Manussaloka

[steve19800]

Hello guys,

The earthly realms have four continents, they are:

Jambudīpa,
This is the place we live. All Buddha appears here. The people here are five to six feet tall and their length of life varies between 80,000 and 10 years.

Pubbavideha,
is located in the east, and is shaped like a semicircle with the flat side pointing westward (i.e., towards Sumeru). It is 7,000 yojanas in extent (Vibhajyavāda tradition) or has a perimeter of 6,350 yojanas of which the flat side is 2,000 yojanas long (Sarvāstivāda tradition). Its tree is the acacia. The people here are about 12 feet (3.7 m) tall and they live for 250 years.

Aparagoyāna is located in the west, and is shaped like a circle with a circumference of about 7,500 yojanas (Sarvāstivāda tradition). The tree of this continent is a giant Kadamba tree. The human inhabitants of this continent do not live in houses but sleep on the ground. They are about 24 feet (7.3 m) tall and they live for 500 years.

Uttarakuru is located in the north, and is shaped like a square. It has a perimter of 8,000 yojanas, being 2,000 yojanas on each side. This continent's tree is called a kalpavṛkṣa (Pāli: kapparukkha) or kalpa-tree, because it lasts for the entire kalpa. The inhabitants of Uttarakuru are said to be extraordinarily wealthy. They do not need to labor for a living, as their food grows by itself, and they have no private property. They have cities built in the air. They are about 48 feet (15 m) tall and live for 1,000 years.

Peta and animal are also share realm with us as human.

Question, does anyone know what the other three continents mean and/or located? Including the beings living there, who are they? Is this referring to deva realm or earthly realm? Thanks.

[James the Giant]

Question, does anyone know what the other three continents mean and/or located?

I consulted my Big Book of Naughty Secular Buddhism, and on page 266 it says the other three continents are located in the same imaginary mythical construct as the others.
The book could be wrong though, it seems to have been written by some monkey-like animal descended from the early primates.

[daverupa]

Question, does anyone know what the other three continents mean and/or located?

I consulted my Big Book of Naughty Secular Buddhism, and on page 266 it says the other three continents are located in the same imaginary mythical construct as the others.
The book could be wrong though, it seems to have been written by some monkey-like animal descended from the early primates.

I know that author; good book, read the footnotes.

[James the Giant]

@steve19800, please don't mind my cheeky contribution.
I'm sure someone will be along sooner or later to offer you a more thoughtful and useful reply.

[daverupa]

I think calling that spade a spade (to wit, mythical) is as useful as can be...

[gavesako]

Here is a thread looking at the scriptural references and possible interpretations:

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5689