Should we try to become fully enlightened in this life or aspire to be enlightened at the time of the Buddha Metteya?
I feel like if we become fully enlightened in this life, we would be entering Nibbana without having seen the physical form of the Buddha and His miracles.
I think we should do a lot of good deeds everyday and listen, study, and practice the Dhamma as much as possible. By doing so, we might become enlightened in this life. If we become enlightened in this life, that would be great, but if not, we can become enlightened at the time of the Buddha Metteyya which will be a wonderful time.
Among the humans who live for 80,000 years, there will be just three afflictions: greed, starvation, and old age. The Black Plum Tree Land will be successful and prosperous. The villages, towns, and capital cities will be no more than a chicken’s flight apart. And the land will be so full of humans you’d think they were squashed together, like a thicket of rushes or reeds. The royal capital will be Varanasi, renamed Ketumatī. And it will be successful, prosperous, populous, full of humans, with plenty of food. There will be 84,000 cities in the Black Plum Tree Land, with the royal capital of Ketumatī foremost.
And in the royal capital of Ketumatī a king named Saṅkha will arise, a wheel-turning monarch, a just and principled king. His dominion will extend to all four sides, he will achieve stability in the country, and possess the seven treasures. He will have the following seven treasures:the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the jewel, the woman, the householder, and the commander as the seventh treasure. He will have over a thousand sons who are valiant and heroic, crushing the armies of his enemies. After conquering this land girt by sea, he will reign by principle, without rod or sword.
And the Blessed One named Metteyya will arise in the world—perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those fit for training, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed just as I have arisen today. He will realize with his own insight this world—with its gods, Māras, and divinities, this population with its ascetics and brahmins, gods and humans—and make it known to others, just as I do today. He will teach the Dhamma that’s good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end, meaningful and well-phrased. And he will reveal a spiritual practice that’s entirely full and pure, just as I do today. He will lead a Saṅgha of many thousand mendicants, just as I lead a Saṅgha of many hundreds today.
Then King Saṅkha will have the sacrificial post once built by King Mahāpanāda raised up. Having reigned, he will abdicate, offering charity to ascetics and brahmins, paupers, vagrants, supplicants, and beggars. Then, having shaved off his hair and beard and dressed in ocher robes, he will go forth from the lay life to homelessness in the Buddha Metteyya’s presence. Soon after going forth, living withdrawn, diligent, keen, and resolute, he will realize the supreme end of the spiritual path in this very life. He will live having achieved with his own insight the goal for which gentlemen rightly go forth from the lay life to homelessness.
Mendicants, live as your own island, your own refuge, with no other refuge. Let the teaching be your island and your refuge, with no other refuge.And how does a mendicant do this? It’s when a mendicant meditates by observing an aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world.They meditate observing an aspect of feelings …mind …principles—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of covetousness and displeasure for the world. That’s how a mendicant lives as their own island, their own refuge, with no other refuge. That’s how they let the teaching be their island and their refuge, with no other refuge.
Asītivassasahassāyukesu, bhikkhave, manussesu tayo ābādhā bhavissanti, icchā, anasanaṁ, jarā.
Asītivassasahassāyukesu, bhikkhave, manussesu ayaṁ jambudīpo iddho ceva bhavissati phīto ca, kukkuṭasampātikā gāmanigamarājadhāniyo.
Asītivassasahassāyukesu, bhikkhave, manussesu ayaṁ jambudīpo avīci maññe phuṭo bhavissati manussehi, seyyathāpi naḷavanaṁ vā saravanaṁ vā. Variant: saravanaṁ → sāravanaṁ (sya-all)
Asītivassasahassāyukesu, bhikkhave, manussesu ayaṁ bārāṇasī ketumatī nāma rājadhānī bhavissati iddhā ceva phītā ca bahujanā ca ākiṇṇamanussā ca subhikkhā ca.
Asītivassasahassāyukesu, bhikkhave, manussesu imasmiṁ jambudīpe caturāsītinagarasahassāni bhavissanti ketumatīrājadhānīpamukhāni.Asītivassasahassāyukesu, bhikkhave, manussesu ketumatiyā rājadhāniyā saṅkho nāma rājā uppajjissati cakkavattī dhammiko dhammarājā cāturanto vijitāvī janapadatthāvariyappatto sattaratanasamannāgato.
Tassimāni satta ratanāni bhavissanti, seyyathidaṁ—
cakkaratanaṁ hatthiratanaṁ assaratanaṁ maṇiratanaṁ itthiratanaṁ gahapatiratanaṁ pariṇāyakaratanameva sattamaṁ.
Parosahassaṁ kho panassa puttā bhavissanti sūrā vīraṅgarūpā parasenappamaddanā.
So imaṁ pathaviṁ sāgarapariyantaṁ adaṇḍena asatthena dhammena abhivijiya ajjhāvasissati.8.Metteyyabuddhuppāda
Asītivassasahassāyukesu, bhikkhave, manussesu metteyyo nāma bhagavā loke uppajjissati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā.
Seyyathāpāhametarahi loke uppanno arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā.
So imaṁ lokaṁ sadevakaṁ samārakaṁ sabrahmakaṁ sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiṁ pajaṁ sadevamanussaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedessati, seyyathāpāhametarahi imaṁ lokaṁ sadevakaṁ samārakaṁ sabrahmakaṁ sassamaṇabrāhmaṇiṁ pajaṁ sadevamanussaṁ sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā pavedemi.
So dhammaṁ desessati ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsessati;
seyyathāpāhametarahi dhammaṁ desemi ādikalyāṇaṁ majjhekalyāṇaṁ pariyosānakalyāṇaṁ sātthaṁ sabyañjanaṁ kevalaparipuṇṇaṁ parisuddhaṁ brahmacariyaṁ pakāsemi.
So anekasahassaṁ bhikkhusaṅghaṁ pariharissati, seyyathāpāhametarahi anekasataṁ bhikkhusaṅghaṁ pariharāmi. Variant: anekasahassaṁ → anekasatasahassaṁ (bj, mr)Atha kho, bhikkhave, saṅkho nāma rājā yo so yūpo raññā mahāpanādena kārāpito.
Taṁ yūpaṁ ussāpetvā ajjhāvasitvā taṁ datvā vissajjitvā samaṇabrāhmaṇakapaṇaddhikavaṇibbakayācakānaṁ dānaṁ datvā metteyyassa bhagavato arahato sammāsambuddhassa santike kesamassuṁ ohāretvā kāsāyāni vatthāni acchādetvā agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajissati.
So evaṁ pabbajito samāno eko vūpakaṭṭho appamatto ātāpī pahitatto viharanto nacirasseva—yassatthāya kulaputtā sammadeva agārasmā anagāriyaṁ pabbajanti, tadanuttaraṁ—brahmacariyapariyosānaṁ diṭṭheva dhamme sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā upasampajja viharissati.Attadīpā, bhikkhave, viharatha attasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā, dhammadīpā dhammasaraṇā anaññasaraṇā.
Kathañca, bhikkhave, bhikkhu attadīpo viharati attasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo dhammadīpo dhammasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo?
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu kāye kāyānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.
Vedanāsu vedanānupassī …pe…
citte cittānupassī …pe…
dhammesu dhammānupassī viharati ātāpī sampajāno satimā vineyya loke abhijjhādomanassaṁ.
Evaṁ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu attadīpo viharati attasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo dhammadīpo dhammasaraṇo anaññasaraṇo.