Ananda, one of the ten major disciples and the Buddha's close attendant, had some strange dreams one night, so the following day he went to the Buddha. "Venerable One, I had strange dreams last night, and I hope that you can explain them for me.

I first dreamed that all the rivers and oceans were burned up by great fire.

In my second dream, the sun had descended and the world was in total darkness. My head was supporting Mount Sumeru, but I didn't feel its weight.

In the third dream, I saw the sangha putting on Buddhist robes, but not following your teachings.

In the fourth dream, the sangha did not wear Buddhist robes, and they faltered among the thorns and difficulties of the world.

In the fifth dream, there were a lot of wild pigs rooting in the earth at the base of a huge, lush candana tree.

In the sixth dream, young elephants trampled green glass and polluted the river while ignoring warnings from the older elephants. The older elephants could only go away to another place with clear water and green grass. The young elephant later starved to death because there were no grass to eat and they could not drink the water from the river.

In the seventh dream, a lion died, but other carnivorous animals did not dare to apporach to eat its flesh. Instead, worms came out of the lion's body and ate its flesh.

Why would I have these strange dreams?"

"There was concern in the Buddha's eyes. Ananda, let me explain them to you. In the first dream, you saw fire burning up the rivers and the oceans. This indicates that in the future, monks and nuns will betray my teachings and start disagreements within the sangha.

In the second dream, your head supported Mount Sumeru. This means that in ninety days I will pass away. All the monks, heavenly beings and human beings will need your help to remember and pass down my teachings.

In the third dream, you saw monks and nuns putting on the robes but not following my teachings. This means that after I pass away, the sangha will give lectures on my teachings to large gatherings of people, but the sangha itself will not follow my teachings.

You saw monks not wearing the robes, lingering among thorns. This shows that there will be monks who do not wear the robes, but commoners' clothes. They will abandon the precepts and live as common people. They will also have wives and children.

You saw wild pigs rooting in the earth under the candana tree. The sangha in the future will not promote my teachings, but will only look after their own livelihood by selling statues of buddhas and holding ceremonies for laypeople.

Sixth, you saw young elephant not listening to the adult elephants and later dying from starvation. This means that in the future, new monks and nuns will not listen to the teachings of the elder monks and they will fall into hell after death.

Seventh, you saw worms eating the lion's flesh. This indicates that no other religion will destroy my teachings, but the monastic order itself will be destroyed from within."

"Ananda," the Buddha said sadly," what you dreamt last night is the future of Buddhism."