(Clearwisdom.net) Anand was Buddha Shakyamuni's devout disciple for 27 years. He had seven unusual nightmares when he was in Sravasti, an ancient city in Northern India:
1. A raging fire burned on a large water surface, with the flame reaching into the sky.
2. The sun disappeared, leaving the Saha World in complete darkness. There was not a single star in the sky.
3. Buddhist monks and nuns fell into a large pit and layman were stepping over their heads.
4. Many mountain boars in the thick forest were digging up the roots of the Bodhi tree.
5. Anand was carrying Mount Sumeru on his head, but it did not feel heavy.
6. Adult elephants abandoned their young.
7. The death of the lion, the king of the jungle. Precious flower petals fell on the lion, but all the animals ran away in terror. Not long after, maggots appeared inside the lion's body and ate its flesh.
Not understanding his dreams, Anand asked Shakyamuni to interpret them. Shakyamuni explained:
"Your first dream was about a raging fire burning on a large water surface, with the flame reaching into the sky. This means sometime in the future, monks will turn wicked and lack compassion. And just like the water of the ocean turning into a sea of fire, they will fight each other for alms."
"In your second dream, the sun submerged, Saha World was in complete darkness, and there was not a single star in the sky. This symbolizes that very soon, the Buddha and his disciples will reach nirvana. And it is a hint to let the people know that the eye of heaven will soon enter annihilation."
"Your third dream showed Buddhist monks and nuns falling into a large pit and layman were stepping over their heads. This indicates that in the future, the Buddhist monks and nuns will envy and slander each other, not believe in karmic retribution, disregard self-discipline, enjoy a life of comfort and eventually become the opposite to good and descend to hell after death. On the other hand, there will be people cultivating in ordinary society who will be more diligent than these Buddhist monks and nuns. And these cultivators will ascend to heaven after their death."
"In your fourth dream, you saw many mountain boars digging up the roots of the Bodhi tree in a thick forest. This implies that future Buddhist monks will only care about their own livelihood, and will sell Buddha statues and scriptures to make ends meet."
"Your fifth dream showed you carrying Mount Sumeru on your head, but it did not feel heavy. This indicates that after the Buddha reaches nirvana, you will be responsible for compiling and teaching the scriptures to the future Buddhist disciples."
"Your sixth dream was about adult elephants abandoning their young. This represents that evil-minded views will become popular and thus harm my Buddhist teachings. And people with virtue and good moral values will all hide from it."
"In your seventh dream, you saw the death of the lion, king of the jungle. Precious flower petals fell on the lion, but all animals ran away in terror. Not long after, maggots grew inside the lion's body and ate its flesh. This implies that no external element can destroy the upright Dharma. Only my disciples, professional and amateur, can destroy the Dharma."
Anand's seven dreams predicted the fate of Buddhism. Except for the fifth dream, they all symbolize the degeneration and destruction of the law in Buddhism. The seventh dream in particular, "maggots grew inside the lion's body and began to eat its flesh," foretold Dharma-ending-period Buddhist disciples' behavior. They no longer follow the Buddhist law to cultivate, disregard self-discipline, pursue fame and profit, and are gradually destroying the Buddhist law from within. While the shell of Buddhism still exists on the surface, in reality, its essence has decayed. Thus, it lacks the power to save sentient beings.
I sincerely hope Buddhist disciples can calm their hearts and read this article, and rationally think about today's Buddhism. The Dharma-ending-period Buddhism is far from its original teachings. It has changed beyond recognition and can no longer save sentient beings. Do not sink into the Dharma-ending-period Buddhism and miss the opportunity to cultivate in Dafa.
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Category: Traditional Culture
