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The Lotus Sūtra 4.20

妙法蓮華經 4.20

Language
Classical Chinese

4.20

爾時佛告阿難:「汝於來世當得作佛,號山海慧自在通王如來、應供、正遍知、明行足、善逝、世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊。當供養六十二億諸佛,護持法藏,然後得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。教化二十千萬億恒河沙諸菩薩等,令成阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。國名常立勝幡,其土清淨,琉璃為地。劫名妙音遍滿。其佛壽命,無量千萬億阿僧祇劫,若人於千萬億無量阿僧祇劫中算數校計,不能得知。正法住世倍於壽命,像法住世復倍正法。阿難!是山海慧自在通王佛,為十方無量千萬億恒河沙等諸佛如來所共讚歎,稱其功德。」

Then two thousand disciples, śrāvakas, some who still had more to learn, and some who did not, all arose from their seats and with their right shoulders bared went into the presence of the Buddha. Attentively, with palms pressed together, they gazed at the Bhagavat, all having the same wish as Ānanda and Rāhula, and stood to one side. Then the Buddha addressed Ānanda, saying: “In the future world you will become a buddha called Sāgaradharabuddhivikrīḍitarājābhijña, a Tathāgata, Arhat, Completely Enlightened, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Departed, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed, Tamer of Humans, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Bhagavat. You will pay homage to sixty-two koṭis of buddhas, preserve the treasure house of the Dharma and ultimately attain highest, complete enlightenment. Further, you will inspire twenty thousands of myriads of koṭis of bodhisattvas, equal in number to the sands of the Ganges River, causing them to attain highest, complete enlightenment.

“Your land will be called Avanāmitavaijayantā. It will be pure and the earth will be made of lapis lazuli. The kalpa will be called Manojñaśabdā-

bhigarjita. The lifespan of this buddha will be for immeasurable, incalculable thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas. Their number would be incalculable even if one were to count for immeasurable, innumerable thousands of myriads of koṭis of kalpas. The True Dharma will abide in the world twice as long as his lifespan and the Semblance Dharma will abide in the world twice as long as the True Dharma.

“O Ānanda! The virtues of this buddha Sāgaradharabuddhivikrīḍitarājābhijña will be praised by immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis of Buddha Tathāgatas in the ten directions, equal in number to the sands of the Ganges River.”

Thereupon the Tathāgata, wanting to elaborate on the meaning of this

I now tell the assembly

That Ānanda, the preserver of the Dharma,

Will pay homage to the buddhas

And ultimately attain complete enlightenment.

He will be called the Buddha

Sāgaradharabuddhivikrīḍitarājābhijña.

His land will be pure

And called Avanāmitavaijayantā

He will lead and inspire bodhisattvas

In numbers equal to the sands of the Ganges River.

This buddha will be endowed

With great virtue and dignity, and his fame

Will fill the ten directions.

His lifespan will be immeasurable

Due to his compassion for sentient beings.

The True Dharma will abide

Twice as long as his lifespan

And the Semblance Dharma will abide

Twice as long as the True Dharma.

Countless sentient beings

Within the Dharma of this buddha,

Equal in number to the sands of the Ganges River,

Will plant the seed of the buddha path.”

At that time the eight thousand bodhisattvas in the assembly, in whom the thought of enlightenment (bodhicittta) had recently awakened, all thought

Tsugunari Kubo & Akira Yuyama 2007, The Lotus Sutra

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