For those who’d rather not listen and/or potentially have more coherence here’s how AI edited my reflection (with slight edits from me):
It’s early August 2025, and I want to start with a disclaimer. Some of you might hear this and think, “That’s pretty woo-woo, tripped-out speculation—cool, far-out stuff, man.” Others might think, “This is just noise—random, unhelpful proliferation of thought.” Both reactions are valid. If you’re already feeling one of those responses, you might even want to stop listening now.
That said, I will share something more practical toward the end.
What I’ve been contemplating lately is only really relevant within Buddhist cosmology and certain Buddhist paths—or at least what we call “Buddhist” paths. And, of course, if my understanding here is shaky or inaccurate, I’m open to correction.
This reflection is about the long view—the vast cycles—and the idea of a Buddha’s sāsana, the dispensation of their teachings. In traditional accounts, it’s predicted that our current Buddha’s dispensation will eventually fade away. That naturally raises the question: what does that mean for practice?
For those who haven’t yet decided whether to pursue the arahant path—aiming for full awakening as soon as possible—or the bodhisattva path—delaying full awakening to help all beings—there’s an obvious truth: we simply keep practicing. When the time comes, it seems we’ll choose (or remember) the right direction then.
This led me to think about eschatological groups—“end-times” movements—that believe the quicker the world becomes depraved, the sooner a savior will come. As far as I know, such groups don’t exist in Buddhism, but it made me wonder: could there be skillful or unskillful versions of “Buddhist eschatology”? What are the pros and cons of prolonging a Buddha’s dispensation? And what are the pros and cons of letting it end sooner?
Of course, thinking too much about this bumps into one of the imponderables— contemplation of the complete, full, total extent of karma—which can lead to confusion or even madness. So this is just a light reflection, not something to dig deeply into.
There’s also the teaching (in Theravāda, at least) that only one Buddha—whether a sammāsambuddha or a paccekabuddha—arises at a time. If I’m getting this right our current sammāsambuddha, formerly Siddhartha Gautama, was preceded by a paccekabuddha, and when his dispensation ends, maybe there witll be paccekabuddhas again before the next sammāsambuddha, Metteyya (Maitreya).
And here’s where speculation becomes even less practical. In Theravāda, there’s no public record of who will be the Buddha after Metteyya. Maybe it’s not helpful to project that far ahead, since our present thoughts, speech and actions—done with intention—carry the real weight of consequence.
Still, for those on the bodhisattva path, vast timelines can be both daunting and inspiring. The idea that there are many advanced bodhisattvas “waiting their turn” invites awe, humility, and maybe even a bit of healthy urgency. For arahant-focused practitioners, it might strengthen the resolve to reach liberation quickly, without dragging things out.
Then there’s the question of the in-between—the period after Metteyya’s dispensation ends but before the next Buddha arises. What would that transition be like? Could it be fertile ground for preparing the bodhisattva path? Or would contemplating it be a distraction from the work at hand?
In the end, I don’t have answers—only questions that briefly drew my attention today. And maybe that’s enough. If any of this sparks something useful in your own practice, all the better.
May all beings everywhere realize awakening and be free.
Audio: Is There A “Buddhist” Eschatology? Between Buddhas: A Somewhat Long View Of Cosmic Timelines
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