Chapter 13 - Origin Of Life

There are two main views in the world with regard to the problem of the ultimate origin of life. The first one is that life must have had a beginning in the infinite past and that beginning of the first cause is the Creator — God or Brahma. This view is believed mostly by other religions except Buddhism. The other view believed by Buddhists is that life is considered beginning-less, for the cause ever becomes the effect and the effect again becomes the cause, and thus in circles of cause and effect; a first cause is not conceivable and no personality or identity can be utterly found out in the process of cause-effect cycle.

Here the Buddha states in the Samyutta Nikaya II, "The origin of phenomenal existence is inconceivable, and the beginning of the beings obstructed by ignorance and ensnared by craving is not to be discoverable". Such being the case, the life process or the universe is governed by the natural law of cause and effect. Birth is the cause; death is the effect and so birth and death are two phases of the life process.

So in this circle of cause and effect or of birth and death, the first beginning or creator is not discoverable. In actuality, no one creates the first origin of the universe, but the obvious fact is that the phenomena or elements alone are rolling on in all universe since the time immemorial. In Buddhism, the perpetual wandering or round of rebirths is called Samsara (lit. Sam-ever, sara-becoming). The cosmic law on this process of life and death is explicitly explained by the Buddha in the Paticca Samuppada - The Dependent Origination.