Answer: Mappo is the Dharma ending age. It will last for 10,000 years and more, according to Nichiren Daishonin.
The people who live in Mappo are the original disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha who attained Buddhahood in the eternal past, not merely the historical Shakyamuni Buddha of India who attained Buddhahood for the first time under the Bodhi Tree.
Question 2. Will there be another Buddha? ,
Answer: The Lotus Sutra and Nichiren are very clear:
"..There is a bodhisattva-mahasattva whose name is Maitreya, and who has been predestined by Shakyamuni Buddha as the next buddha" -- Three Fold Lotus Sutra Chapt. 15 page. 243
"..There is a bodhisattva-mahasattva whose name is Maitreya, and who has been predestined by Shakyamuni Buddha as the next buddha" -- Three Fold Lotus Sutra Chapt. 15 page. 243
"..There is a bodhisattva, a great being, called Maitreya, who has received a prediction from the Buddha Shakyamuni that he will become a Buddha after Shakyamuni in the future" Lotus Sutra pg. 227 (BDK English Triptaka)
"...There is a bodisattva named mahasattva named Maitreya who has received a prophecy from Shakyamuni Buddha that he will be the next hereafter to become a Buddha..." Lotus Sutra (Watson) pg. 218
"WHEN the Buddha was about to pass away, Ven. Ananda and many other disciples wept. The Buddha said, `Enough, Ananda. Do not allow yourself to be troubled. Do not weep. Have I not already told you that it is in the very nature of things that they must pass away. We must be separated from all that is near and dear to us. The foolish man conceives his idea of Self; the wise man sees there is no ground on which to build the Self. Thus the wise man has a right conception of the world. He will conclude that all component things will be dissolved again; but the Truth will always remain.'
"WHEN the Buddha was about to pass away, Ven. Ananda and many other disciples wept. The Buddha said, `Enough, Ananda. Do not allow yourself to be troubled. Do not weep. Have I not already told you that it is in the very nature of things that they must pass away. We must be separated from all that is near and dear to us. The foolish man conceives his idea of Self; the wise man sees there is no ground on which to build the Self. Thus the wise man has a right conception of the world. He will conclude that all component things will be dissolved again; but the Truth will always remain.'
The Buddha continued: `Why should I preserve this body when the body of the excellent Law will endure? I am resolved. I have accomplished my purpose and have attended to the work set upon me. Ananda, for a long time you have been very near to me in thoughts, words and acts of much love beyond all measure. You have done well, Ananda. Be earnest in effort and you too will soon be free from bondages! You will be free from sensuality, from delusion, and from ignorance.' Suppressing his tears, Ananda said to the Buddha, `Who shall teach us when You are gone?' And the Buddha advised him to regard His Teaching as the Master. The Buddha continued again: `I am not the first Buddha to come upon earth; nor shall I be the last. In due time, another Buddha will arise in this world, a Holy One, a Supremely Enlightened One, endowed with wisdom, in conduct auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of devas and men. He will reveal to you the same Eternal Truths which I have taught you. He will proclaim a religious life, wholly perfect and pure; such as I now proclaim.'
`How shall we know him?' asked Ananda. The Buddha replied, `He will be known as Maitreya which means kindness or friendliness.'
"...There is a bodhisattva named Maitreya, on whom Sakyamuni Buddha has conferred the prophesy that he shall be the next Buddha, directly following him." (Lotus Sutra, pg. 231, Hurvitz)
"...There is a bodhisattva named Maitreya, on whom Sakyamuni Buddha has conferred the prophesy that he shall be the next Buddha, directly following him." (Lotus Sutra, pg. 231, Hurvitz)
In the writing On Prayer, referring to Dainichi Buddha [or Daisaku Ikeda or anyone claiming to be the Buddha], he states,
"Even if he had simply appeared in the world without parents, then in what sutra is it mentioned that such a Buddha would appear in the world to expound his teaching during the 5,670 million years between the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha and the appearance of Maitreya, the Compassionate Honored One? If there are no passages of proof, then who would put faith in such an assertion? The True Word doctrines are full of mistaken assertions of this kind, which is why I spoke of them as an erroneous teaching.
Other sutras too are very clear. For example, in the Anagatavamsa or Record of the Future commentary, it is written:
"Praise to that Lord, Arahant, perfect Buddha.
Thus have I heard: At one time the Lord was staying near Kapilvatthu in the Banyan monastery on the bank of the river Rohani
Then the venerable Sariputta questioned the Lord about the future Conqueror:
'The Hero that shall follow you,
"Praise to that Lord, Arahant, perfect Buddha.
Thus have I heard: At one time the Lord was staying near Kapilvatthu in the Banyan monastery on the bank of the river Rohani
Then the venerable Sariputta questioned the Lord about the future Conqueror:
'The Hero that shall follow you,
The Buddha-of what sort will he be?
I want to hear of him in full.
Let the Visioned One describe him.'
When he had heard the Elder's speech
The Lord spoke thus:
'I will tell you, Sariputta,
Listen to my speech.
In this auspicious aeon
Three leaders have there been:
Kakusandha, Konagamana
And the leader Kassapa too.
'I am now the perfect Buddha,
And there will be Metteyya [i.e., Maitreya] too
Before this same auspicious aeon
Runs to the end of its years.
Here, was the perfect opportunity for Sakyamuni Buddha to announce that Nichiren Daishonin is the Original Buddha or that Nichiren would be the next Buddha.
Here, was the perfect opportunity for Sakyamuni Buddha to announce that Nichiren Daishonin is the Original Buddha or that Nichiren would be the next Buddha.
SGI's and Nichiren Shoshu's heretical doctrine is totally refuted. Nichiren Daishonin is Bodhisattva Jogyo, as predicted in the Lotus Sutra. To assert that Nichiren Daishonin is the next Buddha is to call Shakyamuni Buddha a liar.
Amida, Maitreya, Dainichi. Medicine King, Nichiren, and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth are manifestations of the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni. The Buddha appears to us in a form that we can understand.
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