This thesis contains an analysis of the major decline prophecies found in Buddhist literature, with special attention to the "Destruction of the Dharma" chapter of the Candragarbha-sutra which survives in Chinese, Khotanese, Tibetan and Mongolian translations. Chapter 1 reviews the variety of timetables given in Buddhist sources for the duration of the Dharma, examines the origins of the East Asian concept of mo-fa/mappo ("End-Dharma"), and offers a detailed analysis of the fourteen extant versions of the prophecy of the final destruction of the Dharma at Kausambi preserved in the Candragarbha-sutra and other texts. A stemma illustrates the relationships among these recensions, and allows us to determine with reasonable accuracy the form of the original story, its sectarian provenance, and the time and place of its composition. A brief survey is then provided of three other influential decline traditions found in Buddhist sources: the Hindu four-yuga system, the scholastic decline theory of the Abhidharmakosa, and the anti-Muslim apocalypse contained in the Kalacakra-tantra. Chapter 1 concludes by contrasting the current role of the Candragarbha-sutra in Tibet, where it has been largely forgotten, with that in East Asia, where it remains a highly influential text. An attempt is made to explain these divergent outcomes, with special reference to the effect of the presence or absence of the concept of mo-fa on the appropriation of other decline traditions.
Chapter 2 contains a critical edition of the Tibetan version of the Candragabha decline prophecy, an annotated English translation, and an introduction discussing the relationship among the seven texts consulted (including the Tun-huang manuscript).
Chapter 3 contains the romanized Mongolian text, an annotated English translation, an index of Mongolian vocabulary (with Tibetan equivalents), and an introduction detailing the relationship between the Mongolian and Tibetan versions.
Appendices contain a synoptic list of proper names found in extant versions of the Kausambi prophecy, a complete list of the references to the "latter age" found in the Sanskrit and Chinese versions of the Lotus Sutra, a list of all known timetables for the duration of the Dharma, and a discussion of the Mongolian ali kali alphabet, including a complete chart of these letters and description of their use.
