Saṃyutta Nikāya, 20. Opammasaṃyutta – 7 Āṇi ~ The Drum
Peg
At Sāvatthī. “Bhikkhus, once in the past the Dasārahas had a kettle
drum drum called the Summoner. When the Summoner became cracked,
the Dasārahas inserted another peg. Eventually the time came when
the Summoner’s original drumhead had disappeared and only a
collection of pegs remained.
“So too, bhikkhus, the same thing will happen with the bhikkhus in
the future. When those discourses spoken by the Tathāgata that
are deep, deep in meaning, supramundane, dealing with
emptiness, are being recited, they will not be eager to listen
to them, nor lend an ear to them, nor apply their minds to
understand them; and they will not think those teachings should be
studied and mastered. But when those discourses that are mere
poetry composed by poets, beautiful in words and phrases, created
by outsiders, spoken by [their] disciples, are being recited, they
will be eager to listen to them, will lend an ear to them, will
apply their minds to understand them; and they will think those
teachings should be studied and mastered. In this way, bhikkhus,
those discourses spoken by the Tathāgata that are deep, deep in
meaning, supramundane, dealing with emptiness, will
disappear.
“Therefore, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves thus: ‘When
those discourses spoken by the Tathāgata that are deep, deep in
meaning, supramundane, dealing with emptiness, are being recited,
we will be eager to listen to them, will lend an ear to them, will
apply our minds to understand them; and we will think those
teachings should be studied and mastered.’ Thus should you
train yourselves.”
~ (SN ii 266-7; Bodhi 708-9)