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27-559: Some 200 years from now, the MAPPO Corporation, headed by the misanthropic and megalomaniacal Japanese scientist Dr. Kazushi Nikken, breeds human/animal hybrids in a secure, top-secret facility somewhere in North Africa. The Hybrids are composed of numerous African animal species including warthogs , elephants , camels , zebras , rhinos , hippos , giraffes , hyenas and crocodiles . The process involves implanting embryos into

54-552: A Mahayana Buddhist anthology of Mahayana sutras . The sutra was translated into Chinese three times. The only extant copy of the entire collection is found in Chinese , though the individual sutras can be found in Sanskrit and in the Tibetan canon . The anthology consists of 17 sutras across 60 fascicles. The Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra is an important collection of Mahayana sutras for

81-735: A Mahāyāna Symbol of Emptiness and Generous Fullness: A Study and Translation of the Gaganagañjaparipṛcchā (University of Oslo October 2020). The Chinese version of the Mahāsaṃnipāta is currently being translated by Alexander James O'Neill (along with Āloka Dharmacakṣus and Charles Patton). As of 2023, only the first volume is published as The Great Collection Sūtra: A Translation of the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra Volume One (2023). The Chinese Buddhist Canon also included various other sūtras which seemed to have been associated with

108-906: A film. Starkings himself was working on the draft treatment: "Jerry [Zucker] and I can't wait to bring the stories of Hip, Horn and Sahara to life on screen in a way that will simply take your breath away". The project's status is unknown. Three Ages of Buddhism#Latter Day of the Dharma The Three Ages of Buddhism , also known as the Three Ages of the Dharma ( simplified Chinese : 三时 ; traditional Chinese : 三時 ; pinyin : Sān Shí ), are three divisions of time following Shakyamuni Buddha 's death and passing into Nirvana in East Asian Buddhism . The Three Ages of Buddhism are three divisions of time following Buddha's passing: In

135-493: Is no Mò Fǎ while Xuyun thought Mò Fǎ is not inevitable. Some Chinese folk religions taught that the three ages were the teaching period of Dīpankara Buddha , Gautama Buddha, and the current era of Maitreya. Sutra of the Great Assembly The Mahāvaipulya Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra ( Chinese : 大方等大集經, pinyin : Dàfāng děng dà jí jīng , Great Extensive Great Collection Sūtra ) is

162-597: Is no longer extant). Another version of the Mahāsaṃnipāta , also now lost, was translated by Kumārajīva in the early 5th century. Another translation was carried out by Dharmakṣema from 414 to 421 (of fascicles I-XI & XIII) which is the basis for the version that is now extant as Taishō Tripiṭaka no. 397. This version was further completed with the addition of the missing Akṣayamatinirdeśa Sūtra by Zhiyan and Baoyun (fascicle XII, c. 427) and by further translations of  Narendrayaśas (fascicles XIV-XVII, c. 586 CE). The entire Mahāsaṃnipāta does not survive in

189-516: The Prajñāpāramitā and Buddhāvataṃsaka sutras. The Mahāsaṃnipāta was also an important source for the East Asian Buddhist tradition, and it was translated numerous times by some of the preeminent translators of Chinese Buddhism . It was one of the first Mahayana sutras translated into Chinese as it was first translated by the 2nd century CE figure Lokakṣema (though his translation

216-653: The Kamakura period, such as Shinran's Jōdo Shinshū , the largest Buddhist tradition in Japan . The Chinese edition of the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra ( Taisho Tripitaka no. 397) contains the following sutras: Some parts of the sutra have been translated into English. 84000.co currently contains five translations of individual sutras: Furthermore, Jaehee Han includes a translation of the Gaganagañja sūtra in thesis The Sky as

243-565: The Sutra of the Great Assembly (Sanskrit: Maha-Samnipata Sutra ; Japanese: Daijuku-kyō ), the three periods are further divided into five five-hundred year periods ( 五五百歳 , Chinese: wǔ wǔ bǎi sùi ; Japanese: go no gohyaku sai ), the fifth and last of which was prophesied to be when the Buddhism of Shakyamuni Buddha would lose all power of salvation and a new Buddha would appear to save

270-515: The United Nations send in an army to storm MAPPO's secret base. While their mission has not been elaborated at this stage, it seems to be a combination of liberating the Elephantmen, investigating the attacks on the local populace, and ending the development of MAPPO's illegal army. MAPPO turns the Elephantmen on the U.N. troops, and horrendous casualties are inflicted on both sides. Ultimately,

297-629: The bodhisattva path, bodhicitta , non-duality , dhāraṇī , and the decline of Dharma . The Dhāraṇīśvararāja sūtra (also known as the Tathāgatamahā­karuṇā­nirdeśa ) was very influential on Indian Buddhism. This sutra is a key source for the Ratnagotravibhāga an important Indian treatise on Buddha-nature . The Ratnagotravibhāga draws on the Dhāraṇīśvararāja for all seven of its main topics and for its discussions of

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324-484: The pure land of Amitābha , where they can practice the Dharma more readily. Nichiren Buddhism has taught that its teaching is the most suitable for the recent Mò Fǎ period. The Kalacakra tantra contains a prophecy of a holy war in which a Buddhist king will win. Theravada Buddhists taught that Buddhism would decline in five thousand years. Some monks such as Dōgen and Xuyun had alternative views regarding dharma decline. Dōgen believed that there

351-469: The three turnings of the wheel of Dharma since it describes the Buddha's teaching as consisting of three phases. The Candragarbha sutra was particularly influential because it enumerates the notion of the decline of the Dharma , or decline of the Buddha's teachings, dividing this into three eras. This teaching was very influential on Pure Land Buddhism in general as well as on Japanese Buddhist schools of

378-476: The triratnavaṃśa (lineage of the three jewels ). The Dhāraṇīśvararāja also explicitly points out that the nature of the minds of sentient beings is fundamentally pure ( cittaprakrtivisuddhi ), even if they are bound by the adventitious afflictions. This is a key notion also found in the Ratnagotravibhāga . The Dhāraṇīśvararāja sūtra is also an important source for the Tibetan tradition's understanding of

405-622: The Bodhisattvas of the Earth have had a karmic connection with Gautama Buddha since the beginning of time, meaning that they are aware of the Superior Practice which is the essence of Buddhism or the Dharma in its original, pure form. Kṣitigarbha is also known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds, in the era between the death of Gautama and the rise of Maitreya . Teacher Shavaripa would also live in

432-702: The Indian Mahayana commentary tradition. The sutras in this collection were important sources for Indian anthologies like the Śikṣāsamuccaya of Shantideva and the Sūtrasamuccaya. It is also a major source for the Ratnagotravibhāga which especially relies on the Dhāraṇiśvararāja Sūtra . The sutra was also important in Central Asian Buddhism , and it is cited in the Book of Zambasta along with

459-560: The Tiantai. The Sanjiejiao was an early sect that taught about Mò Fǎ. It taught to respect every sutra and all sentient life. Late Buddhism in Central Asia taught the building of auspicious signs or miraculous Buddhist images. Pure Land Buddhism in China and Japan believe we are now in this latter age of "degenerate Dharma". Pure Land followers therefore attempt to attain rebirth into

486-409: The Tibetan canon. However, various independent chapters are preserved in Tibetan translations (chapter 1-2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 11, 12). The colophons and titles of these independent Tibetan translations mention that they are part of the Mahāsaṃnipāta collection. The sutras of the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra discuss all of the main topics of Mahayana Buddhism. As such it is a major source for Mahayana teachings on

513-728: The U.N. succeed in subduing the Elephantmen and the MAPPO personnel are arrested. The Elephantmen are rehabilitated and released to establish their own lives in the outside world, where they are generally treated with distrust and horror from humans. Many of the Elephantmen were assigned jobs by the government. Living with humans has proven to be incredibly difficult for the Elephantmen. The war in which they fought had great consequences as people from both sides (Elephantmen included) lost many loved ones. Not all of those who survived retained their sanity; in fact, some became active hunters who tracked down Elephantmen and then executed them. The series shows that

540-416: The characters are haunted by memories that are still raw, with some people being driven to insanity due to being unable to let go of the past. It is evident that the Elephantmen themselves show some level of regret towards what they did during the conflict. It is also evident that crimes such as the ivory trade are seen as a good excuse to commit murder, and that even the Elephantmen themselves are involved with

567-545: The continuity of Buddhism. In the Lotus Sutra , Viśiṣṭacāritra is entrusted to spread Buddhist dharma in this age and save mankind and the earth. He and countless other bodhisattvas , specifically called Bodhisattvas of the Earth (of which he is the leader), vow to be reborn in a latter day to re-create Buddhist dharma, thus turning the degenerate age into a flourishing paradise. Gautama Buddha entrusts them instead of his more commonly known major disciples with this task since

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594-422: The different capacity to accept a teaching ( 機根 , Chinese: jīgēn ; Japanese: kikon ) of the people born in each respective period, as well as pure land practitioners. Buddhist temporal cosmology assumes a cyclical pattern of ages, and even when the current Buddha's teachings fall into disregard, a new Buddha will at some point (usually considered to be millions of years in the future) be born to ensure

621-440: The film adaptation of the aforementioned book. The Elephantmen series is a spin-off from the series Hip Flask , set in the same universe and expanding on details of various minor characters from that series. Elephantmen: War Toys is a three-issue mini-series prequel. At WonderCon in 2010 Comicraft/Active Images said the option of their Image Comics series Elephantmen was bought by Zucker Productions for development into

648-463: The people. This time period would be characterized by unrest, strife, famine, and natural disasters. The three periods are significant to Mahayana adherents, particularly those who hold the Lotus Sutra in high regard, namely the Tiantai and Tendai and Nichiren Buddhism , who believe that different Buddhist teachings are valid (i.e., able to lead practitioners to enlightenment) in each period due to

675-433: The seedy underworld and drug abuse. Women who befriend and become romantically involved with the Elephantmen are treated as outsiders, frowned upon, yet some have nightmares about their offspring and the chances of survival during childbirth. At this time in the series, the species do not accept each other. The series as a whole is similar to the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? . Thus it also bears similarities to

702-513: The wombs of kidnapped local women who are disposed of after giving birth. Each child is branded after birth, marking them as the property of MAPPO. These Elephantmen are trained from birth to be the perfect emotionless super soldiers and merciless killers. They are indoctrinated with an Orwellian mindset to think of themselves as property of the MAPPO Corporation and to deny any concept of free thought . Upon discovering these experiments,

729-718: The world to teach someone. The teaching appeared early. References to the decline of the Dharma over time can be found in such Mahayana sutras as the Diamond Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, but also to a lesser degree in some texts in the Pāli Canon such as the Cullavagga of the Vinaya Pitaka . Nanyue Huisi was an early monk who taught about it; he is considered the third Patriarch of

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