Space-time teachings in Theravada Buddhist philosophy can be divided into two aspects; physical and psychological. The teachings of physical space and time concern the nature of space and time. The teachings of psychological space and time concern Man’s perception of space and time. In this thesis only the first aspect will be studied. The sources of space-time teachings in Theravada Buddhist philosophy, being used in this thesis, are divided into two levels; primary and secondary. The primary source is the Pali Scripture. The secondary source is the commentaries, the sub-commentaries and other works of contemporary Buddhist scholars. Space in Theravada Buddhist philosophy, according to these sources, is unconditioned, unchanging and eternal. Time is a name of the change of conditioned things. Space is an entity, but time is not. It is traditional among some people call themselves Theravada Buddhists to make the assumption that any doctrine that does not lead to the cessation of human suffering is not a doctrine of Buddhism. The teachings of the Buddha, in their concepts, are practical, not unpractically philosophical or purely speculative thoughts. Practicability in ordinary life is a criterion to judge which principles are teachings of Buddhism and which are not. This idea, though seemingly supported by some contents of the Pali Scripture, is false. The teachings of the Buddha, as presented in this thesis, are divided into two groups; ethical and metaphysical. Of these teachings ethical doctrines, namely the doctrines which lead to the cessation of human suffering, are based on metaphysical doctrines. These metaphysical teachings are not directly practical in ordinary life, but they are the philosophical foundations of the practical teachings. Without these foundations ethical teachings in Buddhism must be baseless as tree without roots. Space-time teachings in Theravada Buddhist philosophy belong to its metaphysics. By these doctrines the answer to the question of the origin of the universe is constructed, and the problem of the first cause, which is unsolved by its ethical principles, is solved. This thesis shows that space,. Or akasa as called in Theravada Buddhist texts, is the first cause and the origin of the universe. This answer is arrived at, not by a theistic solution, but by an atheistic approach.
