觀彌勒上生兜率天經贊 1.12

1.12

Third, regarding 'differences in time periods': kalpas are of multiple kinds, as explained in a separate chapter. The Sūtra on the Contemplation of the Bodhisattvas Bhaiṣajyarāja and Bhaiṣajyasamudgata says: 'At that time, Śākyamuni Buddha addressed the great assembly, saying: "In the past, during the declining age of the Dharma of the Tathāgata Prabhāketu, I went forth to practice the Path. Hearing the names of these fifty-three Buddhas, joy arose in my mind, and I taught them to others; having heard them, others in turn taught them to still others, up to three thousand people. With different mouths but the same voice they recited the names of the Buddhas and single-mindedly paid reverent homage, immediately transcending the sins of birth-and-death of immeasurable kotis of kalpas. Among them, the first thousand, beginning with the Buddha Prabhāketu down to the Buddha Vipaśyin, attained Buddhahood in the past Alaṃkārakalpa. The Buddha Vipaśyin was Viśvabhū Buddha, the third among the Seven Buddhas. The middle thousand Buddhas, beginning with Krakucchanda Buddha down to Rucika Tathāgata, attained Buddhahood in the Bhadrakalpa. The latter thousand Buddhas, beginning with Sūryaprabha Tathāgata down to Merulakṣaṇa Buddha, shall attain Buddhahood in the future Nakṣatrakalpa."' The Bhadrakalpika-sūtra also says: 'In the past Alaṃkārakalpa, a thousand Buddhas appeared in the world.' The texts are identical to this. These three thousand Buddhas each, according to their own class, cultivated superior deeds together and attained the fruit at the same time; therefore, they are classified separately. The sixth roll of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra says: 'In the past, there was a wheel-turning king named Ratnachattra, who is now the Tathāgata Ratnarāśi. The wheel-turning king had one thousand sons, who are now the thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa. The prince Candrachattra is now Śākyamuni.' The Sūtra on the Five Turbidities says: 'Now, during the ninth abiding kalpa of the Bhadrakalpa, there have already been four Buddhas. When the human lifespan was forty thousand years, Krakucchanda Buddha appeared in the world. When the human lifespan was thirty thousand years, Kanakamuni Buddha appeared in the world. When the human lifespan was twenty thousand years, Kāśyapa Buddha appeared in the world.' The Bhadrakalpika-sūtra says: 'When the human lifespan was one thousand two hundred years, Śākyamuni was first born in Tuṣita; when the human lifespan was one hundred years, he appeared in the world to become a Buddha. The lifespan in Tuṣita Heaven is four thousand years, which corresponds to five billion six hundred and seventy million years in the human world.' The true Dharma lasts five hundred years, and the semblance Dharma lasts one thousand years; it does not mention the declining Dharma, but still says that after one thousand five hundred years, Śākyamuni's Dharma will come to an end, and pratyekabuddhas will carry out conversion. This differs from other sūtras. Human life gradually shortens: during the time of the true Dharma, human life does not decrease; during the semblance and declining Dharma, human life decreases down to twenty or thirty years, and famines, pestilences, and weapons arise one after another, so that most people die and the lands become barren and deserted. Sages admonish one another, people cherish goodness, the lifespan of children doubles that of their fathers, and gradually longevity increases up to eighty-four thousand years. From the increase to sixty thousand years up to the increase to eighty thousand, wheel-turning sage kings appear successively. When the lifespan is eighty thousand years, the king will be named Śaṅkha, and only then will Maitreya appear. However, a commentary explains: 'During the declining kalpa, Buddhas arise; during the increasing kalpa, wheel-turning kings appear. Checking by this, Maitreya will only appear at the beginning of the decrease from eighty-four thousand [years in the] kalpa, due to revulsion against birth-and-death. When the human lifespan was one hundred years, Maitreya was born in heaven; when the human lifespan reaches eighty-four thousand years, he will first descend to be born and become a Buddha, which corresponds to five billion six hundred and seventy million years in the human world.' Inferring from this, the time of the declining kalpa is long, and the time of the increasing kalpa is short. Maitreya's light shines for forty li. The Brahmacārin Sūtra says: 'His father's name will be Brahmāyu, his mother's name will be Brahmāvatī, his son's name will be Somottara, his attendant will be named Sāgara, his disciple foremost in wisdom will be named Jñānaprabha, and his disciple foremost in supernatural power will be named Bhadravīrya. The true Dharma will last eighty thousand years, and having gathered the Buddha's relics, they will jointly construct a great stūpa and monastery.' The Bhadrakalpika-sūtra says: 'From Krakucchanda Buddha to the nine hundred and ninety-ninth Buddha, they together appear during one great kalpa; the thousandth Buddha, Rucika, appears alone during one kalpa, and after that, there are twelve kalpas that pass emptily without a Buddha. Afterward, there is a Buddha named Śuddhaprabharājan, whose lifespan is ten small kalpas.' This is the first Buddha of the Nakṣatrakalpa, Sūryaprabha; the translated names differ, but the substance is the same Buddha; after this, three hundred kalpas pass emptily without a Buddha. The Sūtra on the City of Kārkikā explains that Rucika Buddha appears alone in one kalpa, the reasons for which are broadly as stated there. The Vajrapāṇi Sūtra says: 'In the past, there was a wheel-turning king who had a thousand sons, each of whom gave rise to a supreme aspiration to seek Buddhahood together. The father king tested the sons to see who would become a Buddha first: bathing the lots in scented water, he had the thousand sons draw them. The one who drew the first would attain it earliest, and the one who drew the last would attain it last. The one who was last was mocked by the others: "When we become Buddhas, humanity will have already been completely converted. Whom will you cross over?" The youngest son wept and further reflected: "Worlds are boundless, and sentient beings are countless; how could what my elder brothers cross over be exhausted? May it be that when I become a Buddha, the lifespan of the people I cross over will be equal to all my elder brothers combined." Trembling, the earth shook, and the Buddha immediately bestowed a prediction on all of them. Due to these causes and conditions, the last Buddha appears alone in one kalpa. Because he wept, he is called the Weeping Buddha.' The Upādhyāya explains: 'Huluzhi, that is, Rucika, is translated here as "beloved of the father." Being the youngest son of the father, he was particularly cherished and loved, hence the name.' Thereupon, the elder brothers vowed to become vajra-holders to protect their younger brother. According to the Hīnayāna, a bodhisattva cultivates the karma for the marks and signs for one hundred kalpas. Śākyamuni bought five lotus flowers to offer to Dīpaṃkara—Dīpaṃkara is [also translated as] Randeng ('Kindler of the Lamp')—who then bestowed a prediction on him: 'In a future age, you shall become a Buddha.' Furthermore, because Śākyamuni and Maitreya together served the World-Honoured One Puṣya, who had entered the fire-radiance samādhi so that extinguishing light shone brilliantly, Śākyamuni praised him and thereby bypassed nine kalpas, attaining bodhi before Maitreya. Therefore, sūtras repeatedly say that Maitreya himself said: 'I would rather spend a thousand asaṃkhyeya kalpas preaching the Dharma and crossing over people in Tuṣita Heaven than give up even a small part of my body as in the past. Because of this lingering, I attain Buddhahood later.' However, during Śākyamuni Buddha's cultivation of the marks and signs for one hundred kalpas, in the first of the ninety-one kalpas he encountered Vipaśyin Buddha; in the thirty-first kalpa he encountered Śikhin Buddha and Viśvabhū Buddha; in the ninety-first kalpa he encountered the thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa. Some say: 'During the abiding kalpa, in the first five kalpas no Buddha appears in the world; in the sixth kalpa there is Krakucchanda Buddha; in the seventh kalpa there is Kanakamuni Buddha; in the eighth kalpa there is Kāśyapa Buddha; in the ninth kalpa there is Śākyamuni; in the tenth kalpa there is Maitreya.' Some say: 'The four Buddhas are all in the ninth kalpa; four have already appeared, which together with the previous ones makes the Seven Buddhas; Maitreya will be the fifth Buddha of the Bhadrakalpa.' This is the third [point], 'differences in time periods.'