this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2026
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Which age are we currently in? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 days ago by AuxChrist@lemmy.world to c/buddhism@lemmy.world
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I believe we are currently living in Mappō, the Age of the Final Dharma. I could be wrong, but this age is marked by moral decline and a weakening of spiritual discipline. The Buddha taught that harming living beings obstructs spiritual realization, and today almost everyone consumes meat. From this perspective, widespread meat‑eating may reflect the conditions of Mappō, where reaching the highest spiritual states becomes increasingly difficult.

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[–] StrangeMed@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decline_of_the_Dharma#Three_ages_in_East_Asian_Buddhism

https://www.cttbusa.org/shurangama/shurangama2.asp.html

We are definitely in the Dharma Ending Age. I just posted two links, but it is a recurrent theme not only in the Mahayana Sutras, and meat eating is referred to as one of the signs of such degeneration. As for the meaning of that, each school gives its interpretation: for Zen folks, it just means it is harder to reach enlightenment; for the Pure Land sects, it means it is almost impossible, so it is better to wish to be reborn in Amitabha’s Pure Land.