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....
