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The Three Ages of Buddhism, also known as the Three Ages of the Dharma, (simplified Chinese :三时; traditional Chinese :三時; pinyin :Sān Shí) are three divisions of time following Shakyamuni Buddha's passing in East Asian Buddhism.
The Three Ages of Buddhism are three divisions of time following Buddha's passing:
In the Sutra of the Great Assembly (Skt. Mahasamnipata Sutra)(Jpn. Daijuku-kyō), the three periods are further divided into five five-hundred year periods (五五百歳 Cn: wǔ wǔ bǎi sùi; Jp: go no gohyaku sai), the fifth and last of which was prophesied to be when the Buddhism of Shakyamuni Buddha would lose all power of salvation and a new Buddha would appear to save the people. This time period would be characterized by unrest, strife, famine, and natural disasters.
The three periods are significant to Mahayana adherents, particularly those who hold the Lotus Sutra in high regard, namely the Tiantai and Tendai and Nichiren Buddhism, who believe that different Buddhist teachings are valid (i.e., able to lead practitioners to enlightenment) in each period due to the different capacity to accept a teaching (機根 Cn: jīgēn; Jp: kikon) of the people born in each respective period.
Traditionally, this age is supposed to begin 2000 years after Shakyamuni Buddha's passing and last for 10,000 years or more. Shakyamuni, in the Sutra of the Great Assembly (Jpn. Daijuku-kyō), describes the Latter Day of the Law (Jpn. Mappo) as "the age of conflict", when “Quarrels and disputes will arise among the adherents to my teachings, and the Pure Law will become obscured and lost.” In this evil latter age, when society is disordered, Shakyamuni's Buddhism will lose its power to benefit the people, as people born into the Latter Day of the Law, do not have the seed of Buddhahood sown into them.
In the Lotus Sutra (Jpn. Myōhō-Renge-Kyō), Shakyamuni Buddha entrusted the propagation of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law to Bodhisattva Superior Practices (Jpn. Jogyo Bosatsu), the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Shakyamuni predicted in the 21st Chapter of the Lotus Sutra (jinriki), that the Votary of the Lotus Sutra would appear in the Latter Day of the Law, dispel the fundamental darkness of all mankind, and lead the people to attain enlightenment.
The Nichiren Shoshu school of Buddhism, believes that Nichiren Daishonin is votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. Shakyamuni declared that the Votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law would be "spoken ill of and cursed", "would be wounded by swords and staves and pelted with stones and tiles" and "again and again banished." Nichiren Shoshu states that Nichiren Daishonin's actions matched the prediction that Shakyamuni Buddha taught. They cite the Izu and Sado Exile ("again and again banished") and the Tatsunokuchi Persecution where the government attempted to execute the Daishonin ("wounded by swords and staves") for propagating the Lotus Sutra (Jpn. Myōhō-Renge-Kyō) throughout Japan. Thus, the Shoshu states that Nichiren Daishonin proved he was the votary of the Lotus Sutra by "reading the Lotus Sutra with his very life."
Buddhist temporal cosmology assumes a cyclical pattern of ages, and even when the current Buddha's teachings fall into disregard, a new Buddha will at some point (usually considered to be millions of years in the future) be born to ensure the continuity of Buddhism. In the Lotus Sutra, Visistacaritra is entrusted to spread Buddhist law in this age and save mankind and the earth. He and countless other bodhisattvas , specifically called Bodhisattvas of the Earth (of which he is the leader), vow to be reborn in a latter day to re-create Buddhist law, thus turning the degenerate age into a flourishing paradise. Gautama Buddha entrusts them instead of his more commonly known major disciples with this task since the Bodhisattvas of the Earth have had a karmic connection with Gautama Buddha since the beginning of time, meaning that they are aware of the Superior Practice which is the essence of Buddhism or the Dharma in its original, pure form. Ksitigarbha is also known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds, in the era between the death of Gautama and the rise of Maitreya. [ clarification needed ] Teacher Savaripa would also live in the world to teach someone.
The teaching appeared early.References to the decline of the Dharma over time can be found in such Mahayana sutras as the Diamond Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, but also to a lesser degree in some texts in the Pāli Canon such as the Cullavagga of the Vinaya Pitaka. Nanyue Huisi was an early monk who taught about it; he is considered the third Patriarch of the Tiantai.
The Sanjiejiao was an early sect that taught about Mò Fǎ. It taught to respect every sutra and all sentient life.
Late Buddhism in Central Asia taught the building of auspicious signs or miraculous Buddhist images.
Pure Land Buddhism in China and Japan believe we are now in this latter age of "degenerate Dharma". Pure Land followers therefore attempt to attain rebirth into the pure land of Amitābha, where they can practice the Dharma more readily.
Nichiren Buddhism has taught that its teaching is the most suitable for the recent Mò Fǎ period.
Vajrayana Buddhism taught that its teaching would be popular when "iron birds are upon the sky" before its decline.The Kalacakra tantra contains a prophecy of a holy war in which a Buddhist king will win.
Theravada Buddhists taught that Buddhism would decline in five thousand years.
Some monks such as Dōgen and Hsu Yun had alternative views regarding dharma decline. Dōgen believed that there is no Mò Fǎ while Hsu Yun thought Mò Fǎ is not inevitable.
Some Chinese folk religions taught that the three ages were the teaching period of Dīpankara Buddha, Gautama Buddha, and the current era of Maitreya.
Nichiren was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Kamakura period (1185–1333), who developed the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, a branch school of Mahayana Buddhism.
Nichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) and is one of the Kamakura Buddhism schools. Its teachings derive from some 300–400 extant letters and treatises attributed to Nichiren.
Nichiren Shōshū is a branch of Nichiren Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282), claiming him as its founder through his disciple Nikko Shonin (1246–1333), the founder of Head Temple Taiseki-ji, near Mount Fuji. Nichiren Shōshū lay adherents are called Hokkeko members. The Enichizan Myohoji Temple located in Los Angeles, California serves as the organization's headquarters within the United States.
Maitreya (Sanskrit), Metteyya (Pali), is regarded as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is referred to as Ajita.
The Lotus Sūtra is one of the most popular and influential Mahayana sutras, and the basis on which the Tiantai, Tendai, Cheontae, and Nichiren schools of Buddhism were established.
Nichiren Shū is a combination of several schools ranging from four of the original Nichiren Buddhist schools that date back to Nichiren's original disciples, and part of the fifth:
Buddhist liturgy is a formalized service of veneration and worship performed within a Buddhist Sangha community in nearly every traditional denomination and sect in the Buddhist world. It is often done one or more times a day and can vary amongst the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana sects.
Gohonzon is a generic term for a venerated religious object in Japanese Buddhism. It may take the form of a scroll or statuary. In Nichiren Buddhism, it refers to the hanging calligraphic paper mandala inscribed by Nichiren to which devotional chanting is directed.
Hokkekō is the mainstream lay organization affiliated with the Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism. It traces its origins to three martyr disciples who were arrowed and later beheaded in the Atsuhara persecutions and a more recent tradition of family lineages between 1726 and 1829 who have historically protected the Dai-Gohonzon over the centuries.
Nikken Abe was a Japanese Buddhist monk who served as the 67th High Priest of Nichiren Shōshū Buddhism and chief priest of Taiseki-ji head Temple in Fujinomiya, Japan.
The Dharma Realm Buddhist Association is an international, non-profit Buddhist organization founded by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua in 1959 to bring the orthodox teachings of the Buddha to the entire world. DRBA has branch monasteries in many countries and cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver, as well as in Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia.
The Dai Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teachings, commonly known as the Dai Gohonzon is a venerated calligraphic mandala image inscribed with Sanskrit and Chinese characters on a plank of Japanese camphorwood.
Kenjōdo Shinjitsu Kyōgyōshō Monrui (顕浄土真実教行証文類), often abbreviated to Kyōgyōshinshō (教行信証), is the magnum opus of Shinran Shonin, the founder of the Japanese Buddhist sect, Jodo Shinshu. The title is often translated as The True Teaching, Practice, and Realization of the Pure Land Way in English. The work was written after Shinran's exile, and is believed to have been composed in the year 1224. It represents a synthesis of various Buddhist sutras in Mahayana literature, including the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, the Nirvana Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra and the Mahaprajñaparamita Sutra. In this way, Shinran expounds Jodo Shinshu thought. The work is divided into six chapters, not including the Preface:
Yunju Temple is a Buddhist temple located in Fangshan District, 70 kilometers southwest of Beijing and contains the world's largest collection of stone Buddhist sutra steles in the world. Yunju Temple also contains one of only two extant woodblocks for the Chinese Buddhist Tripitaka in the world and rare copies of printed and manuscript Chinese Buddhist Tripitakas. It also has many historic pagodas dating from the Tang and Liao Dynasty.
Sadāparibhūta Bodhisattva, Never Disparaging Bodhisattva, appears in Lotus Sutra Chapter 20 which describes the practices of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, who lived in the Middle Period of the Law of the Buddha Awesome Sound King. He persevered in the face of persecution for the sake of the correct teaching, and finally attained Buddhahood. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was Shakyamuni Buddha in one of his past lifetimes.
Prabhūtaratna, translated as Abundant Treasures or Many Treasures, is the Buddha who appears and verifies Shakyamuni's teachings in the Lotus Sutra and the Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra.
Viśiṣṭacāritra is a bodhisattva mentioned in the 15th, 21st, and 22nd chapters of the Lotus Sutra. He is one of the four great perfected bodhisattvas who attends Gautama Buddha and protects the Lotus Sutra and its devotees. The other three are Anantacaritra, Visuddhacaritra, and Supratisthitacaritra; together they make up the four great primarily evolved bodhisattvas. Viśiṣṭacāritra is also believed to represent the "true self" characteristic of buddhahood, which is the selflessness of Nirvana.
Bodhisattvas of the Earth, also sometimes referred to as "Bodhisattvas from the Underground," "Bodhisattvas Taught by the Original Buddha," or "earth bodhisattvas," are the infinite number of bodhisattvas who, in the 15th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, emerged from a fissure in the ground. This pivotal story of the Lotus Sutra takes place during the "Ceremony in the Air" which had commenced in the 11th chapter. Later, in the 21st chapter, Shakyamuni passes on to them the responsibility to keep and propagate the Lotus Sutra in the feared future era of the Latter Day of the Law.
Ongi kuden or "The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings" is a text in Nichiren Buddhism. Ongi Kuden is Nichiren's oral teachings (kuden) on the Lotus Sutra, which his disciple Nikko Shonin recorded and compiled.
Ushitora Gongyo is a Buddhist liturgy service conducted in Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism. The service is traditionally held at 2:30 AM at the Kyakuden building of Taisekiji Head Temple, located in the city of Fujinomiya, Japan.
pp 25-26:Many of the Burmese Buddhists I spoke with referenced a five thousand year period of decline noting that the current sāsana of the Buddha Sakyamuni who lived in India during the 5th century BCE, is already half way towards its complete disintegration. As time passes after the death of a Buddha, the sāsana becomes increasingly opaque until it finally disappears. There may be a period with no Buddha, and then a future Buddha descends from the celestial abodes, is born, and restores the sāsana on earth once again. Burmese Buddhist historian, Alicia Turner, has identified multiple chronologies for the decline of the sāsana that range from one hundred to five thousand years (2014). In the time of decay, also known as the Kaliyuga, all traces of the Tipitaka and their supporting practices eventually vanish destabilizing the sāsana and triggering its dissolution. pp 32-33:The Angata vamsa (dating to roughly 13th century) specifically depicts five stages in the decline of the sāsana. The first stage articulates the loss of the ability for monks to reach the four stages of enlightenment: sotapanna (stream-enterer), sakadagami (once-returner), anagami (non-returner), and arahant (fully awakened). The second stage relates the loss of patipatti (practice). In this stage, monks lose the ability to meditate and maintain their precepts. The loss of pariyatti (textual study) is the third stage and depicts the disappearance of the Tipitaka. The fourth stage illustrates the loss of maintaining even appearances of piousness i.e. respectful speech, attire, work, and morals. In this stage, monks no longer behave as monks. They are illustrated as married and working people. The final stage illustrates the disappearance of the Buddha’s relics as they are returned to the location of the Buddha’s enlightenment and engulfed in flames (ibid.)
cf Note 1747- And this expression 'a thousand years' is said with reference to arahants who have attained the analytic knowledges. Following this, for another thousand years, there appear dry-insight arahants; for another thousand years, non-returners; for another thousand years, once-returners; for another thousand years, stream-enterers. Thus the good Dhamma of penetration will last five thousand years. The Dhamma of learning will also last this long. For without learning, there is no penetration, and as long as there is learning, there is penetration.