Earth: 4 Worlds in 1 (Buddhist Cosmology)

EricDubay.com

HUMAN WORLD - Manuṣya-loka मनुष्यलोक (Tibetan mi, Chinese/Japanese, 人 nin, Burmese မနုဿဘုံ, Thai มนุสสภูมิ or มนุษยโลก) – This is the world of humans and human-like beings, who live on the surface of the earth (different from humanoids who live inside and above it).

Rebirth onto this plane results from observing the Five Precepts, giving, and discipline in virtue of middling quality. This is the realm of moral choice where our future destiny (which is not fate/kismet set in stone but malleable with strong tendencies) can be guided.

The Khana Sutra mentions that this plane of existence is a unique balance of pleasure and pain. (It is like the seashore with surf, between safe land and a sea of suffering). This facilitates the development of virtue and wisdom to liberate oneself from the entire cycle or rebirths (samsara).

For this reason rebirth as a human being is considered precious and extraordinarily rare, according to the Chiggala Sutra. The mountain-rings that engird Sumeru, the axis mundi or central pole, a mythical mountain, are surrounded by a vast ocean (or space), which fills most of this world.

The ocean is in turn surrounded by a circular mountain wall called cakravāḍa चक्रवाड (Pāli cakkavāḷa चक्कवाळ, Thai จักรวาล or จกฺกวาฬ), which marks the boundary between earthly human worlds, the horizontal limit of the world. In this ocean there are four planets, islands, lamps, or continents (Sanskrit dvipas, Pali dipas) which are, relatively speaking, small islands in it.

Because of the immensity of the ocean (or distance in space or protective dome locking beings into each world), they cannot be reached from each other by ordinary vehicles. However, in the past, when cakravartins or "world monarchs" ruled, communication between these worlds (islands/lamps) was possible by means of a treasure called cakra-ratna (Pāli cakka-ratana), which a cakravartin and that ruler's retinue could use to fly through the air between (a vimana or unlimited vehicle, UFO, USO, UAF, flying platform or palace).

The four islands or lights (lamps) are:

.

1. Jambudvīpa जम्वुद्वीप or Jambudīpa जम्बुदीप (Chinese/Japanese 閻浮提 Enbudai, Burmese ဇမ္ဗုဒီပ, Thai ชมพูทวีป) is located in the south, and it is the dwelling of ordinary earthling human beings. It is said to be shaped "like a cart," or rather a blunt-nosed triangle with the point facing south. (This description probably echoes the shape of the coastline of southern India). It is 10,000 yojanas (one yojana being about seven miles) in extent (Vibhajyavāda tradition) or has a perimeter of 6,000 yojanas (Sarvāstivāda tradition) to which can be added the southern coast of only 3.5 yojanas' length. The continent takes its name from a giant jambu tree (Syzygium cumini), 100 yojanas tall, which grows in the middle of the island. Every island has one of these giant trees. All supremely enlightened or samma-sam-buddhas appear in Jambudvīpa.

The being here are five to six feet tall, and their length of life varies between 10 and about 10,140 years (Asankya Aayu) [but can reach up to 80,000 years during the Golden Age at the beginning of a kalpa/aeon.]

2. Pūrvavideha पूर्वविदेह or Pubbavideha पुब्बविदेह (Burmese ပုဗ္ဗဝိဒေဟ, Thai ปุพพวิเทหทีป or บูรพวิเทหทวีป) is located in the east, and it is shaped like a semicircle with the flat side pointing westward (i.e., towards Mt. 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, or Albizia lebbeck (Sukhōthai tradition). The people here are about 12 feet (3.7 m) tall, and they live for 700 years. Their main work is trading and buying materials.

3. Aparagodānīya अपरगोदानीय or Aparagoyāna अपरगोयान (Burnese အပရဂေါယာန, Thai อปรโคยานทวีป or อปรโคทานียทวีป) is located in the west, and it 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 (Anthocephalus chinensis). The human inhabitants of this continent do not live in houses but sleep on the ground. Their main transportation are bullock carts. They are about 24 feet (7.3 m) tall, and they live for 500 years.

4. Uttarakuru उत्तरकुरु (Burmese ဥတ္တရကုရု, Thai อุตรกุรุทวีป) is located in the north, and it is shaped like a square. It has a perimeter of 8,000 yojanas, being 2,000 yojanas on each side. This island's tree is called a kalpavṛkṣa कल्पवृक्ष (Pāli kapparukkha कप्परुक्ख) or kalpa-tree, because it lasts for the entire kalpa ("aeon"). The inhabitants of Uttarakuru have cities built in the air. They are said to be extraordinarily wealthy, not needing to labor for a living – as their food grows by itself – and holding no private property.

They are about 48 feet (15 m) tall, and they live for 1,000 years. They are under the protection of Vaiśravaṇa. More