In This World or the Next: Investigation Over the “End of the World” in Contemplative Practice Through the Pāli Canon
Annali Sezione Orientale August 15, 2023 Federico Divino
Analysis of the term 'loka' (world) in the Pāli canon reveals a conception of the world as a cognitive construct, closely tied to philosophy of mind and language. The 'end of the world' (lokanta) corresponds to the state of full consciousness required to become a Buddha. The figure of the world-ender (lokantagū) serves as a metaphor for the Buddha as an otherworldly being (lokuttara), a concept also found in the Abhidhamma. Rather than an apocalyptic vision, the end of the world appears as the main goal of meditation in Early Buddhism and part of the Buddhist epistemological framework.