“Behold, all of you, it is right that the Tathagata has not yet spoken anything to you, for
we await the arrival of Achita. Tonight, he will be the one to recount the events that will
unfold in the future for all of you to hear,” the Buddha interjected as everyone was
expressing their opinions on Achita’s arrival.

“Oh, Lord of the Buddhas… in the past, I have never possessed clairvoyance. Why does
Your Holiness wish for me to narrate the stories of the future world?” Achita spoke
with uncertainty.

“Behold, Achita… we once conversed about this matter. You have likely forgotten who
you are,” the Buddha said, as if reminding Achita of a previous agreement.

“Hmm…” Achita paused to think before saying, “Do you mean the images that appeared
in a vision, the origin of which I did not know that day?” Achita asked.

“Indeed…” the Buddha replied.

“Lord Phoche… may I interject here first? It seems there was a significant event that
occurred prior to this, between the Buddha and Achita, is that correct? May I see that
part first?” I asked.

“Certainly. Whichever period you wish to see, you may choose. It is already within your
own memories,” Lord Phoche replied.

“I don’t know what that time period is, though,” I asked.

“If it is the event the Buddha is currently referring to, it would be in the 18th year since
the Buddha began propagating Buddhahood, about five years before King Pasenadi’s
strange dream. This was the time when you had returned to Savatthi after Master
Bavari passed away just one year prior,” Lord Phoche replied.

“Ah! I see it now,” I replied, as an image appeared.

The image showed the Buddha still residing at the Jetavana Monastery. One night
during the middle of summer, after the daily assembly where everyone shared their
shortcomings for correction and improvement, amidst the dim candlelight in the large
pavilion, reflecting off the polished wooden floor, only two points of light remained
where the Buddha and Achita sat. Everyone else had helped extinguish the flames and
returned to their lodgings. Achita had waited until everyone had left to request a
private audience with the Buddha.

“Is there something the matter, Achita?” the Buddha spoke after noticing that Achita
had waited for everyone to leave.

“May I seek your counsel on something, Lord?” Achita stated his intention.

“Certainly… I am willing,” the Buddha replied.

“I do not know what this is that has appeared to me. To call it a vision would not be
accurate, as I am still conscious. These images appeared to me in the pre-dawn hours,
while I was still lying down, but they were so clear that I remember all the details. It
has made me uneasy and has given rise to two conflicting feelings,” Achita began to
recount.

“Tell me, then,” the Buddha said.

“The images that appeared to me are divided into two aspects. The first is an image of
tension, as if a terrible event is about to occur. The sun is being completely obscured by
dark, ominous clouds, and rain is gathering, appearing as if it will become a great
storm. The wind howls like the cries of demons. Various animals are disappearing into
hiding. Crows are hurrying back to their nests as if sensing a bad omen. I see images of
many homeless people seeking shelter. They have looks of panic, fear, and despair in
their eyes. Their bodies are dirty and disheveled, their clothes are tattered, their bodies
are thin, and their skin looks pale like corpses. They are sitting, lying down, huddled in
crevices they believe to be the safest. I am certain that these images are not of our
current era, because the dwellings are different, appearing as small and large
rectangular blocks, some as short as the treetops, others reaching into the clouds. The
roads they travel on are smooth, as if paved with polished stone,” Achita explained.

“I see images of humans without hope, living on scraps of food from garbage piles. The
bodies of the people have rashes resembling scabies and ringworm. Some have
festering, pus-filled boils. Some cry out in pain. I see them pressing glowing red embers
onto their wounds to alleviate the pain, but it only worsens the sores, causing them to
spread.”

“I see images of parched land, without even a blade of grass. The rivers have turned a
murky black, devoid of any signs of life. The water’s surface is covered in filth. Inside
the houses have become habitats for various disease-carrying animals. People live
alongside them, unaware that they are being consumed by them.”

“I see an image of Mara, appearing in the guise of luxurious beauty, in the form of shiny,
eye-catching objects, in the form of fragrances not found in the forests, in the form of
soft textures, in the form of sweet and salty tastes that are hard to resist. But its core is
filled with poison, ready to harm people, ready to destroy trees and plants, and ready
to slaughter all living creatures, great and small, to vanish forever.”

“I see Mara inciting humans to discord, leading to great wars that cause hatred among
people all over the world. I see weapons of mass destruction capable of incinerating
hundreds of thousands of humans in an instant. I see the condition of houses burned
and destroyed until they are as flat as a drum.”

“I see the most bizarre disasters in the world. Giant waves from the sea crash onto the
shore. Cosmic fire erupts from beneath the Earth. Whirlwinds destroy everything in their path. Mountains and land split into pieces, moving around as if floating on the
water’s surface.”

“Then, I felt that I was walking on a celestial path higher than the events that were
unfolding. I walked on that path with a sword emitting light in my hand. At the end of
the path, I encountered thousands of people. They were like fellow warriors fully
armed. When I arrived, they cheered with joy because they were waiting for me.”

“I felt comforted to meet them, as the place in front was like the headquarters of a large
organization that looked formidable, immensely powerful, and had many members.
The people who were members of this organization lived under a massive red dome,
which served as both a prison and a shield. I could hear the voices of the people inside,
like a synchronized chant.

In the past, the comrades waiting for me had tried to destroy that shield, but because
this red material was stronger than rock, it was a dome completely sealed in all
directions. Not even a fly could get in. I knew well what I was here to do. I came to
liberate the people inside. But with the number of fellow warriors I currently have, I do
not see a way to prevail. It is like a small ant about to fight a mighty elephant.”

“But when I raised my sword, a miracle occurred. With just a light stroke on the shield,
it tore apart as if it were thin silk. After that, I and all my comrades helped to cut
openings all over it. I saw many people gradually walking out of the shield, and as soon
as they stepped out, the sky that was once gloomy gray, looking barren and lifeless,
slowly turned bright blue. Various kinds of flowers gradually bloomed. Lush green
meadows slowly appeared. Forests, plants, and grains flourished, sprouting,
blossoming, and bearing fruit abundantly. Insects and butterflies fluttered to perch on
the flowers. The sounds of various birds echoed loudly. Large and small wild animals
appeared, walking freely…

Oh, Lord of the Buddhas, please解 my doubts,” Achita pleaded after finishing the story
from the images seen in his vision.

“Behold, Achita, there are many things that you may have forgotten or never wished to
know, and that concerns the past lives of both of us,” the Buddha said.

“Our past lives, Lord?… Does the vision I just recounted to you concern my past lives as
well?” Achita asked.

“It concerns both the past and has implications for the future. The image you saw is the
mission you will have to undertake in the future, but you must know the origin of that
story, when and how it began in the past,” the Buddha replied.

“Please, Lord, tell me,” Achita implored.

“In truth, you can know it yourself, for it is your own experience, and you already
possess the skill of knowing past lives,” the Buddha suggested.

“But I do not know what it is that I need to know, Lord,” Achita asked.

“In that case, I will refresh this memory for you myself,” the Buddha replied.

“It is most gracious of you, Lord,” Achita said