Author Topic: Lves of women will become longer  (Read 13434 times)

Amitabha

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Lves of women will become longer
« on: September 17, 2012, 02:41:18 AM »
"When the Dharma is on the verge of being destroyed, it is women who will concentrate on advancement, and have the habit of performing good deeds. Men will be lazy and indolent; they will have no use for the words of the Dharma. They will consider monks to be like befouled earth; they will not have believing minds." And men's lives will pass more and more hastily; their heads will be white at forty. Men will indulge in sexual conducts so that their vital energy will exhaust quickly and their lives will be shortened, or they may live at most to the age of sixty. The lives of men will become shorter, but the lives of women will become longer, to seventy or eighty or ninety; some will reach a hundred years." The Shurangama Sutra and the Pratyutpanna-Samadhi Sutra will vanish first, and shortly afterwards the twelve divisions of the Mahayana canon will also be destroyed in their entirety, and will not appear again.

fruven

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Re: Lves of women will become longer
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2012, 04:03:48 PM »
Today men has generally shorter life than women. Some doesn't live long after retirement as they have worked for their entire life. Work has been defined as life and now suddenly there is a vacuum with no work. Of course if one has been looking forward to retirement then it is time to enjoy.

It might be different in future where technology is more advanced and there is big gap between the poor and the rich. The rich has their days in pleasure and enjoyment while the poor work to serve the rich.

Pray now in future lives wherever we are born in we are able to learn and practice the pure Dharma from a guru.

Tammy

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Re: Lves of women will become longer
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2012, 04:12:53 PM »
"When the Dharma is on the verge of being destroyed, it is women who will concentrate on advancement, and have the habit of performing good deeds. Men will be lazy and indolent; they will have no use for the words of the Dharma. They will consider monks to be like befouled earth; they will not have believing minds." And men's lives will pass more and more hastily; their heads will be white at forty. Men will indulge in sexual conducts so that their vital energy will exhaust quickly and their lives will be shortened, or they may live at most to the age of sixty. The lives of men will become shorter, but the lives of women will become longer, to seventy or eighty or ninety; some will reach a hundred years." The Shurangama Sutra and the Pratyutpanna-Samadhi Sutra will vanish first, and shortly afterwards the twelve divisions of the Mahayana canon will also be destroyed in their entirety, and will not appear again.

While it would be much appreciate if Amitabha would share the source of this or if he wrote this himself, what was the point of it?

Other than divine reasons unknown to me, in my humble opinion, it doesn't matter how short or how ng one's life is, it's what we do with our lives that really matters. Consider the following, and which you think you would rather have:
(1) A person who could live to 100 years in solidarity, just minding his own business, not lift a finger helping others even if her is asked to do so

(2) a person who donate almost all his money or a person who collects from others o feed his family.

Amitabha - go easy on the food...
Down with the BAN!!!

Manjushri

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Re: Lves of women will become longer
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2012, 06:05:49 PM »
"When the Dharma is on the verge of being destroyed, it is women who will concentrate on advancement, and have the habit of performing good deeds. Men will be lazy and indolent; they will have no use for the words of the Dharma. They will consider monks to be like befouled earth; they will not have believing minds." And men's lives will pass more and more hastily; their heads will be white at forty. Men will indulge in sexual conducts so that their vital energy will exhaust quickly and their lives will be shortened, or they may live at most to the age of sixty. The lives of men will become shorter, but the lives of women will become longer, to seventy or eighty or ninety; some will reach a hundred years." The Shurangama Sutra and the Pratyutpanna-Samadhi Sutra will vanish first, and shortly afterwards the twelve divisions of the Mahayana canon will also be destroyed in their entirety, and will not appear again.

While it would be much appreciate if Amitabha would share the source of this or if he wrote this himself, what was the point of it?

Other than divine reasons unknown to me, in my humble opinion, it doesn't matter how short or how ng one's life is, it's what we do with our lives that really matters. Consider the following, and which you think you would rather have:
(1) A person who could live to 100 years in solidarity, just minding his own business, not lift a finger helping others even if her is asked to do so

(2) a person who donate almost all his money or a person who collects from others o feed his family.

Amitabha - go easy on the food...

Good point, Tammy. I definitely agree, on the following:

1. The source of the article

2. The point of the article

In this day, when we think of sangha members, it is predominently monks, males. High lamas are mostly males and they are the ones at the forefront propagating the dharma. But that does not mean that there are no female boddhisattvas or females who are passionate and using their lives to serve others.

We have had many forms, male, female, animals, spirit, gods, devas, nagas etc. but none of these physical forms determine how the mind works as the mind is independant of the body. Therefore, it is not the physical form who would choose to propagate, or spread the Dharma, or even do good in one's life but the mind. So it doesnt matter who lives longer, male or female, but what we learn as males and females whilst we are alive so that in our future lives, we can continue to do good, propagate and spread the Dharma so that it does not generate. That is what is important. To ensure now, that the Dharma doesn't degenerate even further. 

Jessie Fong

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Re: Lves of women will become longer
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2012, 04:06:50 PM »
Life span of humans have increased, with women averaging 76 years compared to 72 for men; women are outliving men.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longevity :

Women normally outlive men, and this was as true in pre-industrial times as today. Theories for this include smaller bodies (and thus less stress on the heart), a stronger immune system (since testosterone acts as an immunosuppressant), and less tendency to engage in physically dangerous activities. It is also theorized that women have an evolutionary reason to live longer so as to help care for grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

buddhalovely

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Re: Lves of women will become longer
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2012, 01:41:06 PM »
Ananda sat at the Buddha's side and argued on behalf of the ordination of women. The Buddha continued to refuse the request. Finally, Ananda asked if there was any reason women could not realize enlightenment and enter Nirvana as well as men.

The Buddha admitted there was no reason a woman could not be enlightened. "Women, Ananda, having gone forth are able to realize the fruit of stream-attainment or the fruit of once-returning or the fruit of non-returning or arahantship," he said.

Ananda had made his point, and the Buddha relented. Pajapati and her 500 followers would be the first Buddhist nuns. But he predicted that allowing women into the Sangha would cause his teachings to survive only half as long - 500 years instead of a 1,000.

pgdharma

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Re: Lves of women will become longer
« Reply #6 on: October 16, 2012, 01:52:49 PM »
As man’s lifespan gets shorter and woman’s lifespan increase, in future we will have more and more women in dharma and more nuns ordained. Nowhere in Buddhists texts said that teachers need to be male and we can no longer afford to ignore or devalue women’s spiritual potential. Here is a short extract by Karma Lekshe Tsomo on The Future of Women in Buddhism.
 
The future of humanity relies on the procreative power of women, since the future of the human species literally depends on women's special power to give birth to children. Yet women's procreative potential is not the only reason to believe that women hold the key to the future. In addition to our biological gifts, we women have many other skills and talents to offer humanity. And Buddhist women have unique strengths and potential to succor our crisis-ridden planet.

In recent decades, attention to the topic of women in Buddhism has expanded dramatically. The Buddhist teachings speak about the nature of the mind and how to purify the mind of the delusions that cloud it in order to achieve lasting peace and happiness. The nature of the mind, which is pure awareness, is identical for women and men. The human potential to dispel delusion and realize perfect happiness is also identical for women and men. This means that the Buddha's teachings are equally liberating for both women and men. So why is it that most of the stories of realized beings in Buddhist history speak about men? If all human beings can practice the Buddha's teachings and become free of greed, hatred, and ignorance, why don't we have more stories about realized women? If all living beings have the potential to become free from suffering, why don't we hear more about women achieving liberation? Nowhere does the Buddha say that being a woman is the result of bad karma, though this rumor continues to circulate in Buddhist societies. In fact, when King Pasanadi bemoaned the birth of a daughter, the Buddha said that a girl child may turn out to be better than a son. When the Buddha's stepmother asked to join the Buddhist order, he confirmed that women have equal potential to achieve the fruits of the path, including liberation. Therefore, there should be nothing stopping women from practicing the Buddha's teachings, achieving realizations, and becoming the inspiring role models that humanity so badly needs. In fact, if a woman sets her mind to it, she may turn out to be a better practitioner than a man. By practicing the Six Perfections - generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful effort, concentration, and wisdom - women can proceed directly to buddhahood. By developing loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom, women can awaken and help lead sentient beings out of suffering.

Since women make up half the world's population, we need to do our part to help address the serious problems that affect humanity today. Women already do more than our share in raising ethical, compassionate children, which is the key to humanity's future. Whatever gender we may happen to be in this lifetime, we need to set aside any misconceptions we may have about women's capabilities and encourage women to become the role models we wish to see in the world. We need to cut through any false thinking we may have about women's limitations and realize that all human beings have equal potential for awakening. Spiritually speaking, there are really no limitations. If we set our mind to it, we can purify the delusions that make us unhappy and, in their place, generate limitless love for all living beings. In a mind of pure love, no darkness can exist. If we cultivate patience, lovingkindness, contentment, and wisdom, then anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, attachment, pride, and negativity can no longer afflict us. A heart of pure compassion is happy, contented, and a source of happiness for others. A person with a pure and loving mind can bring limitless good to our suffering world. As half the population here on planet Earth, women share the responsibility for global transformation equally with men. With full access to the Buddha's liberating teachings, women can shoulder our responsibility and work to benefit the world by embodying the values of peace and love that he taught. There is no aspect of contemporary life that would not benefit from Buddhist values.

If Buddhist women understand the logic of this proposition, then we must take our responsibility seriously. To work toward liberation for the benefit of the world is the highest meaning we can give our lives. The bodhisattva commitment to work toward becoming a perfectly enlightened being in order to liberate all beings from suffering is called bodhicitta. Once we generate this pure and perfect aspiration, we begin working step-by-step toward the goal of buddhahood. According to the Mahayana teachings, all sentient beings have this excellent potential. Women and men alike have the seed of awakening within, waiting to take root. Not only can all sentient beings become perfectly enlightened, they definitely will realize their potential and become buddhas; it is just a matter of time. One of my Tibetan teachers said: "The only difference between us and Buddha Shakyamuni is that we are lazy." Isn't it time for us to get down to the hard work of purifying our minds and realizing that potential?

Do women have greater potential for the inner work of purifying the mind and a greater responsibility for the outer work of compassionate social action? I believe that all human beings have equal potential and share equal responsibility. Yet women seem to work especially hard. The United Nations has documented that 60 percent of the world's work is done by women, though they are often not compensated. History has shown that women are exemplary caretakers for beings in need, yet their loving-kindness and generosity are often undervalued. Many women skillfully alleviate the day-to-day sufferings of those who are ill, weak, or unable to take care of themselves, yet their compassionate contributions may be overlooked or overshadowed by other people's wishes and expectations. Women often set aside their own spiritual development in order to care for others, leaving little time for formal Dharma practice. How do we resolve this dilemma?

The Buddha's teachings are a treasure trove. They are not simply to be chanted. We need to put them into action. Women are developing the confidence to learn and apply these teachings here and now. We have a special responsibility to awaken our wisdom and compassion and apply these priceless values. We can take inspiration from great practitioners, past and present, both women and men. Human life is precious and fleeting. By making the most of every moment and working together, the future can be very bright. Women definitely have the power to transform the world.


Manjushri

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Re: Lves of women will become longer
« Reply #7 on: October 25, 2012, 06:48:01 PM »
As man’s lifespan gets shorter and woman’s lifespan increase, in future we will have more and more women in dharma and more nuns ordained. Nowhere in Buddhists texts said that teachers need to be male and we can no longer afford to ignore or devalue women’s spiritual potential. Here is a short extract by Karma Lekshe Tsomo on The Future of Women in Buddhism.
 
The future of humanity relies on the procreative power of women, since the future of the human species literally depends on women's special power to give birth to children. Yet women's procreative potential is not the only reason to believe that women hold the key to the future. In addition to our biological gifts, we women have many other skills and talents to offer humanity. And Buddhist women have unique strengths and potential to succor our crisis-ridden planet.

In recent decades, attention to the topic of women in Buddhism has expanded dramatically. The Buddhist teachings speak about the nature of the mind and how to purify the mind of the delusions that cloud it in order to achieve lasting peace and happiness. The nature of the mind, which is pure awareness, is identical for women and men. The human potential to dispel delusion and realize perfect happiness is also identical for women and men. This means that the Buddha's teachings are equally liberating for both women and men. So why is it that most of the stories of realized beings in Buddhist history speak about men? If all human beings can practice the Buddha's teachings and become free of greed, hatred, and ignorance, why don't we have more stories about realized women? If all living beings have the potential to become free from suffering, why don't we hear more about women achieving liberation? Nowhere does the Buddha say that being a woman is the result of bad karma, though this rumor continues to circulate in Buddhist societies. In fact, when King Pasanadi bemoaned the birth of a daughter, the Buddha said that a girl child may turn out to be better than a son. When the Buddha's stepmother asked to join the Buddhist order, he confirmed that women have equal potential to achieve the fruits of the path, including liberation. Therefore, there should be nothing stopping women from practicing the Buddha's teachings, achieving realizations, and becoming the inspiring role models that humanity so badly needs. In fact, if a woman sets her mind to it, she may turn out to be a better practitioner than a man. By practicing the Six Perfections - generosity, ethical conduct, patience, joyful effort, concentration, and wisdom - women can proceed directly to buddhahood. By developing loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom, women can awaken and help lead sentient beings out of suffering.

Since women make up half the world's population, we need to do our part to help address the serious problems that affect humanity today. Women already do more than our share in raising ethical, compassionate children, which is the key to humanity's future. Whatever gender we may happen to be in this lifetime, we need to set aside any misconceptions we may have about women's capabilities and encourage women to become the role models we wish to see in the world. We need to cut through any false thinking we may have about women's limitations and realize that all human beings have equal potential for awakening. Spiritually speaking, there are really no limitations. If we set our mind to it, we can purify the delusions that make us unhappy and, in their place, generate limitless love for all living beings. In a mind of pure love, no darkness can exist. If we cultivate patience, lovingkindness, contentment, and wisdom, then anger, hatred, greed, jealousy, attachment, pride, and negativity can no longer afflict us. A heart of pure compassion is happy, contented, and a source of happiness for others. A person with a pure and loving mind can bring limitless good to our suffering world. As half the population here on planet Earth, women share the responsibility for global transformation equally with men. With full access to the Buddha's liberating teachings, women can shoulder our responsibility and work to benefit the world by embodying the values of peace and love that he taught. There is no aspect of contemporary life that would not benefit from Buddhist values.

If Buddhist women understand the logic of this proposition, then we must take our responsibility seriously. To work toward liberation for the benefit of the world is the highest meaning we can give our lives. The bodhisattva commitment to work toward becoming a perfectly enlightened being in order to liberate all beings from suffering is called bodhicitta. Once we generate this pure and perfect aspiration, we begin working step-by-step toward the goal of buddhahood. According to the Mahayana teachings, all sentient beings have this excellent potential. Women and men alike have the seed of awakening within, waiting to take root. Not only can all sentient beings become perfectly enlightened, they definitely will realize their potential and become buddhas; it is just a matter of time. One of my Tibetan teachers said: "The only difference between us and Buddha Shakyamuni is that we are lazy." Isn't it time for us to get down to the hard work of purifying our minds and realizing that potential?

Do women have greater potential for the inner work of purifying the mind and a greater responsibility for the outer work of compassionate social action? I believe that all human beings have equal potential and share equal responsibility. Yet women seem to work especially hard. The United Nations has documented that 60 percent of the world's work is done by women, though they are often not compensated. History has shown that women are exemplary caretakers for beings in need, yet their loving-kindness and generosity are often undervalued. Many women skillfully alleviate the day-to-day sufferings of those who are ill, weak, or unable to take care of themselves, yet their compassionate contributions may be overlooked or overshadowed by other people's wishes and expectations. Women often set aside their own spiritual development in order to care for others, leaving little time for formal Dharma practice. How do we resolve this dilemma?

The Buddha's teachings are a treasure trove. They are not simply to be chanted. We need to put them into action. Women are developing the confidence to learn and apply these teachings here and now. We have a special responsibility to awaken our wisdom and compassion and apply these priceless values. We can take inspiration from great practitioners, past and present, both women and men. Human life is precious and fleeting. By making the most of every moment and working together, the future can be very bright. Women definitely have the power to transform the world.


All potentiality to spread the Dharma is equal, both between men and women. So what if the lives of women become longer. Or shorter. Our death is destined by our karma, not by nature. When the Dharma degenerates, there could be an army of new Dharma warriors to spread and lift the Dharma again, but we could be on a different realm of existence.

Who knows what we will become. What alien or creature we can take form in, in the other realms. In those realms then, classification of men and women would not be relevant. In fact, classification is not relevant at all. It is the results of all our actions, and the meaning of the lives we live, whatever form we take. How we benefit others during the course of our lives...that's what's important. Not who will live longer, as that is insignificant, if we all stay as we are and do nothing.

fruven

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Re: Lves of women will become longer
« Reply #8 on: October 26, 2012, 06:10:45 AM »
I guessed the intention of the author is 'Hey guys, time to buck up'. Regardless of gender we definitely need more practitioners, sangha members, monks and nuns to spread the Dharma. Therefore more sentient beings have the chance to hear about Dharma, learn about Dharma, and practice and live Dharma. There would be more peace and happiness, less war and famine, a brighter living conditions on this planet. When we become less selfish regardless of gender we take better care of ourselves and others and the community we live in would be a better and safer place. It is the 21st century and hunger and famine are still abound. That speaks of how much we have(not) progress spiritually.  :'(


"When the Dharma is on the verge of being destroyed, it is women who will concentrate on advancement, and have the habit of performing good deeds. Men will be lazy and indolent; they will have no use for the words of the Dharma. They will consider monks to be like befouled earth; they will not have believing minds." And men's lives will pass more and more hastily; their heads will be white at forty. Men will indulge in sexual conducts so that their vital energy will exhaust quickly and their lives will be shortened, or they may live at most to the age of sixty. The lives of men will become shorter, but the lives of women will become longer, to seventy or eighty or ninety; some will reach a hundred years." The Shurangama Sutra and the Pratyutpanna-Samadhi Sutra will vanish first, and shortly afterwards the twelve divisions of the Mahayana canon will also be destroyed in their entirety, and will not appear again.

While it would be much appreciate if Amitabha would share the source of this or if he wrote this himself, what was the point of it?

Other than divine reasons unknown to me, in my humble opinion, it doesn't matter how short or how ng one's life is, it's what we do with our lives that really matters. Consider the following, and which you think you would rather have:
(1) A person who could live to 100 years in solidarity, just minding his own business, not lift a finger helping others even if her is asked to do so

(2) a person who donate almost all his money or a person who collects from others o feed his family.

Amitabha - go easy on the food...