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Three Stages Final Kalpa

From Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia
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by Lin Wanchuan


The main doctrines of the Yiguan Dao (一貫道, Unity Sect ).” Reference to the final Kalpa of the three cosmic stages originates from the notion of the Three Dragon Flower Assemblies in the Sutra on the Descent of Maitreya (彌勒下生經), where it is written that after Maitreya becomes The Buddha she will preach the law three times under the Dragon Flower tree and cause all living things to attain Enlightenment and become Arhats. In the first convocation of all living things, 96 yi (億) or 9.6 million people attain Enlightenment (according to the ancient Chinese system, 1 yi equals one hundred thousand); in the second convocation, 9.4 million people are saved; and in the third convocation, 9.2 million people are saved. The idea of the Three Dragon Flower Convocations is found in a text of a new popular sect of Mahayana Buddhism called the Precious Scroll of the New Voice of Universal Salvation and Deliverence from Suffering (普度新聲救苦寶卷), written during the reign of the Hongzhi (弘治) Emperor in the Ming (明) dynasty (1488-1505). The concept had already evolved into one where three epochs are presided over by Buddhist patriarchs preaching worldly transcendence.

The Three Dragon Flower Convocations evolved into the three epochs in which the salvation of the World is accomplished by three Buddhas in Yellow Heaven School’s (黃天道) Precious Scroll of the Tathagata’s Key (普靜如來鑰匙寶卷), written during the Wanli (萬曆) reign period of the Ming dynasty (1573-1619); it is seen in the later Golden Armor School’s (金幢教) Multiple Compass (多羅經), up to the Tian Tai Mahayana’s Precious Sutra of the Ancient Immortal Buddha’s Explication of the Dragon Flower (古佛天真考證龍華寶經) published in 1655 (12th year of Shunzhi [順治] Emperor). Here the Unborn Eternal Mother comes back to rescue mankind, hold the three convocations, determine the number of Kalpas, sends three Buddhas for three epochs of the Dharma and takes hold of the celestial plate, redeeming all living creatures through the principles of Religion. This became the Doctrine of the final Kalpa of the three cosmic stages of the contemporary Yiguan Dao.

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An important Doctrine is according to the theory elaborated in Shao Yongjie’s (邵康節) Song (宋) Dynasty Book of Supreme World-Ordering Principles (皇極經世). In this theory, he takes the span of time from the beginning of time to the end of the World as the primal unit. This primal unit is then subdivided into twelve periods (the Earthly Branches zi [[[子]]], chou [丑], yin [寅], mao [卯], chen [辰], si [巳], wu [午], wei [未], shen [申], you [酉], xu [戌], hai [亥]). Each of these periods has 10,800 years. Because of the vicissitudes of Fortune, each Kalpa is different. The first half of the twentieth century coincides with the end of the Wu period, and the Wei period has just begun. Sixty thousand years have elapsed since the beginning of time, and the Unborn Eternal Mother (無生老母) has decreed three periods. She has sent three Buddhist patriarchs down to Earth, and begun the process of universal Enlightenment to save all living things from darkness and confusion. The first period is called the Green Yang convocation (青陽會), and extended from the time of Fuxi (伏羲) to the end of the Shang (商) Dynasty. This period was the time of D?pa?kara Buddha (燃燈佛), and consisted of nine Kalpas, allowing 200,000 people to attain Enlightenment. The second period is called the Red Yang convocation (紅陽會), and extended from the time of King Wen (文王) of the Zhou (周) through the Qing (清) Dynasty. This was the time of The Buddha ??kyamuni (釋迦牟尼佛), and consisted of eighteen Kalpas, in the course of which 200,000 people attained Enlightenment. The third period is the White Yang period (白陽期), the transition point between the Wu and the Wei periods, beginning with the twentieth century, and presided over by the Maitreya Buddha (彌勒佛), and this final Kalpa bears the designation Kalpa of Astral Wind. Because of technological progress, the decline in Morality, and hitherto unparalleled corruption of social mores, various diseases and ailments will cause decline. After the 81 Kalpas of this period, 9.6 million people will be redeemed. Each period of Green, Red and White Yang will allow for all living creatures to attain salvation, in order that benevolent people will be able to practice the religious rites in the proper temple, and the generation of Evil and sinful people will meet their predestined Fate.

Copyright © 2011 Council for Cultural Affairs. All Rights Reserved.  

Chinese Keyword
龍華三會 , 天盤 , 《皇極經世》 , 黃天道 , 大乘圓頓教

English Keyword
Three Dragon Flower Assemblies , celestial plate , Way of Yellow Heaven , Sect of Complete Mahayana Teachings

References

    Pu du xin sheng jiu ku bao juan [普度新聲救苦寶卷].
    Ren li gui zhen [認理歸真]. (1982). Taipei: Wan you shan shu.
    Nan Ping Dao Ji. (1937). Yi guan dao yi wen jie da [一貫道疑問解答]. Shandong: Chong hua tang.
    Lin, Wanchuan. (1984). Xian tian dao yan jiu [先天道研究]. Tainan: Tianju.
    Ma, Xisha., & Han, Bingfang. (1992). Zhong guo min jian zong jiao shi [中國民間宗教史] (=The history of Chinese popular religions). Shanghai: Shanghai People's Publishing House.
    Wang, Chienchuan., & Chiang, Tsenteng. (1994). Tai wan zhai jiao de li shi guan cha yu zhan wang [臺灣齋教的歷史觀察與展望]. Taipei: Shin Wen Feng Print Co.
    Wang, Chienchuan. (1996). Tai wan de zhai jiao yu luan tang [臺灣的齋教與鸞堂]. Taipei: SMC Publishing Inc.

Source

taiwanpedia.culture.tw