Essentially it may be said that the
Buddha opposed both the cosmological and philosophical speculations of the Brahmans and the shramanas (magicians) and the different methods and techniques of a pre-classic Samkhya and Yoga. As for cosmology and anthropogony, which he refused to discuss, it is obvious that, for the Buddha, the world was created by neither a god nor a demiurge nor an evil spirit (as the
Gnostics and
Manicheans think), but that it continues to exist, that is, it is continually created by the acts, good or evil, of men. Indeed, when ignorance and sin increase, not only is human life shortened but the universe itself wastes away.
His (Buddha’s) refusal to let himself be drawn into speculations of any kind is categorical. It is admirably illustrated in the famous dialogue with Malunkyaputta.
This monk complained that the
Blessed One gave no answers to such questions as: Is the universe eternal or noneternal? Finite or infinite? Is the soul the same thing as the body, or is it different? Does the Tathagata exist after death, or does he not exist after death? And so forth. Malunkyaputta asks the
Master to state his thought clearly and, if necessary, to admit that he does not know the answer.
The
Buddha then tells him the story of the man struck by a poisoned arrow.
Why did the
Buddha refuse to discuss these things?
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SUCCESS IS THY PROOF: ARGUE NOT; CONVERT NOT; TALK NOT OVER MUCH!