Changes to Come Sutra

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Nicholas Weeks
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Changes to Come Sutra

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Buddha on the destruction of the Dharma: http://www.cttbusa.org/changes_to_come/changes.htm
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

This stuff has always been happening.
.
.
.
EMPTIFUL.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

When the 'stuff' has happened long enough, by enough Sangha members, it is fatal to the Dharma.
Consuming a little poison over time will kill, just like one big dose. Or think of the frog bathing in the cool water, which is slowly being heated to boiling...
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Grigoris
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

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Thing is, why spend so much time stressing over something that is unavoidable? Yeah, the Dharma is in decline. Yeah, the sangha is in a state of decay. Yeah, all trace of the Buddha will vanish from this world system. And? I think the point behind these types of texts is to goad the practitioner into making a stronger more determined effort to not sink into the quagmire. It's not like they are saying something that wasn't happening even during the Buddhas day. The question is, what are we doing whilst everything slowly and surely crumbles around us? That's, what I reckon, is the central message
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
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"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
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Simon E.
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by Simon E. »

Will wrote:Buddha on the destruction of the Dharma: http://www.cttbusa.org/changes_to_come/changes.htm
Gosh he 's put on some weight..he looks quite chubby.
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Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Greg: I think the point behind these types of texts is to goad the practitioner into making a stronger more determined effort to not sink into the quagmire.
Right, which is why I posted it. Carrots are a good motivator, but in these times I think a stress-stick is more effective.
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dude
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

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gregkavarnos wrote:Thing is, why spend so much time stressing over something that is unavoidable? Yeah, the Dharma is in decline. Yeah, the sangha is in a state of decay. Yeah, all trace of the Buddha will vanish from this world system. And? I think the point behind these types of texts is to goad the practitioner into making a stronger more determined effort to not sink into the quagmire. It's not like they are saying something that wasn't happening even during the Buddhas day. The question is, what are we doing whilst everything slowly and surely crumbles around us? That's, what I reckon, is the central message


[, all trace of the Buddha will vanish from this world system. And?[//i]
And? Well, and when that happens it will be a bad thing!

'The Buddha told the Bhikshus, "After my Nirvana these deviant deeds and fifteen sets of disorders will bring the Dharma to extinction. How painful it will be then! If there are Bhikshus among you who sincerely wish to reverently study the Way, you should throw out all showy pretense and not seek fame or reputation...'


I think the point behind these types of texts is to goad the practitioner into making a stronger more determined effort to not sink into the quagmire.
You're right. The Buddha is here leaving behind instructions for how to practice correctly after his death, a time when "disputes and quarrels will arise between adherents of my teachings."

"With a nature that is straightforward and innocent you should guard the truth and propagate the orthodox Sutras, the exalted canon of the Buddha, and the profound transformations of the Dharma, but avoid using too many words in explaining them. You should rely on the original explanation of the Sutra and not abandon the proper phrasings. In using special terms and repetitions, you should not allow the Buddha's intent to become lost."

I submit that the above encapsulates the Buddha's directions how we as his followers now should practice, whether this is the dawning of a new golden age or the end of the world as we know it.
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Grigoris
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

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dude wrote:[, all trace of the Buddha will vanish from this world system. And?[//i]
And? Well, and when that happens it will be a bad thing!
Until the next good thing (Maitreya) happens and then the whole degenration of the teachings thing starts from scratch (again). It happened with the previous 27 Buddhas so why get all "hot under the collar" about it happening to the dispensation of the current (Gautama) Buddha?
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
dude
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by dude »

gregkavarnos wrote:
dude wrote:[, all trace of the Buddha will vanish from this world system. And?[//i]
And? Well, and when that happens it will be a bad thing!
Until the next good thing (Maitreya) happens and then the whole degenration of the teachings thing starts from scratch (again). It happened with the previous 27 Buddhas so why get all "hot under the collar" about it happening to the dispensation of the current (Gautama) Buddha?


Because the Buddha said I should.

"If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching."
Yudron
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by Yudron »

dude wrote:
gregkavarnos wrote:
dude wrote:[, all trace of the Buddha will vanish from this world system. And?[//i]
And? Well, and when that happens it will be a bad thing!
Until the next good thing (Maitreya) happens and then the whole degenration of the teachings thing starts from scratch (again). It happened with the previous 27 Buddhas so why get all "hot under the collar" about it happening to the dispensation of the current (Gautama) Buddha?


Because the Buddha said I should.

"If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching."


If you are some kind of Buddhist clergy, then this might at times be appropriate. But this doesn't say anything about lay people reproaching others.
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Grigoris
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

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dude wrote: "If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching."
You are a monk?
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
dude
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by dude »

gregkavarnos wrote:
dude wrote: "If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching."
You are a monk?
Let me answer that question with a question: If I am, does that make me more of an authority? If I'm not, or for example if I'm a low ranking monk, do the words of a priest, or a fellow monk with a higher status in the temple than mine carry more weight than my own?
Nicholas Weeks
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

While the sutra is aimed at the Sangha of bhikshus, who are the main holders & teachers of Dharma, lay folk are their source of support. So lay folk are concerned when they see their exemplars become corrupt, and have every reason to get upset, sad or disgusted.

Some may withdraw support and say or do nothing else. Others may do & say a lot. So be it.
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dude
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by dude »

Will wrote:While the sutra is aimed at the Sangha of bhikshus, who are the main holders & teachers of Dharma, lay folk are their source of support. So lay folk are concerned when they see their exemplars become corrupt, and have every reason to get upset, sad or disgusted.

Some may withdraw support and say or do nothing else. Others may do & say a lot. So be it.

True enough. A monk's responsibility would be issue a reprimand or punishment, maybe even expel the offender from the temple, while for a lay person, it would be hold the temple as a whole accountable and withdraw support for it if it had become corrupted or lost the path of practice.
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Grigoris
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Re: Changes to Come Sutra

Post by Grigoris »

dude wrote:Let me answer that question with a question: If I am, does that make me more of an authority?
It is not a question of authority, it has to do with the fact that the quote you made refers specifically to a monk.
If I'm not, or for example if I'm a low ranking monk, do the words of a priest, or a fellow monk with a higher status in the temple than mine carry more weight than my own?
Depends.
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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