What happens when all sentient beings attain Buddhahood?

[lucidaromulus]

Hi,
i would like to know if there's any teachings/sutras mentioning what happends after all sentient beings attain buddhahood / enlightenment?

also if possible please state if it is theravada/mahayana/tibetan buddhism/zen or other school's teachings.

thanks

[Lhug-Pa]

If you search in the forums (or site:Dharmawheel.net in Google advanced search) the terms "Basis" and/or "Kalpa" you'll get some good discussion results.

[LastLegend]

It will be like a TV. When it is off, you don't see the images. When you turn it on, there are images.

[Wesley1982]

What happens when all sentient beings attain Buddhahood?

All the "gods" in the upper realms convene for a council? . .

[asunthatneversets]

What happens when all sentient beings attain Buddhahood?

All the "gods" in the upper realms convene for a council? . .

Well they better convene now because there'll be no gods left when all sentient beings attain buddhahood

[catmoon]

When ignorance is finally defeated, tea and cookies will be served.

[gregkavarnos]

Tea and cookies? I prefer coffee and pie personally!

[LightSeed]

When ignorance is finally defeated, tea and cookies will be served.

[udawa]

Hi,
i would like to know if there's any teachings/sutras mentioning what happends after all sentient beings attain buddhahood / enlightenment?

also if possible please state if it is theravada/mahayana/tibetan buddhism/zen or other school's teachings.

thanks

There's an interesting article by Donald Lopez, 'Paths Terminable and Interminable', that looks at how some Tibetan (Gelugpa) teachers have approached this issue, in this book http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hu0oIf0n87IC&pg=PA147&lpg=PA147&dq=donald+lopez+paths+terminable&source=bl&ots=F7NkK57w8t&sig=DGLM24Es-0LPzzdh121nBypJKEs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=mT6UT8PcOIH28QOYhLjNDA&ved=0CCIQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=donald%20lopez%20paths%20terminable&f=false

In the final section, On the End of the Path, Lopez quotes Gyaltsab (one of Tshongkhapa's successors) "He points out that if all beings attained Buddhahood, then the last bodhisattvas would have very few beings for whose welfare they could strive.... He thus worries that it would be impossible for the last bodhisattvas to amass the collection of merit essential for the attainment of Buddhahood.'

[gregkavarnos]

Coooool!!!

I imagine though that there would be a bohisattva out there that has vowed not to reach enlightenment until all the remaining bodhisattvas have reached enlightenment via their suffering!

[Blue Garuda]

Coooool!!!

I imagine though that there would be a bohisattva out there that has vowed not to reach enlightenment until all the remaining bodhisattvas have reached enlightenment via their suffering!

If the Bodhisattvas were English they would form an orderly queue and say 'after you', 'no, after you' -for a few kalpas. LOL

[Diamond Scepter]

PARTY!!!

[catmoon]

"The Last Bodhisattva" is not a problem. Millions of Buddhas would happily populate his world with emanations so that he could practice and accumulate merit. And when he attained Buddhahood that would be it. Nobody left but Greg.

[gregkavarnos]

If the Bodhisattvas were English they would form an orderly queue and say 'after you', 'no, after you' -for a few kalpas. LOL

If they were Greek they would rudely jostle and push past each other, use their personal sway with the door keeper to get in faster, argue and start a punch up and finally, after a few kalpas and a lot of needless stress, they would all cross over.

[lucidaromulus]

"The Last Bodhisattva" is not a problem. Millions of Buddhas would happily populate his world with emanations so that he could practice and accumulate merit. And when he attained Buddhahood that would be it. Nobody left but Greg.

Conspiracy: what if i'm the only unenlightened being? and every being in this world including those in this forum are emanations of Buddhas?

i'm just kidding or should i be kidding

[Simon E.]

Personally i would recommend not taking stuff too literally.

[Nighthawk]

Beings are infinite so that will never happen.

[gregkavarnos]

Infinite and finite are terms that are completely irrelevant to enlightened beings. Don't take my word for it, ask the Buddha inside you!

[GarcherLancelot]

"The Last Bodhisattva" is not a problem. Millions of Buddhas would happily populate his world with emanations so that he could practice and accumulate merit. And when he attained Buddhahood that would be it. Nobody left but Greg.

Conspiracy: what if i'm the only unenlightened being? and every being in this world including those in this forum are emanations of Buddhas?

i'm just kidding or should i be kidding

Lol,sometimes I wonder if I am the only one "in the dark","not knowing the the reality" in this world,what if everyone else in this world(YES YOU!) are here just to test me?Lol.

[dg2foto]

If we can see all sentient beings attaining buddhahood we are already a buddha.