觀彌勒上生兜率天經贊 1.16

1.16

問：如《賢劫經》明超劫事，《佛本行經》第三卷〈發心供養品〉云「昔有佛出世，號曰弗沙。彼佛在雜寶窟，我見彼佛心生歡喜，合十指掌翹於一足，七日七夜讚歎彼佛。佛言：『是人過九十四劫當得作佛見真理。』佛言：『是人過九十三劫當得作佛。』毘婆尸佛言：『是人過九十一劫當得作佛。』」《佛地論》亦說：釋迦超九劫，因事弗沙翹足而歎。說超九劫，即百劫中修相好時，故經多言過去九十一劫有毘婆尸佛，不說百劫。其九十一劫初有毘婆尸，故多作此說。《涅槃》等言：雪山菩薩為半頌捨身，超十二劫。《金光明經》薩埵王子投身飼虎，超十一劫。摩納仙人布髮掩泥，超於八劫。〈菩薩地〉言：菩薩修行有超水火及日月劫，無超阿僧祇。彼所言超，何時超也？答：雖無正文，理准應爾。翹足超九，百劫中超。餘說超者，阿僧祇內。不爾，何位更得說超？

Question: Regarding the matter of surpassing kalpas as explained in the Bhadrakalpika-sūtra, the third fascicle of the Fo benxing jing, "Chapter on Generating the Aspiration and Making Offerings," says: "In the past, a Buddha appeared in the world named Puṣya. That Buddha was in a cave of diverse jewels. When I saw that Buddha, joy arose in my mind; joining my ten fingers, palms together, and standing on one foot, I praised that Buddha for seven days and seven nights. The Buddha said: 'After ninety-four kalpas, this person shall attain Buddhahood and perceive true reality.' The Buddha said: 'After ninety-three kalpas, this person shall attain Buddhahood.' Vipaśyin Buddha said: 'After ninety-one kalpas, this person shall attain Buddhahood.'" The Buddhabhūmi-śāstra also says: "Śākyamuni surpassed nine kalpas because he served Puṣya, standing on one foot in praise." Speaking of surpassing nine kalpas refers to the time during the hundred kalpas when he cultivated the marks and signs; thus sūtras often say that ninety-one kalpas ago in the past there was Vipaśyin Buddha, without mentioning the hundred kalpas. At the beginning of those ninety-one kalpas there was Vipaśyin, which is why they often speak thus. The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra and others say that Bodhisattva Himavat gave up his body for half a verse, surpassing twelve kalpas. In the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra, Prince Sattva cast down his body to feed the tigress, surpassing eleven kalpas. The hermit Māṇava spread his hair over the mud, surpassing eight kalpas. The Bodhisattvabhūmi says: "When a bodhisattva practices, there is surpassing of kalpas of water, fire, and sun and moon, but no surpassing of asaṃkhyeyas." When do those surpassing feats mentioned therein take place? Answer: Although there is no explicit canonical statement, according to principle it should be so: surpassing nine [kalpas] by standing on one foot was surpassed during the hundred kalpas; the other [kalpas] said to be surpassed were within the asaṃkhyeyas. Were it not so, at what [other] stage could one still speak of surpassing?