金剛般若經贊述 2.71

2.71

'Before Dīpaṅkara Buddha' refers to before the third asaṃkhyeya [kalpa], because at the beginning of the third asaṃkhyeya he encountered Dīpaṅkara Buddha. A nayuta is a number of ten million. It means that before Dīpaṅkara Buddha, he met eight hundred and four thousand myriad koṭis of nayuta Buddhas, and among them he made offerings to and attended upon each and every one without passing any in vain. However, this is only that number and does not speak of Ganges sands, which means that the Buddhas encountered were very few. This is only speaking according to the Buddhas encountered during a single stage, two stages, and so forth; it does not mean that throughout the previous two asaṃkhyeyas he only encountered that many Buddhas. And according to the old traditions handed down, Śākyamuni Buddha encountered five Ganges sands of Buddhas in the first asaṃkhyeya, six Ganges sands of Buddhas in the second asaṃkhyeya, and seven Ganges sands of Buddhas in the third asaṃkhyeya. If so, he encountered immeasurable Buddhas during the first two asaṃkhyeyas; why would it be only that many? Thus we know this is spoken only according to what was encountered during a particular period of time.