---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: According to the Buddha's teaching the…"
description: "\"According to the Buddha's teaching the beginning of the life-stream of living beings is unthinkable. THe believer in the creation of life by God may be..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/walpola-rahula-30756_answers_according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-b_397769.jpg"
---

#  According to the Buddha's teaching the beginning of the…

![“According to the Buddha's teaching the beginning of the life-stream of living beings is unthinkable. THe believer in the creation of life by God may be astonished at this reply. But if you were to ask him 'What is the beginning of God?' he would answer without hesitation 'God has no beginning'…” quote by Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/walpola-rahula-30756_answers_according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-b_397769.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/walpola-rahula-30756_answers_according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-b_397769.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/walpola-rahula-30756_answers_according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-b_397769.jpg)

> “According to the Buddha's teaching the beginning of the life-stream of living beings is unthinkable. THe believer in the creation of life by God may be astonished at this reply. But if you were to ask him 'What is the beginning of God?' he would answer without hesitation 'God has no beginning', and he is not astonished at his own reply.”

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Highlights that the concept of a beginning is inapplicable to both life and the divine, emphasizing the unknowable nature of origins.

**In simple terms:** Beginnings are unknowable for life and God.

Key Takeaway

Accept mystery and avoid dogmatic speculation.

Themes

philosophy spirituality ontology mindfulness

Mood

contemplative inquisitive

Type

philosophical spiritual

When to use this quote

- personal meditation
- academic study
- interfaith dialogue
- ethical decision making

Key Concepts

emptiness dependent origination theology

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to live without a defined beginning?
- How can this perspective influence ethical choices?

A Different Perspective

Some may find this view unsettling or dismissive of scientific inquiry.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Believer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believer/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Creation Of Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation-of-life/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Hesitation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hesitation/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/)

## Related quotes

> [In the beginning was the Word. It doesn't say in the beginning was God. In the beginning was the Word because in the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh-yogi/in-the-beginning-was-the-word-it-doesn-t-say-in-the-beginning-was-god/)

[Harbhajan Singh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh-yogi/)

> [“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john/in-the-beginning-was-the-word-and-the-word-was-with-god-and-the-word-2/)

[John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john/)

> [How could sexuality be anything but God? It's the creation of life. Life is experiencing itself in endless forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/how-could-sexuality-be-anything-but-god-it-s-the-creation-of-life/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Yet how strange a thing is the beauty of music! The brief beauty that the player brings into being transforms a given period of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/yet-how-strange-a-thing-is-the-beauty-of-music-the-brief-beauty-that/)

[Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/)

> [“In the production of a good play with a good cast and a knowing director a kind of banding-together occurs; there is formed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/in-the-production-of-a-good-play-with-a-good-cast-and-a-knowing/)

[Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/)

> [I’m just a storyteller, and the cinema happens to be my medium. I like it because it recreates life in movement, enlarges it, enhances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-m-just-a-storyteller-and-the-cinema-happens-to-be-my-medium-i-like/)

[Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/)

> [“others devoted to life will surely find that between the creation of life and the destruction of the destroyers there is no difference but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayi-kwei-armah/others-devoted-to-life-will-surely-find-that-between-the-creation-of/)

[Ayi Kwei Armah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayi-kwei-armah/)

> [The greatest work of art created first by god and then by man, is the creation of life. The whole process is an amazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-jane-andrews-hoey/the-greatest-work-of-art-created-first-by-god-and-then-by-man-is-the/)

Bethany Jane Andrews Hoey

> [“Which is one reason that by the end of the 1860s, Wallace had become a spiritualist. Like Gray, he too found it impossible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-fuller/which-is-one-reason-that-by-the-end-of-the-1860s-wallace-had-become-a/)

Randall Fuller

> [A day! It has risen upon us from the great deep of eternity, girt round with wonder; emerging from the womb of darkness; a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/a-day-it-has-risen-upon-us-from-the-great-deep-of-eternity-girt-round/)

[Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/)

> [“Expansion of the soul’s true nature will always lead us toward the creation of life we are meant to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-m-zion/expansion-of-the-soul-s-true-nature-will-always-lead-us-toward-the/)

[Tina M. Zion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-m-zion/)

> [Being fully present isn’t something that happens once and then you have achieved it; it’s being awake to the ebb and flow and movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/being-fully-present-isn-t-something-that-happens-once-and-then-you/)

[Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/)

> [One antidote for sexual truancy lies in simply teaching youth the wonder, the miracle, the reverence for the creation of life itself. Life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/one-antidote-for-sexual-truancy-lies-in-simply-teaching-youth-the/)

[Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/)

> [“Only a woman can carry in her body an eternal being which bears the very image of God. Only she is the recipient of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-w-phillips/only-a-woman-can-carry-in-her-body-an-eternal-being-which-bears-the/)

[Douglas W. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-w-phillips/)

> [“And I pray mark how he begins: he sets not up trophies to himself, but triumphs in his God-- "I will love thee, O…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-steele/and-i-pray-mark-how-he-begins-he-sets-not-up-trophies-to-himself-but/)

[Richard Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-steele/)

## More by Walpola Rahula

> [Two ideas are psychologically deep-rooted in man: self-protection and self-preservation. For self-protection man has created God, on whom he depends for his own protection,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/two-ideas-are-psychologically-deep-rooted-in-man-self-protection-and/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [The question has often been asked; Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? It does not matter what you call it. Buddhism remains what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/the-question-has-often-been-asked-is-buddhism-a-religion-or-a/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [As long as you are conscious of yourself, you can never concentrate on anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/as-long-as-you-are-conscious-of-yourself-you-can-never-concentrate-on/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [First of all, Buddhism is neither pessimistic nor optimistic. If anything at all, it is realistic, for it takes a realistic view of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/first-of-all-buddhism-is-neither-pessimistic-nor-optimistic-if/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [It is always a question of knowing and seeing, and not that of believing. The teaching of the Buddha is qualified as ehi-passika, inviting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/it-is-always-a-question-of-knowing-and-seeing-and-not-that-of/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [“Human language is too poor to express the real nature of the Absolute Truth or Ultimate Reality which is Nirvana. Language is created and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/human-language-is-too-poor-to-express-the-real-nature-of-the-absolute/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [“Here the four elements of solidity, fluidity, heat and motion have no place; the notions of length and breadth, the subtle and the gross,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/here-the-four-elements-of-solidity-fluidity-heat-and-motion-have-no/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [All great work artistic, poetic, intellectual or spiritual is produced at those moments when creators forget themselves altogether and are free from self-consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/all-great-work-artistic-poetic-intellectual-or-spiritual-is-produced/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [There is no unmoving mover behind the movement. It is only movement. It is not correct to say that life is moving, but life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/there-is-no-unmoving-mover-behind-the-movement-it-is-only-movement-it/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [“What we call life...is the combination of the Five Aggregates, a combination of physical and mental energies. These are constantly changing; they do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/what-we-call-life-is-the-combination-of-the-five-aggregates-a/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [“To be attached to one thing (to a certain view) and to look down upon other things (views) as inferior—this the wise men call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/to-be-attached-to-one-thing-to-a-certain-view-and-to-look-down-upon/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [If by the expression "not practical" you mean "not easy," you are right. Definitely it is not easy. Yet it should be tried. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/if-by-the-expression-not-practical-you-mean-not-easy-you-are-right/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [“We must admit that very often we are afraid or ashamed to look at our own minds. So we prefer to avoid it. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/we-must-admit-that-very-often-we-are-afraid-or-ashamed-to-look-at-our/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [“…When the secret is discovered, when the Truth is seen, all the forces which feverishly produce the continuity of samsara in illusion become calm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/when-the-secret-is-discovered-when-the-truth-is-seen-all-the-forces/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

> [“All great work—artistic, poetic, intellectual or spiritual—is produced at those moments when its creators are lost completely in their actions, when they forget themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/all-great-work-artistic-poetic-intellectual-or-spiritual-is-produced-2/)

[Walpola Rahula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

[Explore all 17 Walpola Rahula quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/)

## More Answers quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/)

[Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/)

> [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/)

[Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/)

> [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/)

[Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/)

Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "According to the Buddha's teaching the beginning of the life-stream of living beings is unthinkable. THe believer in the creation of life by God may be astonished at this reply. But if you were to ask him 'What is the beginning of God?' he would answer without hesitation 'God has no beginning', and he is not astonished at his own reply.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Walpola Rahula"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-beginning-of-the-life-stream/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Answers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-beginning-of-the-life-stream/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/walpola-rahula-30756_answers_according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-b_397769.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/walpola-rahula-30756_answers_according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-b_397769.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d29/walpola-rahula-30756_answers_according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-b_397769.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“According to the Buddha's teaching the beginning of the life-stream of living beings is unthinkable. THe…” — Walpola Rahula",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Walpola Rahula",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walpola-rahula/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "According to the Buddha's teaching the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-beginning-of-the-life-stream/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walpola-rahula/according-to-the-buddha-s-teaching-the-beginning-of-the-life-stream/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
