But this is a reason to be responsible, not a right to rule. Buddhism does not teach dominion over other creatures.

How Buddhists treat animals

The first precept covers animals too. Many Buddhists also practise metta, loving-kindness, by wishing all beings to be well and happy. Buddhists oppose cruelty to animals, and many avoid hunting and jobs that involve killing animals.

On eating meat, Buddhists hold different views:

• Many Buddhists are vegetarian or vegan. They say that buying meat means an animal has to be killed, which goes against the first precept. Vegetarianism is especially common in the Mahayana traditions of East Asia, such as Chinese Buddhism.
• Many Buddhists do eat meat. In the Theravada tradition of countries such as Sri Lanka and Thailand, monks eat whatever food people give them, and this can include meat. The rule is that the animal must not have been killed specially for them. Many Tibetan Buddhists also eat meat, because few crops grow in Tibet's high, cold climate.

Buddhism and science

Buddhists have no creation story to defend, so most have no difficulty with the Big Bang theory or evolution. Many see science and the Dhamma as fitting together:

• Science describes a universe that is always changing and that works by cause and effect. This matches impermanence and dependent arising.
• Evolution shows that humans are related to all other species, which fits the commonality of all living beings.
• Some Buddhists suggest that the Big Bang may be the start of just one of the many cycles the scriptures describe.

There are limits to the match. Rebirth and kamma are not part of the scientific account.

Exam-style question

Paper 1 style question. Parts (a) and (b) test AO1. Parts (c) and (d) test AO1 and AO2.

(a) Identify three ways in which religious people may show care for animals. [3 marks]

(b) Choose one religion. Outline two beliefs about the universe in this religion. [4 marks]

(c) Explain why some religious people believe that human beings have a responsibility for the planet. [6 marks]

(d) 'Human beings are more important than all other living creatures.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]