金剛般若經贊述 1.78

1.78

初中有四，一、彰所在，謂大眾中；二、顯虔恭；三、明讚嘆；四、正發請。上來二文竟，此為第三讚嘆也。言「希有，世尊」者，謂住劫之中減時方有佛出世也。只如賢劫千佛之中，已有四佛出世，謂此住劫之中，初之五劫無佛世現；第六劫中，人壽四萬歲時，拘留孫佛出世；第七劫中，人壽三萬歲時，拘那含牟尼佛出世；第八劫中，人壽二萬歲時，迦葉佛出世；第九劫中，人壽百歲時，釋迦牟尼佛出；第十劫中，人壽八萬歲初減劫時，彌勒佛出；至第十五劫，九百九十四佛共出一劫；至後住劫中，有樓至佛獨出一住劫；從此已後更經十二大劫，方有星宿劫中第一日光佛出；從此已後，更經三百劫，方有餘佛出世。故《法華》云「諸佛出於世，懸遠值遇難」等也。

In the first part, there are four aspects: first, revealing the location, namely amidst the great assembly; second, displaying devout respect; third, articulating praise; fourth, properly formulating the request. The preceding two sections of text are concluded; this is the third, the praise. As for the words "Rare, O Bhagavat!", this means that only during the decreasing periods of a kalpa of abiding do Buddhas appear in the world. Just as among the thousand Buddhas of the Fortunate Kalpa (Bhadrakalpa), four Buddhas have already appeared in the world: during this kalpa of abiding, during the first five small kalpas no Buddha appeared in the world; in the sixth kalpa, when human lifespan was forty thousand years, Krakucchanda Buddha appeared in the world; in the seventh kalpa, when human lifespan was thirty thousand years, Kanakamuni Buddha appeared in the world; in the eighth kalpa, when human lifespan was twenty thousand years, Kāśyapa Buddha appeared in the world; in the ninth kalpa, when human lifespan was one hundred years, Śākyamuni Buddha appeared; in the tenth kalpa, at the beginning of the decreasing kalpa when human lifespan is eighty thousand years, Maitreya Buddha will appear; up to the fifteenth kalpa, nine hundred and ninety-four Buddhas will appear together in one kalpa; until the final kalpa of abiding, the single Buddha Rocana (Rucika) will appear alone in one kalpa of abiding. After this, a further twelve great kalpas must elapse before the very first Buddha of the Constellation Kalpa (Nakṣatrakalpa), Prabhāsa Buddha, appears; after this, a further three hundred kalpas must elapse before the remaining Buddhas appear in the world. Therefore the Lotus Sūtra says, "The Buddhas appear in the world; infinitely remote, they are difficult to encounter," and so forth.