金剛般若經贊述 1.78

1.78

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.