
2600 years ago, with the great mercy that rained down upon the four worlds of suffering, and with the supreme compassion that irrigated the world, a sage who would descend into the world after many kalpas had broken the power of Mara, filled with people of all races, appeared. In this great Bhadra kalpa, the sage named Siddhartha Gautama, who attained the title of Buddha for the fourth time, appeared in the world. How is it that, having received the first definitive explanation from the Buddha, Dipankara, having compiled the ten virtues, namely, alms, conduct, and alms-giving, the sub-paramīs, and the supreme virtues, having finally completed the perfection of the virtues in the Vesāturu soul, having left this world and been born in the world of gods, having considered the five great views, having accepted the invitation of the gods, having become the son of the great king Sudovun and having been born with the name Siddhartha, having reached the proper age, having taken the hand of Yasodhara and having completed twenty-nine (29) years from birth, having been born from his own blood, on the birthday of Prince Rahula, who was born of his own blood, having given up his worldly and royal wealth, having gone forth, having performed a difficult task for a year, having abandoned that also, having followed the middle path, having seen the milk powder given by Sujata and having gone upstream with an empty bowl, having seen how his intention was successful, having seen the Sitting in a meditation posture on a seat made of the roots of a banyan tree called Ajapal, he recalled all the meditation objectives he had used in the world and kept his mind fixed on the final meditation objective of the Anapana Sati. Having developed all the insight knowledge, uprooted all the accumulated defilements, and developed the knowledge of omniscience, the embodiment of loving-kindness appeared in the world.
After that, he lived in the world for five hundred and fifty years (45 years), preached the Dhamma aggregate of eighty thousand (84,000) years, and at the age of eighty years from his birth, he attained Nirupadhisesha Parinibbana. After that, until the present day, only the Dhamma aggregate of eighty-four thousand that he preached and preached has been taught. That Dhamma aggregate can be seen today in three main parts. That is, in the Pitaka, it is called the Sutta, the Vinaya, and the Abhidhamma. These three parts are again divided into two parts, namely, the discourses on the ultimate goal and the discourses on the consensus. Of these, the Abhidhamma Pitaka is the ultimate goal, and the Pitakas of the Suttas and Vinaya are the consensus.
The consensus is the discourses that are made on the basis of the consensus that is established to introduce certain things in a general way. It is preached so that even a person with a low level of knowledge can easily understand it. However, the purpose is not that, but the discourse section is made to analyze the principles of the mind, which is invisible to the naked eye, such as pathavi, apo, tejo, and vayo. It is very beneficial (suitable) for those who are advanced in wisdom.
Accordingly, we should pay special attention to understanding that consensus and the ultimate goal. This exercise is for that.
It is our duty to investigate whether the social problem of the year 2012, as a very crucial year, is in accordance with Buddhism. This analysis is for that purpose.
The second sutta discourse of the second great section of the second chapter of the second great section of the Anguttaranika, the Satta Suriyaggama Sutta, which is the second sutta discourse of the Buddha, describes how the world will be destroyed.
The summary of that sutta is as follows:
The mountain called Sugera is eighty-four thousand yods long, wide, and high. Of this, eighty-four thousand yods of land are submerged in the ocean, and eighty-four thousand yods of land are above the ocean. Similarly, there will be a time in the future when there will be no rain for many years, thousands of years, or even hundreds of thousands of years. At that time, the herbs, grasses, and large trees that grow from seeds and the herbs that grow from the ground wither away. They do not spring up again on the surface of the earth. These are the characteristics that reveal the impermanence or change of samskaras, the impermanence. Therefore, this is sufficient for those who strive to understand the suffering of samsara.
Similarly, after a long period of rain, two suns will appear on this earth. At that time, any small rivers, lakes, ponds, etc. that have not dried up will also dry up. They will dry up without re-emerging. Thus, the impermanence of all formations is revealed.
Again, three suns will appear. At that time, the large rivers such as the Ganga, Yamuna, Achiravati, Saranga, Mahi, etc. will also dry up. They will dry up without re-emerging. Thus, the impermanence of all formations is revealed.
Again, four suns will appear. At that time, the great lakes that hold water springs, such as Anavatapta, Sinhaprapatha, Rathkaraya, Karnamunda, Shaddanta, Mandakini, etc., will dry up without re-emerging.
After a long time, the fifth sun also appears. At that time, the water level in the seven great oceans decreases by one hundred yods each, in the great ocean by two hundred yods, in the great ocean by three hundred yods, and finally the places where the great oceans were located become dry land, never to appear again.
After a long time, the sixth sun appears. At that time, smoke begins to rise from the earth like a kiln in which pottery is baked, and smoke also begins to rise from the aforementioned Sunera mountain. Thus begins and the smoke gradually increases. Thus the smoke continues for a long time.
Then the seventh sun appears. At that time, the Sunera mountain and the earth, which were smoking, take on the color of hot iron and burn. As they burn, the atmosphere is exhausted and the fire spreads to the entire world. Not even a speck of ash remains on the earth that is caught in that fire. This is how the world is destroyed by this fire.
When viewed in this way, the Sapta Suryodgamana Sutta mentions how the real world is destroyed. We know that the Buddha, who had eyes on the three worlds, was a great man who truly lived his life in union with the Dharma of Nature. He asked how the Dharma of Nature operates at every moment and taught us how to live a good life, avoiding external actions that are full of it and living a good life full of good attitudes and behaviors. If so, live a good life. It will lead you to goodness.