Originally posted by askxyz:
According to the theory of evolution, in the beginning (no, there is no beginning), there were no human. Only animals. And human are the lucky one to evolve faster than the rest. We know, according to the popular theory, human were apes but gradually evolved to become what we are right now. Does this mean, the earth was filled with bad karma in the beginning (no, there is no beginning)?
Advise please. Thanks

Buddhists are taught not place emphasis on this as the aim of Buddhism is to develop wisdom and compassion and thereby attain Nirvana. Knowing how the universe began can contribute nothing to this task.But since you have asked we will discuss it briefly here.

All religions have myths and stories which attempt to answer this question. In ancient times, when many simply did not know, such myths were adequate, but in the 20th century, in the age of physics, astronomy and geology, such myths have been superseded by scientific fact. Science has explained the origin of the universe without recourse to the god-idea. What does the Buddha say about the origin of the universe? It is interesting that the BuddhaÂ’s explanation of the origin of the universe corresponds very closely to the scientific view.
In the Aganna Sutta, the Buddha described the universe being destroyed and then re-evolving into its present form over a period of countless millions of years. The first life formed on the surface of the water and again, over countless millions of years, evolved from simple into complex organisms. All these processes are without beginning or end, and are set in motion by natural causes.
Infinite Causes is so named because of the belief that there are an infinite number of causes and conditions that made the world the way it is. There is no ‘first cause’ or ‘one cause’ because all things are intertwined in an endless web of causality with no beginning and no end. Both natural and supernatural forces may be involved.
There are many universes, of many possible types. We happen to be in one. There may be both natural and supernatural causes that set the physical conditions of our universe the way they are and allowed life of our type to come into being. However, there is no need to believe that this is the best possible universe
An infinite web of causes and conditions affects the development of every instant in our lives and the world we live in. This includes our own actions. Karmic theory is based on the unseen bonds between living sentient beings, whereby every action we take has consequences. These consequences have an impact not only on all around us but also, through stress on the interconnections between us and everything else, reflect back on ourselves as well (either in this lifetime or in the future). However, this is not fate, because you can change your own karma, or by acts of compassion and mercy, alleviate the negative karma of those you help. In a Buddhist worldview, we help create our own reality. The discoveries of quantum physics do not trouble Buddhists the way they do members of ‘divine plan’ based faiths, because the transitory nature of each moment was well understood by the Buddha, as was the interconnected condition of our existence.
Quantum physics theory reveals a universe of constant change, where events are only probabilities until there is an interaction with an observer. This effect of an observing mind on the future of the universe is consistent with Buddhist concepts that we are all interconnected and our actions and even presence can affect everyone and everything around us. The Buddhist view of the world allows changes that occur over eons measured in millions of years or even billions of years.
The Buddhist view of the world is that nothing that arises is permanent; all things are temporary and transitory. Because there is no design or plan, there is no objection to the idea that the worldÂ’s ecosystems have changed so dramatically that whole species have died out.
The evolution of life is, of course, the aspect of science that is causing the most vicious debate in theological and philosophical circles (since it deals with our direct ancestry, not obscure math like quantum theory or the theory of relativity). However, the fossil record clearly shows organisms existed that mix characteristics of fish and amphibians, amphibians and reptiles, reptiles and mammals, reptiles and birds, and so on, none of which would exist in a Creationist universe.
The Buddhist view that many beings in many universes would be capable of sentient thought and potentially capable of being affected by karmic bonds means.There is no objection to common ancestry with other species on Earth and no belief that such ancestry ‘lowers’ the value of human life at all The idea of the evolution of life has been tested with two completely independent sources of information. One is the fossil record. The other is the DNA sequence evidence that all life known on Earth has common roots. Again, there would be no similarity between molecules in a human body and an ape, let alone a mouse, if these organisms had been built uniquely for their specific niches and tasks in a divine plan. Instead, each is clearly a modification of a common set of parts, stretched by expanding gene families and altering gene regulation and development.