Manussaloka

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
Post Reply
steve19800
Posts: 240
Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2011 1:20 am

Manussaloka

Post by 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.
User avatar
James the Giant
Posts: 791
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:41 am

Re: Manussaloka

Post by James the Giant »

steve19800 wrote: 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.
Then,
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
daverupa
Posts: 5980
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:58 pm

Re: Manussaloka

Post by daverupa »

James the Giant wrote:
steve19800 wrote: 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.

:tongue:
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
User avatar
James the Giant
Posts: 791
Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 6:41 am

Re: Manussaloka

Post by James the Giant »

@steve19800, please don't mind my cheeky contribution. :tongue:
I'm sure someone will be along sooner or later to offer you a more thoughtful and useful reply. :anjali:
Then,
saturated with joy,
you will put an end to suffering and stress.
SN 9.11
daverupa
Posts: 5980
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 6:58 pm

Re: Manussaloka

Post by daverupa »

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

:shrug:
  • "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? By the pursuit, development, and cultivation of the four establishments of mindfulness. It is in such a way that by protecting oneself one protects others.

    "And how is it, bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? By patience, harmlessness, goodwill, and sympathy. It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

- Sedaka Sutta [SN 47.19]
User avatar
gavesako
Posts: 1794
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:16 pm

Re: Manussaloka

Post by gavesako »

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

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5689" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Bhikkhu Gavesako
Kiṃkusalagavesī anuttaraṃ santivarapadaṃ pariyesamāno... (MN 26)

Access to Insight - Theravada texts
Ancient Buddhist Texts - Translations and history of Pali texts
Dhammatalks.org - Sutta translations
steve19800
Posts: 240
Joined: Sun Jun 19, 2011 1:20 am

Re: Manussaloka

Post by steve19800 »

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

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5689" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Quote from the link above:

Atthakatha confirms this:

"When the sun rises in this continent (Jambudiipa), it is the middle watch of the night in Aparagoyaana; sunset in Aparagoyaana is midnight in Jambudiipa, and sunrise is noon in Jambudiipa, sunset in Pubbavideha and midnight in Uttarakuru."

"Imasmi~nhi diipe suuriyuggamanakaalo pubbavidehe majjhanhiko hoti, uttarakuruusu attha"ngamanakaalo, aparagoyaane majjhimayaamo. Pubbavidehamhi uggamanakaalo uttarakuruusu majjhanhiko, aparagoyaane attha"ngamanakaalo, idha majjhimayaamo. Uttarakuruusu uggamanakaalo aparagoyaane majjhanhiko, idha attha"ngamanakaalo, pubbavidehe majjhimayaamo. Aparagoyaanadiipe uggamanakaalo idha majjhanhiko, pubbavidehe attha"ngamanakaalo, uttarakuruusu majjhimayaamoti." (DA.iii.868)

"Jambudiipa" is known to be India and its continent. Then remaining continents can be reconstructed then as:

Pubbavideha - Australia,
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.

Uttarakuru - America,
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.

Aparagoyaana - Africa.
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.

While the size of the continent does make sense but the height of the people is not. Are those human size to be understood literally? 3.7m is a precise figure but I haven't heard any human being has this kind of body height, let alone 7.3m and the long-life span. Mt.Sumeru maybe invisible but are the dwellers of the four continents are also invisible?
Post Reply