How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

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oatsandmilk
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How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

Post by oatsandmilk »

MN 81 mentions Kassapa Buddha visiting Varanasi.

Even fundamentalist Hindus do not claim it existed before 2000 BCE. Most likely no more than 1000 BCE from archaeological evidence.

That makes the birth of Gautama Buddha only about 400 years after Kassapa Buddha. Is this a correct assumption?

If yes, are Buddhas born every few centuries and might it be that they were born in such a location (say, Caucasian region in 500 CE) that the teachings did not survive for more than a century?
Not long after Jotipāla’s ordination, a fortnight later, the Buddha Kassapa—having stayed in Vebhaliṅga as long as he wished—set out for Benares. Traveling stage by stage, he arrived at Benares, where he stayed near Benares, in the deer park at Isipatana.
https://suttacentral.net/mn81/en/sujato
I know it is idle speculation that does not help practice .. but the mere thought that it may have happened is exhilarating.

:anjali:
santa100
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Re: How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

Post by santa100 »

oatsandmilk wrote:If yes, are Buddhas born every few centuries and might it be that they were born in such a location (say, Caucasian region in 500 CE) that the teachings did not survive for more than a century?

I know it is idle speculation that does not help practice ..
And the reason we shouldn't speculate is because the periods between the arising of Buddhas aren't evenly spaced apart. For example, between Gautama Buddha and the future Buddha Metteyya, it'll take a very long long time, according to DN 26.
2600htz
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Re: How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

Post by 2600htz »

Hi:

No that is incorrect.
The life span of humans at the time of Kassapa Buddha was 20.000 years, so he lived before this "generation of humans".
There are some estimates, but probably billions of years ago.

The Buddha in that sutta smiles because at the same spot Kassapa used to live, by that he meant the same location. Maybe and just maybe the earth after each cycle always forms the same kind of continents.

Regards.
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oatsandmilk
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Re: How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

Post by oatsandmilk »

2600htz wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:15 pm Hi:

No that is incorrect.
The life span of humans at the time of Kassapa Buddha was 20.000 years, so he lived before this "generation of humans".
There are some estimates, but probably billions of years ago.

The Buddha in that sutta smiles because at the same spot Kassapa used to live, by that he meant the same location. Maybe and just maybe the earth after each cycle always forms the same kind of continents.

Regards.
The point I was trying to make was that Kassapa Buddha traveled to Varanasi, a city that was at most 500 years old at the time of Gautama Buddha. Or, did you mean this Varanasi was "billions of years ago"?

:anjali:
Last edited by oatsandmilk on Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sabbe_Dhamma_Anatta
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Re: How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

Post by Sabbe_Dhamma_Anatta »

oatsandmilk wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 2:07 pm MN 81 mentions Kassapa Buddha visiting Varanasi.

Even fundamentalist Hindus do not claim it existed before 2000 BCE. Most likely no more than 1000 BCE from archaeological evidence.

That makes the birth of Gautama Buddha only about 400 years after Kassapa Buddha. Is this a correct assumption?

If yes, are Buddhas born every few centuries and might it be that they were born in such a location (say, Caucasian region in 500 CE) that the teachings did not survive for more than a century?
Not long after Jotipāla’s ordination, a fortnight later, the Buddha Kassapa—having stayed in Vebhaliṅga as long as he wished—set out for Benares. Traveling stage by stage, he arrived at Benares, where he stayed near Benares, in the deer park at Isipatana.
https://suttacentral.net/mn81/en/sujato
I know it is idle speculation that does not help practice .. but the mere thought that it may have happened is exhilarating.

:anjali:


Whenever a person abides by the teachings of Sakyamunī Buddha, a Sammasambuddha is born, in his heart.


:heart:
𝓑𝓾𝓭𝓭𝓱𝓪 𝓗𝓪𝓭 𝓤𝓷𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓲𝓿𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓵𝓵𝔂 𝓓𝓮𝓬𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓮𝓭 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽
  • Iᴅᴇᴀ ᴏꜰ Sᴏᴜʟ ɪs Oᴜᴛᴄᴏᴍᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴ Uᴛᴛᴇʀʟʏ Fᴏᴏʟɪsʜ Vɪᴇᴡ
    V. Nanananda

𝓐𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓽ā 𝓜𝓮𝓪𝓷𝓼 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓘𝓼
  • Nᴏ sᴜᴄʜ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀs ᴀ Sᴇʟғ, Sᴏᴜʟ, Eɢᴏ, Sᴘɪʀɪᴛ, ᴏʀ Āᴛᴍᴀɴ
    V. Buddhādasa
coconut
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Re: How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

Post by coconut »

Samma Sambuddha's are exceptionally very rare. 90% of Buddhas are pacceka buddhas. So odds are you won't have a chance of being human/deva in the same time as the next Samma Sambuddha's dispensation as 1) If you're a puthujanna you probably won't be a human nor deva and 2) if you're an Ariya, you'll probably attain Arahantship before the next Samma Sambuddha arises.

This is basically your only time in a dispensation of a Samma Sambuddha, unless you have incredibly good karma like Gotama did.

Also, keep in mind Gotama was going to be a Pacceka Buddha, it's only because of Brahma Sahampati that he decided to teach the dhamma.
Then Brahma Sahampati, having known with his own awareness the line of thinking in the Blessed One's awareness, thought: "The world is lost! The world is destroyed! The mind of the Tathagata, the Arahant, the Rightly Self-awakened One inclines to dwelling at ease, not to teaching the Dhamma!" Then, just as a strong man might extend his flexed arm or flex his extended arm, Brahma Sahampati disappeared from the Brahma-world and reappeared in front of the Blessed One. Arranging his upper robe over one shoulder, he knelt down with his right knee on the ground, saluted the Blessed One with his hands before his heart, and said to him: "Lord, let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! Let the One-Well-Gone teach the Dhamma! There are beings with little dust in their eyes who are falling away because they do not hear the Dhamma. There will be those who will understand the Dhamma."
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confusedlayman
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Re: How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

Post by confusedlayman »

oatsandmilk wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:41 pm
2600htz wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:15 pm Hi:

No that is incorrect.
The life span of humans at the time of Kassapa Buddha was 20.000 years, so he lived before this "generation of humans".
There are some estimates, but probably billions of years ago.

The Buddha in that sutta smiles because at the same spot Kassapa used to live, by that he meant the same location. Maybe and just maybe the earth after each cycle always forms the same kind of continents.

Regards.
The point I was trying to make was that Kassapa Buddha traveled to Varanasi, a city that was at most 500 years old at the time of Gautama Buddha. Or, did you mean this Varanasi was "billions of years ago"?

:anjali:
kasappa buddha walked in same place 5 billion years ago maybe? and same place now is called Varanasi.. during his time it might be called different name...
I may be slow learner but im at least learning...
2600htz
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Re: How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

Post by 2600htz »

oatsandmilk wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:41 pm
2600htz wrote: Tue Nov 24, 2020 4:15 pm Hi:

No that is incorrect.
The life span of humans at the time of Kassapa Buddha was 20.000 years, so he lived before this "generation of humans".
There are some estimates, but probably billions of years ago.

The Buddha in that sutta smiles because at the same spot Kassapa used to live, by that he meant the same location. Maybe and just maybe the earth after each cycle always forms the same kind of continents.

Regards.
The point I was trying to make was that Kassapa Buddha traveled to Varanasi, a city that was at most 500 years old at the time of Gautama Buddha. Or, did you mean this Varanasi was "billions of years ago"?

:anjali:

Hi Oatsandmilk:

I get your point, and you are right that it is wierd that the sutta mentions Kassapa Buddha traveled to Varanasi, since it is a city with probably only a couple of thousand years. Usually in the suttas they say something like "this city at that time was known as xxxx". But in this case maybe "Varanasi" means something like "city near the river" (im just making an example), so Varanasi was a good name in both periods, or a name that can be used to describe that portion of land, even if that was not the actual name at the time.

I am only certain that Kassapa Buddha didnt live just 3000 years ago, since that does not agree with several important data of the suttas.

Regards.
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salayatananirodha
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Re: How often is a Samma Sambuddha born?

Post by salayatananirodha »

digha nikaya 14 details the seven buddhas
this aeon is auspicious and has/will have five sammāsambuddhas but, before, several aeons passed between sammāsambuddhas
it's considered quite rare
I host a sutta discussion via Zoom Sundays at 11AM Chicago time — message me if you are interested
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