How Life Began: History of the World (sutra)

Albert J. Edmunds (DN 27, sacred-texts.com); Mel Brooks, Gregory Hines ("History of the World, Pt. 1"); Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero, Amber Larson, CC Liu, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly

O, to live again in heavenly mansions, celestial palaces, fairy tale castles, roaring vimanas!

(KN) What does modern scientific speculation teach us? Mel Brooks brings a one-of-a-kind touch to the history of humankind covering events from cave dwellers to Old Testament figures in a series of episodic comedy vignettes.
 

A Buddhist "Genesis" (Agganna Sutta) discusses the beginnings of life on this planet this time around, given that the universe and its herstory/history are cyclical. In the beginning, flying-beings (akasha devas) with light bodies descended onto this and other planets to enjoy tangible, sensual pleasures. Over time, those beings devolved. That is what happened. We are still in a state of devolution (while some spiritually evolve and others deteriorate through countless rebirths wandering through samsara in search of pleasure, satisfaction, and fulfillment) on this planet as we hurl toward destruction and chaos and eventual coherence, resurgence, and another Golden Age. Even then the cycle will repeat, more a spiral than a circle, revolving, the same but different, ad nauseum.

A Buddhist "Genesis"

THE AGGAÑÑA-SUTRA translated by Albert J. Edmunds (via The Monist, sacred-texts.com) edited by Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero, Amber Larson, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

I'm going to say I created this world and everything upon it and smite those who disagree.

 

THE DIALOGUE PRIMEVAL

O, Vâse.t.thâ [1].

• [Note 1: The plural name of two Brahmin disciples to whom the Buddha addresses this discourse, hereafter omitted as it occurs in every paragraph.]

O, the beautiful radiant beings of yore!

There is a season, at vast intervals in the lapse of time [maha kalpas, "great aeons"], when this world is dissolved; and upon the world's dissolution, the inhabitants are mostly brought together in the heaven [space or joyful realm] of the Radiant [Ābhāsvara Devas], and there they dwell for a long, long period, mind-made, feeders on joy, self-resplendent, traversing the sky, and abiding in goodness.

 

Again, there is a season, at vast intervals in the lapse of time, when this world is re-evolved; and upon the world's evolution, people disappear from the host [ranks, armies, columns] of the Radiant and come down hither [2].

• [2: A corrupt change in the Prâkrit of the Pâli words itthatta~m âgacchanti into iccha-svam-âgacchanti has given rise to the idea, in the Mahâvastu, that they go whither they please. Then a gloss adds that this is always the rule: they always go whither they desire.]

And they are mind-made, feeders on joy, self-resplendent, traversing the sky, and abiding in goodness. [And so] do they dwell for a long, long period.

 

As luminous beings, we make our own light.

Now at that season there is gloom and darkness universally: moon and sun are known not; stars and constellations are not known; nor night and day, nor month and fortnight [half-month], nor seasons of the year. Women and men are known not, but people say: "Sentient beings only are considered" [3].

• [3: The word rendered "inhabitants," "people," and "sentient beings" is the same in the Pâli language.]

Now for those beings there arises, after a vast interval in the lapse of time, a savory earth [solid] everywhere upon the water. Even as the tree of paradise on high is to a self-restrained one who is reaching Nirvâna, such does it appear. It was endowed with color, scent, and savor like unto ghee and butter: such was its color.

And even as a little honey undefiled, such was its taste. Then some luxurious person saying, "Oh! What can this be?" tasted with [its] finger the savory earth, and as soon as [it] had done so, craving [4] therefor became clothed and entered in.

• [4: Craving (tanha), literally "thirst," a technical term in Buddhist metaphysics for the will to have continued existence as well as the thirst for pleasant experiences which necessitates a sense of illusory personal or separate existence, that is, an existence separate from the phenomenal, impermanent, unsatisfactory components of existence and clinging, the Five Aggregates.]

Others also, following the example of that being, tasted the savory earth with a finger. When they had done so, craving became clothed and entered in.

Then people approached the luxurious savory earth, to partake of it with their hands, and forthwith their [luminous] self-radiance disappeared. When their self-radiance was gone, the moon and sun were manifested, and with them the stars and constellations. With these again came night and day, and with night and day the months and the fortnights, and with the last the seasons of the year. Thus was this world again evolved.

Racism/Castes

With contacts, I'm prettier than that smoker.

Now people remained a long, long time enjoying the savory earth for their food and support; and so long as they did thus, mere coarseness entered into their bodies and differences of caste [5] arose.

• [5: The word caste is simply color or complexion.]

I love the lovely ones and hate the hateful, ugh.

Some people were beautiful and others were ugly. Then those who were beautiful despised the ugly ones and said: "We are handsomer than these; they are uglier than we." And by reason of their conceit of color the savory earth disappeared among those born with pride and conceit.

When the savory earth had vanished, they met together and lamented, saying: "Oh, the savor! oh, the savor!" Even now, when [humans] have taken some surpassing [6] dainty [eaten some tasty dessert like Angel Food cake] they say the same: "Oh, the savor! Oh, the savor!" In this they imitate exactly the ancient primeval [people], but know not the meaning thereof.

• [6. The word "surpassing" is literally divine or angelic (from the Pali and Sanskrit deva]. As in the Old Testament, this word is used to mean great or fine, i.e., fit for the gods, such as Theobroma cacao, "the food of the gods," aka chocolate.]

After the savory earth had disappeared, there sprang up for those people a fine kind of moss. It was somewhat like a mushroom, and in color, scent, and savor was like unto ghee [creme de la creme] or butter [the off-white fat of milk]. And even as a little honey undefiled, such was its taste.

Then, as before, they ate the fine moss and lived a long time thereon, while coarseness entered still more into their bodies, and differences of caste [complexion] arose. Also, as before, the beautiful despised the ugly, whereupon the fine moss disappeared.

 
When it was gone, a sweet creeper sprang up, which was somewhat like the cadamba [flower], and in color, scent, savor, and taste, as the other foods before. The same experience was repeated, and the sweet creeper vanished away.

Then they met together and lamented, saying: "Alas for us! Alas! the sweet creeper has failed us!" Even now, when  [people] are touched by some divine catastrophe, they say the same: "Alas for us! Alas, it has failed us!" They recall the very letter of the ancient primeval [people], but know not the meaning thereof.

Now, when the sweet creeper had gone from those people, a delicate rice appeared, without coating or husk, pure, sweet-scented, and with the fruit already winnowed. They fetched food at evening for supper, and in the morning it was ripe and grown again. They fetched food in the morning for breakfast, and at evening it was ripe and grown again. It was not known to fail.

Then the people lived a long, long time, enjoying the delicate rice for their food and support; and so long as they did thus, mere coarseness entered more and more into their bodies and differences of caste arose.

[Eve and Adam]

Hey, try this kadamba, the sweet creeper flower. It's delish' and divine!

 

Ah, carrot top, let's go to the house I built.

Then the organ of womanhood appeared in the [first] woman and the organ of manhood in the [first] man. And the woman offered to the man strong drink in excess, and the man unto the woman. And as they did so, passion arose, and suffering entered into their bodies.

[Sex]

Shall we do it again? (AlexGrey.com)

By reason of the suffering they indulged in the act of sex. Then, when people saw them in those days, indulging thus, some threw dust and others ashes, and others cow-dung, saying: "Perish, vile wench! Perish, vile wench!" And again: "How can one being do such a thing unto another?"

 

Even now, in some country places, when a murderess is being executed, some people throw dust, others ashes, and others cow-dung [7].

• [7: The Sanskrit here reads: "Monastics, just as now, when a maiden is being married, they throw a stick or a clod," etc. This is doubtless the true sense, and the Pâli language version is probably corrupt.]

They recall the very letter of the ancient primeval people, but know not the meaning thereof.

O, Vâse.t.thâ! That was an impious practice [fornication] in those days, but now it is [regarded as] a pious one [called procreation]. People who, in those days, indulged in the act of sex, were not allowed to return to town or village for two months and three.

When those people had fallen into exceeding mischief in that impiety, they began to make houses, in order to hide the impiety. Then it occurred to some idle person: "Why should I be troubled to bring rice at evening for supper and at morning for breakfast? Suppose I now bring it only once every evening for breakfast." He accordingly did so, and then some one approached him and said:

"Come, fellow-being! let us go and bring some rice."

"Enough, O fellow-being! I only fetch rice once every evening for breakfast."

Thereupon that other, following his example, said: "It would be good indeed to bring the rice only once in two days." Just then some one else approached that person and asked him likewise to go for rice, and he gave the same answer as the first, whereupon the other, following his example, said:

"It would be good indeed to bring the rice only once in four days." When another person invited the last one to bring some, he was told about the four-day plan, and forthwith suggested once in eight days as enough. 

So soon as those people began to eat stored-up rice, then was the grain enveloped by the red coating and the husk; no harvest was reaped; failure ensued, and there were groves on groves of standing rice.

Then the people met together and lamented, saying: "Alas! [Harmful] things have appeared among beings; for of yore we were mind-made, feeders on joy, self-radiant, traversing the sky and abiding in goodness, and so did we long remain. Then, after a vast period, arose the savory earth upon the water, and we ate thereof and lost our splendor, till moon and sun came forth, and stars and starry forms.... More