How to define the True Dhamma only last long 500 years?

[yamaka]

Dear all,

In the Vinaya text(Vinaya Pitaka>Culavagga>Bhikkhuni khandaka)

While the Mahapajapati Gotami requested to join the Bhikkhuni Sangha, the Buddha has claimed the Buddha's Sasana will only last for 500 years.

‘‘Sace, ānanda, nālabhissa mātugāmo tathāgatappavedite dhammavinaye agārasmā anagāriyaṃ pabbajjaṃ, ciraṭṭhitikaṃ, ānanda, brahmacariyaṃ abhavissa, vassasahassaṃ saddhammo tiṭṭheyya. Yato ca kho, ānanda, mātugāmo tathāgatappavedite dhammavinaye agārasmā anagāriyaṃ pabbajito, na dāni, ānanda, brahmacariyaṃ ciraṭṭhitikaṃ bhavissati. Pañceva dāni, ānanda, vassasatāni saddhammo ṭhassati.

“O, Ananda!If women not allowed to practice holy life from the home to homelessness under the Dhamma-Vinaya of the Tatagatha, then the true Dhamma would be then lasts long 1000 years. But now, because of the women are allowed to practice holy life from the home to homelessness under the Dhamma-Vinaya of the Tatagatha, then the true Dhamma would only lasts for 500 years."

What about after 500 years?

[Hanzze]

There is still cause and effect. They do not disappear. They might change but still turning on. 500 years, 1000 years, 2500 years... the question is how long does one like to wander on and observe Dhammas decay for another time?

[pilgrim]

If you read the whole passage, you may note that the Buddha invalidates this prophecy by putting in place the 8 garudhammas. He says he has put a "dam to keep the waters from overflowing" by setting up the 8 garudhammmas in advance.
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Whether it is because of this or any other reason , we know today that the prophecy is invalid.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

What about after 500 years?

Nowadays, the True Dhamma is harder to find — false Dhamma is widespread.

There are few lay Buddhists who fully observe the five precepts, most do not.

There are few monks who fully observe 227 training rules, most do not.

Wherever morality is not fully and properly observed, then the True Dhamma is not present.

This is one of the Dilemmas discussed in the Milinda Pañha, but the answer given there is not very satisfactory either.

The 2nd Buddhist Council was held only 100 years after the Buddha's parinibbāna. Already some monks were distorting the teaching, and although the majority accepted the council's decision on the Ten Points, some apparently did not.

At the 3rd Council about 300 years after the Buddha's parinibbāna, or about 360 years after the Buddha's statement on the duration of the religion. Then, too, various heretical views were refuted. One assumes that the True Dhamma was still prevalent at that time.

[robertk]

Dear Yamaka
just study the Commentary to that sutta where it explains that because of the eight Garuka Dhamma ,and because of the first council, the True dhamma is able to last 5000 years.

[LonesomeYogurt]

There's also quite a bit of reason to believe that such statements aren't even historically accurate or original to the text.

[Kusala]

"The Buddha foresaw that people would introduce what he called “synthetic Dhamma”—and when that happened, he said, the true Dhamma would
disappear (SN 16:13).

He compared the process to what happens when a wooden drum develops a crack, into which a peg is inserted, and then another crack, into which another peg is inserted, and so on until nothing is left of the original drum-body. All that remains is a mass of pegs, which cannot come near to producing the sound of the original drum (SN 20:7)."

[marc108]

Wherever morality is not fully and properly observed, then the True Dhamma is not present.

Sadhu