Originally posted by mahawarrior:
My question is simple. Does such prediction means that the fate of mankind is already sealed, and that absolutely nothing can be done to change this fate?
Does that kinda contridicts the law of cause and effect, and the general believe that our destinies are created by us (and our karma) instead of being decided by someone else?
When collective mind karma is strong, the minds of people become increasingly plagued by Greed, Hatred, Ignorance, increasing the momentum of the karma even further, there is really no choice but great catastrophies will happen. It is extremely hard to turn the tide around, at least on the large scale. Nevertheless there continue to be a small community (today and in the future) of sincere Buddhist practitioners who have created a strong affinity with the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, who continue to uphold and practise the dharma.
But do not be frightened.. practitioners of the Buddhadharma will not be affected. During the period of time where catastrophies happen, all the Sravakas and Bodhisattvas will retreat from the societies and gather in the wilderness. There, they will meet and practise the dharma until the time is ripe, that the people in the world couldn't take anymore suffering, this is the time where the Sravakas and Bodhisattvas will return to the society to teach the dharma again.
If we practise the dharma and be reborn in that period of time, we will be among the group of Sravakas and Bodhisattvas.. have no doubt about this. Although many people may end up as predicted by the Buddha, there are also those who despite of all the degeneration going on, avoids all of these.
http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol8no2a.htm
....Approaching the end of the life-span shortening period in the cycle of each small kalpa, i.e. when the average life-expectancy of human beings is reduced to 10 years, the extremely evil nature of people's minds will bring about "Three Small Calamities". These small calamities are:
(i) Calamity of war: The people of this time are lawless, irresponsible, poisonously hateful and instinctively murderous. At an instant, the people can pick up a leaf and use it as a knife. They can utilise any item at will as a deadly weapon for killing. Between human beings, there are not only strife and fighting, but also cruel injuring and killing. Human life is worth less than that of ants and insects. At the end of the life-span shortening period of the kalpa's cycle, such calamities take place frequently. Occurrences are intermittent, each lasting a period of 7 days.
(ii) Calamity of plague: As a result of the evil nature of people's minds, pestilence, plagues and epidemic diseases are commonplace. People suffer from a myriad of incurable illnesses. Because people's minds are poisoned with evil, their internal organs also become intoxicated. Moreover, their exhalations are so venomous that people die immediately upon contact. These disasters occur frequently at the end of the life-span shortening period of the kalpa's cycle, approximately lasting 7 months and 7 days.
(iii) Calamity of famine: When people's minds are exceedingly vicious and evil, unfavourable seasonal changes result. Lengthy droughts occur, destroying the harvests. People suffer from hunger. Even feeding on roots and bark will not sustain life. There is no livestock remaining. People resort to cannibalism. The duration of such calamity is longer, persisting for 7 years, 7 months and 7 days. During this period, there is almost 100% human mortality by starvation.
Nowadays the average life-span of humankind does not exceed 60 to 70 years. The public morals of the present society are degenerating. The minds of people are no longer as pure as before. People tend toward wickedness, and ridiculing the virtuous. The virtuous are harmed, while the villainous are revered. If, the average life-span of humans shortens by one year in each century, by the time the life span drops to 10 years, the above-mentioned Three Small Calamities will take place.
In recent years, natural disasters have become commonplace on earth. These are the effects from the human mind turning toward evil. On reaching the end of the life-span shortening period of the kalpa's cycle, one can well imagine the retributive sufferings that humanity has to face. Other religions may consider this period to be the "End of the World". But in fact, it is not so. On the contrary, it can only be said to be the final phase of a small kalpa. At the end of this small kalpa, people will have encountered the extreme of all suffering. Meanwhile, the minority of people who have been cultivating and performing virtuous deeds for aeons of lifetimes are repulsed by the immoral state of society. They withdraw and live in solitude in the mountains. They only just manage to escape the calamities and survive. In time, when people have suffered enough and are seeking deliverance, these survivors will emerge and return to society. They will advise and encourage whomever they encounter, so that these people may learn to lead wholesome lives and perform virtuous deeds. As a result, people are inspired to develop their virtuous minds, conduct and karma, which in turn allows their societies to once again thrive and prosper. The life-span of human beings will then begin to increase, lengthening a year per century, until the average person's life-span reaches 84,000 years. At this point, the cycle repeats such that the human life expectancy decreases again. This marks the beginning of the shortening life-span phase of the 10th small kalpa of the Existence Kalpa. At this time, the next Buddha, Maitreya Buddha will come down to be born into this world....
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