Longevity

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asahi
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Longevity

Post by asahi »

How would buddhism define long life ? 70 years or/and above ? How about 60 , 65 & 50 years is that short life span ?

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SDC
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Re: Longevity

Post by SDC »

asahi wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 12:39 am How would buddhism define long life ? 70 years or/and above ? How about 60 , 65 & 50 years is that short life span ?

:thanks:
According to AN 7.74, the Buddha considered a lifetime of about 100 years to be short.
“Life is swept along, short is the life span; no shelters exist for one who has reached old age. Seeing clearly this danger in death, a seeker of peace should drop the world’s bait.” SN 1.3
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Re: Longevity

Post by cappuccino »

Just as a line drawn in the water with a stick quickly vanishes and does not stay long, in the same way, brahmans, the life of human beings is like a line drawn in the water with a stick

Araka's Teaching

Now at that time, monks, the human life span was 60,000 years
asahi
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Re: Longevity

Post by asahi »

In case you dont aware i am referring to this era where Buddhism would define .
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cappuccino
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Re: Longevity

Post by cappuccino »

Buddhism is timeless


rather than merely for our time
Last edited by cappuccino on Mon Jul 26, 2021 2:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Cause_and_Effect
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Re: Longevity

Post by Cause_and_Effect »

There is a passage in the Araka Sutta where it is said that a long life is considered to be 100 years or a little more.
The Buddha himself lived for 80 years, and Ananda's mistake was not asking the Buddha when prompted to extend his life formation to the full possible Ayya Kappa of a human life in this era, which would have been 160 years.

Still this is short for comparison. The lowest level of Deva becoming above the human sphere is the domain of the Four Great Kings.

"Such is the Uposatha of the Noble Ones, Visakha. When this Uposatha of the Noble Ones is undertaken, it is of great fruit & great benefit, of great glory & great radiance. And how is it of great fruit & great benefit, of great glory & great radiance?...

"Fifty human years are equal to one day & night among the Devas of the Four Great Kings. Thirty such days & nights make a month. Twelve such months make a year. Five hundred such heavenly years constitute the life-span among the Devas of the Four Great Kings. Now, it is possible that a certain man or woman — from having observed this Uposatha endowed with eight factors — on the break-up of the body, after death, might be reborn among the Devas of the Four Great Kings. It was in reference to this that it was said, 'Kingship over human beings is a meager thing when compared with heavenly bliss.
'

From AN 3:70
Muluposatha Sutta

50 x 30 x 12 x 500 = the lifespan of a Deva in the realm of the Four Great Kings is equivalent to 9 million human years.
Still fairly lowly amongst Deva lifespans but good for context compared to our lifespan.

Evidently the human realm is not the best realm to indulge in sensual pleasures but the best opportunity to work on oneself.
Last edited by Cause_and_Effect on Mon Jul 26, 2021 2:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
"Therein monks, that Dimension should be known wherein the eye ceases and the perception of forms fades away...the ear... the nose...the tongue... the body ceases and the perception of touch fades away...

That Dimension should be known wherein mentality ceases and the perception of mind-objects fades away.
That Dimension should be known; that Dimension should be known."


(S. IV. 98) - The Dimension beyond the All
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cappuccino
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Re: Longevity

Post by cappuccino »

Cause_and_Effect wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 2:34 am Evidently the human realm is not the best realm to indulge in sensual pleasures but the best opportunity to work on oneself.
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Re: Longevity

Post by asahi »

Cause_and_Effect wrote: Mon Jul 26, 2021 2:34 am There is a passage in the Araka Sutta where it is said that a long life is considered to be 100 years or a little more.
This means at present state the life span of 70 years are considered short . Most people can live for 60 to 70 over years only . 80 to 100 are lesser .
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