觀彌勒上生兜率天經贊 1.16

1.16

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?