What did the Buddha say about the origin of the universe?
The Buddha did not attempt to address all problems that perplexed humanity, especially those that tend neither to edification nor to enlightenment. He was chiefly concerned with one practical and specific problem – that of suffering and its elimination. All peripheral issues were completely ignored. Once, a Bhikkhu (monk) demanded an immediate answer to this type of question, threatening to discard his robes if no satisfactory response was given. The Buddha told the monk, “I have not revealed whether the world is eternal or not eternal, whether the world is finite or infinite because these are not profitable, and are not conducive to tranquility, to intuitive wisdom, to eradication of suffering or to enlightenment. Therefore, I have not revealed these.” He admonished the Bhikkhu not to waste time and energy over idle speculations detrimental to moral progress, and told him that he would die before these questions had ever been fully answered. The Buddha told a story about a man who was
