As soon as he asked the question, “What is the nature of the future world?” I felt as
though I was being asked. Achita’s mind and my mind were, in truth, the same mind if
time were removed, thus a fusion of knowledge occurred, becoming one. All my current
experiences and understanding instantly became Achita’s experiences.

“I see it, Lord,” Achita exclaimed.

“Whatever you see, recount it to your companions accordingly,” the Buddha said, as if
knowing that Achita was now perceiving my experiences.

“I do not know the beginning or the end of where what appears to me at this moment
comes from. I only know that suddenly all this knowledge has arisen. But the main
problem is how I can explain what I know so that you understand it exactly as I do. In
truth, I know what I see and how it works, but it is something that you, including
myself at this time, do not know. Even if I say the words that people of that time use,
you still would not understand it. The only thing I can do is explain by comparing it to
what you have all seen and experienced at this time,” Achita prefaced.

“What do you see? Please describe it for us,” King Pasenadi Kosala urged.

“The first thing that appears in my mind now is that humans of that time will be able to
fly in the sky with large flying machines.”

“Oh! Oh! Oh!…” The voices of everyone there rose in a clamor of surprise at the story
they had heard.

“This machine is made of metal, has wings like a bird, can carry hundreds of people,
and flies as high as the clouds. It flies so fast that it can travel from one city to another,
a journey that normally takes us months, but they will take less than half a moment.”

“Oh… the future world is truly wondrous,” said Pajapati Gotami, who had now been
ordained as a bhikkhuni residing at the Puppharam Monastery.

“Yes, yes… truly exciting! What else do you see, Achita?” King Pasenadi Kosala
supported and asked with curiosity.

“Those traveling on that flying machine will be able to see the scenery below through
windows. They will see mountains that once towered into the sky as mere piles of
earth and sand, forests and woodlands as soft carpets of grass, rivers and canals as
branching capillaries, the sea and small and large islands as miniature Anodat ponds in
a royal garden, houses built close together in rectangular grids, and tall towers like
giant stone pillars adorned with clear tiles. At night, those towers will be brightly lit,
with shimmering, multicolored lights like the glow of jewels. They will see the roads at
night like rivers flowing in opposite directions, one side flowing red and the other flowing white,” Achita explained from the images that appeared in his mind, according
to my memories.

“For ground travel, people of that time will have vehicles with wheels similar to carts
but without the need for oxen. This vehicle will move on its own simply by adding
water that is ignited. It will speed along faster than the fastest horse, many dozens of
times over. Its roaring sound will be as loud as the sound of fireworks. People will use
these vehicles widely, so much so that the rulers of various kingdoms will have to
spend all their wealth on building tracks for these vehicles to travel on. These tracks
will be built as interconnected networks, some on the ground, some floating in the air.
They will overlap like spiderwebs, some going underground or passing under rivers.
These tracks will be built everywhere, winding through forests and mountains, some
having to be drilled into rocky mountains to become tunnels leading to the other side.”

“At that time, cities will have great material progress. People will live in tall towers with
hundreds of houses stacked on top of each other. Traveling up these towers will require
entering a square room with doors that open and close automatically. Inside, numbers
indicating all the houses on that tower will appear. Simply choose the desired number
and stand there waiting. The door will open at that house without taking a single step.”

“Oh, truly marvelous…” Bhaddakaccana murmured.

“In addition, people of that time will have a magical mirror that allows people who are
far apart in different cities, kingdoms, or continents to converse and see each other’s
faces as if they were sitting together. People all over the world will know each other
through this magical mirror under a giant, invisible web. They will be able to trade
with each other without needing to meet in person. They will have a new body that is
their own in a world created from illusions. They will be able to travel anywhere in the
world, even if their real body is at home. Under this giant web, they will have
everything they need. Simply speak or write the request into the magical mirror, and
no matter where that thing is in the world, it will be sent to their home without
exchanging gold coins, but by exchanging numbers that are merely air.” Achita
described what he saw.

“I really want to see that magical mirror. Can everyone possess it?” Uttara asked.

“Everyone in the future world will have this magical mirror because it is inexpensive.
And besides using this magical mirror for conversations and choosing the things they
want, this magical mirror is also like a window through which they can watch various
kinds of entertainment and knowledge, including dance, music, performing arts,
literature, and all branches of knowledge without limit. People will be able to learn
various subjects openly and secretly, both new creations and real events happening all
over the world. What is seen in it will be moving projections, as if those events were
really happening right in front of them.”

“They will create machines that imitate humans but have abilities hundreds of times
greater than humans, such as giant arms used to lift heavy objects, hands that work without stopping, or used to perform delicate tasks that humans cannot do,” Achita
further explained.

“This future world is truly amazing! People of that time must be happy, living
comfortably, as if in a celestial realm, wouldn’t you say, Venerable Achita?”
Uppalavanna asked with an excited tone.