大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 27.19

27.19

疏「此後更有大劫於理無違」者，此遮救也。謂靜法云：準下文，大劫有恒河沙數小劫。人壽二小劫初，佛壽五十億歲。威光歷事三佛，轉報生天。今云最初劫中有十須彌山塵數佛者，為彼剎中更有多箇大劫，此初大耶？為諸小劫中取小初耶？釋曰：上引文案定，雙開二關。次云：若就小劫初，不應威光一報之中但遇三佛。若就大劫，一剎之中寧有多大？釋曰：雙釋二關。謂人壽二小劫，一小劫中有須彌山塵數佛故，不應一報但遇三佛。言寧有多大者，如一賢劫則無多大。次云：故知此文「最初劫」之三字，應迴云「劫最初」。仍移此三字於後行「出興於世」其字之下，即無過也。釋曰：此立理，具足迴文，合云彼勝音世界中，有十須彌山微塵數如來出興於世，其劫最初第一佛號一切功德山須彌勝雲也。此正甚善。今不欲繁舉出經之過，強以理通最初劫言耳。云「更有大」者，義當中劫，順靜法意言有大耳。如賢劫有二十增減為中劫，第十五劫有九百九十四佛出，則一劫中容多佛矣。但彼淨劫時長，故一劫中有十須彌山塵數佛矣。然不欲斥經不急修行，故存略理通，非斥淨法正不當也。

Regarding the Commentary's statement, "That there are further great kalpas after this is not contrary to reason": this is a rebuttal of a proposed emendation. That is to say, Jingfa stated: "According to the text below, a great kalpa contains small kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. At the beginning of the two small kalpas of human lifespan, the Buddha's lifespan was five billion years. Weiguang successively served three Buddhas, changed his karmic retribution, and was born in the heavens. Now it says that in the very first kalpa there were Buddhas as numerous as the dust motes of ten Mount Merus. Was it that within that realm there were further multiple great kalpas, and this was the first great [kalpa]? Or did it select the beginning of a small [kalpa] from among the various small kalpas?" Commentary: Having cited the passage to set up the premise, he posed two alternatives. Next, he stated: "If it refers to the beginning of a small kalpa, Weiguang should not have encountered only three Buddhas within a single retribution. If it refers to a great kalpa, how could there be many great [kalpas] within a single realm?" Commentary: This explains both alternatives. It means that since the human lifespan was two small kalpas, and within one small kalpa there were Buddhas as numerous as the dust motes of Mount Meru, he should not have encountered only three Buddhas in a single retribution. As for saying 'how could there be many great [kalpas]', just as in a single Bhadrakalpa, there are not multiple great [kalpas]. Next, he stated: "Therefore, we know that the three characters 'the very first kalpa' (最初劫) in this text should be transposed to 'the very beginning of the kalpa' (劫最初). Furthermore, moving these three characters below the phrase 'appeared in the world' (出興於世) in the subsequent line would then be faultless." Commentary: This sets up the rationale and fully transposes the text, so that it should read: 'In that world of Superior Sound, there were Tathāgatas as numerous as the fine dust motes of ten Mount Merus who appeared in the world; at the very beginning of that kalpa, the first Buddha was named All-Merit-Mountain Meru Superior Cloud.' This emendation is indeed very good. But now, not wishing to multiply citations of faults in the translated sūtra, I have merely resolved the words 'the very first kalpa' forcibly through principle. When it says 'there are further great [kalpas]', in meaning this corresponds to intermediate kalpas; conforming to Jingfa's intent, it speaks of there being 'great' ones. For example, the Bhadrakalpa has twenty increases and decreases constituting intermediate kalpas, and in the fifteenth kalpa nine hundred and ninety-four Buddhas appear; thus, a single kalpa can accommodate many Buddhas. It is only because the time of that pure kalpa is vast that within a single kalpa there were Buddhas as numerous as the dust motes of ten Mount Merus. However, not wishing to criticize the sūtra and distract from urgent practice, I preserved an abridged explanation to reconcile the principle, not that Jingfa's emendation was truly inappropriate.