Originally Posted by
Jundo
Buddhist viewpoints can successfully challenge both of these "answered" viewpoints. First, since it is impossible to say where is the "center of the universe" (in fact, since all reality sprang simultaneously from the Big Bang, and physicists will tell you is still expanding from every single point, we might say it is "all the center". or that any one point is as much the center as any other place), then all things are simultaneously their own center. This is the view of "Indra's Net". Further, it is totally a subjective human value judgement to say that any one point is more or less valuable than another. Who is to say that a big thing like a star, for example, is more precious than a single atom? In fact, the universe holds all of that, each in its place ... both its atoms and stars ... so we might say that each thing of the universe is a precious jewel in its own way. Buddhism further goes on to say that, in a very real sense, each contains all the others and the whole too.
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urther, there may in fact be something very special about the existence of intelligent life, human life and, perhaps, even our personal existence. Why? While it all may have been just a random hick-up of cosmic events which resulted in your being here now, another way to look at your being here now is as the amazing outcome of every physical, astronomical, chemical, biological, planetary and historical event for 13.7 billion years. In other words, every single time ... without one vital miss (for if there had been even one miss you would not be here now to think about it), every crossroads of the cosmos where events could have gone left or right DID go the needed left or right, and in the precise sequence and right on time, for you to be here now looking back on it all. So, one might say that ... whether by random chance or some loaded dice or something between ... the entire history of the universe led right to your doorstep. This is only amazing when one considers that, for but a single missed twist or turn of events ... even one, or just a moment too late ... history seemingly should have missed you completely (me too).