The image of the future in the traditional Buddhist worldview

Annotation

This article analyzes the concept of the future within the traditional Buddhist worldview. It examines the philosophical, ethical, and cosmological aspects of the Buddhist understanding of the future. Particular attention is paid to the teachings of karma, the cyclical nature of existence, the sociohistorical process, and the idea of nirvana as the ultimate goal of the spiritual path. It is shown that the image of the future in the Buddhist worldview differs from the linearly progressive models characteristic of Western philosophy and theology. It is built on the principles of cyclicality, ethical causality, and transcendental liberation. In Buddhism, the future is not a predetermined fate, but a field of action shaped by karma and conscious choice. It encompasses both the potential for suffering in the endless rebirths of samsara and the possibility of transcending time through the attainment of nirvana. According to Buddhism, each future birth is determined by the karmic potential accumulated in previous lives. Buddhism does not view samsara as a punishment, but as a consequence of an unenlightened state of consciousness. The future, therefore, includes not only the possibility of suffering but also the potential for spiritual growth. The Buddhist view of the future combines profound ontological reflection and practical ethics. It offers an alternative model of temporal reality in which the future is not given, but created in every moment of conscious life. This view remains relevant in contemporary discussions of free will, responsibility, and the meaning of human existence.

Keywords

• Buddhism
• future
• samsara
• nirvana
• karma
• time
• rebirth
• ethics
• ontology
• Maitreya
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Contribution of the authors

Ulanov M. S. – development of the study concept, writing of the original text, and final conclusions; Lidzhiev T. S. – collection and initial analysis of the empirical research data.

Acknowledgments

The article was prepared within the framework of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (No. 075-03-2025-420/6 “A comprehensive philosophical study of the phenomenon of the future in the traditional Buddhist picture of the world”).

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