法苑珠林 98.18

98.18

As the Sūtra on the Seven Dreams of Ānanda states: Ānanda had seven kinds of dreams and came to ask the Buddha about them. First, he dreamed that a pond was ablaze with flames reaching the sky. Second, he dreamed that the sun and moon set, and the stars also vanished. Third, he dreamed that ordained bhikṣus were tumbling into a ditch of filth, while white-robed laymen stepped upon their heads to climb out. Fourth, he dreamed that a herd of boars came and rushed against a sandalwood grove, destroying it. Fifth, he dreamed that he carried Mount Sumeru on his head and did not find it heavy. Sixth, he dreamed that a great elephant abandoned a small elephant. Seventh, he dreamed that a lion king named Huasa died on the ground with seven downy hairs on his head; all the beasts saw it and were terrified; later, worms were seen emerging from within his body and only then devoured it. With these bad dreams he came to ask the Buddha. The Buddha told Ānanda: 'The things you dreamed of are all for the evil age of the five turbidities in the future; they will not harm you. Why do you look anxious? The first dream of the pond ablaze with flames reaching the sky means that in the future, bhikṣus will have less and less wholesome minds, while wickedness and rebellion will blaze fiercely, and they will slaughter one another beyond reckoning. The second dream of the sun, moon, and stars vanishing means that after the Buddha enters nirvāṇa, all the śrāvakas will follow the Buddha into nirvāṇa and no longer remain in the world; the eyes of sentient beings will be extinguished. The third dream of ordained bhikṣus tumbling into a ditch of filth while white-robed laymen step on their heads to climb out means that future bhikṣus will harbor venom and jealousy even to the point of killing each other; when religious practitioners have their heads severed, laymen will be intimate with [the murderers]; upon death, [such bhikṣus] will enter hell, whereas diligent laymen will be born in heaven upon death. The fourth dream of the herd of boars rushing against and destroying the sandalwood grove means that in the future, laymen will enter monasteries, slander the Saṃgha, search out its shortcomings, and destroy stupas and harm monks. The fifth dream of carrying Mount Sumeru on the head without finding it heavy means that after the Buddha's nirvāṇa, Ānanda will be the master who recites the scriptures for one thousand arhats; he will not forget a single phrase, and his reception and comprehension will be vast, yet he will not consider it a heavy burden. The sixth dream of the great elephant abandoning the small elephant means that in the future, wrong views will blaze fiercely and destroy my Buddhist Dharma, and people of virtue will all conceal themselves and not appear. The seventh dream of the dead lion means that for one thousand four hundred and seventy years after the Buddha's nirvāṇa, while the minds of the disciples of the four assemblies cultivate virtue, all evil māras will not be able to disturb them. The seven hairs refer to what happens after seven hundred years.'