1. Thank you for summarizing the passages in my previous posts. It will help me revise them as needed.
- Also, you wrote: “<br />” I’ve tried several times to delete it, but it doesn’t work. So I’ll just leave it as is.”
- Sorry about that. It is a bug with the forum software. I have corrected them above. In the future, just leave them; I can easily correct them.
2. The following is the correct statement (which you quoted first):
- “There is a widespread belief that Buddha Gotama’s Buddha Sāsana will last 5000 years. However, I have not seen it in the Tipiṭaka. It could be in a later Commentary, but I have not seen such a commentary either.”
- Let me provide some evidence from the Tipiṭaka to confirm it.
3. The “Gotami Sutta (AN 8.51)” has the following verse (I have linked to that verse): “Sace, ānanda, nālabhissa mātugāmo tathāgatappavedite dhammavinaye agārasmā anagāriyaṃ pabbajjaṃ, ciraṭṭhitikaṃ, ānanda, brahmacariyaṃ abhavissa, vassasahassameva saddhammo tiṭṭheyya. Yato ca kho, ānanda, mātugāmo tathāgatappavedite dhammavinaye agārasmā anagāriyaṃ pabbajito, na dāni, ānanda, brahmacariyaṃ ciraṭṭhitikaṃ bhavissati. Pañceva dāni, ānanda, vassasatāni saddhammo ṭhassati.”
Translated: “But, Ānanda, if women had not obtained permission to bear the robes, the Buddha Sasana would have lasted 1,000 years. But now that I have given them permission, the Sasana will last only 500 years.”
- However, at least one sutta says that as long as true Dhamma does not disappear, people will be able to attain Nibbana as long as there are living Sotapannas (or above) who can teach others. That is discussed below.
4. The Buddha emphasized that his teachings (among humans) will not disappear as long as there are at least Sotapannas among humans who can keep passing down the teachings to the next generation.
- That is in the “Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16)”: “Yasmiṁ kho, subhadda, dhammavinaye ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo na upalabbhati, samaṇopi tattha na upalabbhati. Dutiyopi tattha samaṇo na upalabbhati. Tatiyopi tattha samaṇo na upalabbhati. Catutthopi tattha samaṇo na upalabbhati. Yasmiñca kho, subhadda, dhammavinaye ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo upalabbhati, samaṇopi tattha upalabbhati, dutiyopi tattha samaṇo upalabbhati, tatiyopi tattha samaṇo upalabbhati, catutthopi tattha samaṇo upalabbhati. Imasmiṁ kho, subhadda, dhammavinaye ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo upalabbhati, idheva, subhadda, samaṇo, idha dutiyo samaṇo, idha tatiyo samaṇo, idha catuttho samaṇo, suññā parappavādā samaṇebhi aññehi. –Ime ca, subhadda, bhikkhū sammā vihareyyuṁ, asuñño loko arahantehi assāti.”
That means: “Subhadda, in whatever teaching and training the noble eightfold path is not found, there is no true Sotapanna, Sakadāgāmi, Anāgāmi, or Arahant. In whatever teaching and training the noble eightfold path is found, there is a true Sotapanna, a Sakadāgāmi, an Anāgāmi, and an Arahant. The noble eightfold path is found in this teaching (Buddha Dhamma) and training (Vinaya).
– As long as bhikkhus maintain the Ariya lineage, this world will have Arahants.”
5. I have extracted #3 and #4 above from the post, “Four Conditions for Attaining Sōtapanna Magga/Phala.” Those are #12 and #13 in that post.
- That post provides a complete explanation.
