End of the world from the point of Mayan Calendar and explanations in Buddhism

End of the world from the point of Mayan Calendar and explanations in Buddhism

It is believed from the historical observations Maya Calendar have being originate from pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and many modern communities in highland Guatemala and in Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico.

Why Maya Calendar bother so much?

If we concern about the mechanism of the “Mayan calendar” it reflect the movement of cycles with the last cycle ending in December 2012. This is often interpreted as "the world will end on 21 December 2012, at 11:11 UTC".

The calendar combines twenty day names with the thirteen numbers of the trecena cycle to produce 260 unique days. Each day is numbered from 1 up to 13 and then starting again at 1. Separately from this, every day is given a name in sequence from a list of 20 day names.

As Calendar Round dates repeat every 18,980 days, approximately 52 solar years, the cycle repeats roughly once each lifetime, so a more refined method of dating was needed if history was to be recorded accurately. To specify dates over periods longer than 52 years, Mesoamericans used the Long Count calendar.

Since the Long Count dates are unambiguous, the Long Count was particularly well suited to use on monuments. Misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar was the basis for a popular belief that a cataclysm would take place on December 21, 2012. December 21, 2012 was simply the day that the calendar went to the next b'ak'tun, at Long Count 13.0.0.0.0. 

According to Sandra Noble, executive director of the Mesoamerican research organization Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI), notes that "for the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle". She considers the portrayal of December 2012 as a doomsday or cosmic-shift event to be "a complete fabrication and a chance for a lot of people to cash in."

The last day of the Mayan calendar corresponds with the Winter Solstice (or December Solstice), which has played a significant role in many cultures all over the world.

Actual scenario would be that, they haven’t had enough technology or ability to count the remaining numbers yet to come. Whereas, people are tend to believe myths by their nature. After all this has turn its traces towards marketing world. 

Have the world end on 21 December 2012, at 11:11 UTC?

A tricky one to answer, but as everyone knows, that we are still alive, except several natural disasters.  

If I could give an answer by the learning’s of Buddism that will be adequate for the readers. Buddism is not just a religion; it’s a philosophy of nature which origins about 2,500 years back. 

What is the time and space for all living beings within the six realms of existence?

I will first say about time. 

A. Ksana

In Buddhism, a “ksana” is the smallest unit of time. Within the context of how we measure time today, it is approximately one seventy-fifth of a second. It is very brief. In Buddhism, how do we gauge such a short duration of time?

There are 32,820,000 ksanas in one day. 

B. Asamkhya Kalpa

In Buddhism, a very long period of time is called an “asamkhya kalpa.” It is a very, very long period of time; the duration of an “asamkhya kalpa” is so long that any attempts to describe it in words would be difficult. At this time, let me talk about two lesser units of time within an “asamkhya kalpa” so that you can have some general references. 

“Mustard seed kalpa”: Imagine if we were to take a huge container measuring ten kilometers on each side and fill it with mustard seeds. Then, every one hundred years, we were to remove one seed. The time it would take to empty the container of all the mustard seeds is one “mustard seed kalpa.” Exactly how long a “mustard seed kalpa” is would probably have to be determined with the help of several computers. 

“Boulder kalpa”: Imagine if we were to take a huge boulder measuring ten kilometers on each side and sand the boulder with a piece of sandpaper every one hundred years. The time it would take to sand down the boulder to dust is “one boulder kalpa.” This period of time is much longer than that of a “mustard seed kalpa.” 

Within the Buddhist time scale, both the “mustard seed kalpa” and the “boulder kalpa” are only considered to be minor kalpas. In contrast, the duration of a major kalpa like the “asamkhya kalpa” is so immeasurable and infinite that it is beyond words. 

Let us now talk about space. In Buddhism, the largest unit of space is called a “Buddhaksetra” or Buddha Land, and the smallest unit of space is called a “suksma” or dust grain. Despite their differences in names, both terms ultimately describe the three thousand chiliocosms (major universe), which is endless, immeasurable, unlimited and unbounded. 

How big is the universe? Modern astronomy says that the planet earth on which we live is only a part of the solar system. Earth is only 1/1,300,000th the size of the sun. In other words, the sun is 1,300,000 times the size of earth. In the expansive space, the Milky Way galaxy has hundreds of billions of stars, and a universe probably has hundreds of million of galaxies like the Milky Way. Just try to imagine the vast immenseness of the universe.

Why? 

In Buddhism, time and space are immense without an outer limit and yet miniscule without an inner limit. Time and space are immeasurable and boundless. Today we are here talking; by tomorrow this speech can be televised to all of Taiwan. The following day, it can be translated and distributed to the world in printed form. In the future, it can be published as a book to build Dharma connections with tens of millions of people everywhere in the world. The Buddhist Dharma is forever beyond the limits of time and space.

To conclude I would say there won’t be any Worlds Ends in the near future. But we cannot predict natural disasters yet to come. All of the living beings and things are originated as a result, and they may destroy one day. That is the uncertainty of life we are witnessing.

Thanks to all of you.