Kaùàya
kaùàya: The five kaùàya periods are those of varying levels of decay in the world. The five periods are:
(1) the period when there is a deterioration of the material world and its forms; (2) the period when there is a deterioration of views, during which people become exceedingly deluded and have great difficulty accepting the true; (3) the period when there is a deterioration of conditions, during which the afflictions, distress, and poisons of ignorance, hate, and anger increase; (4) the period when sentient beings deteriorate, during which their miseries increase steadily as a result of the previous three periods; and (5) the period when the human life span deteriorates, gradually shortening to only ten years.
These periods occur over a very long time (tens of thousands of years).
