三彌勒經疏 1.121

1.121

第一建立意者，問：何故立此三劫？答：《觀藥上菩薩經》言「爾時釋迦佛告大眾云：『我曾往昔於妙光如來末法中出家學道，聞是五十三佛名心生歡喜，後教他人。他人聞已轉轉相教，乃至三千人異口同音稱諸佛名、深心敬禮，則得超越無數億劫生死罪。其千人者，華光佛為首至毘舍佛，於過去莊嚴劫中得成佛。此中千佛，拘留孫佛為首至樓至，賢劫中得成佛。後千佛者，日光如來為首至須彌相佛，於未來星宿劫當得作佛。』」

First, the intention behind their establishment: Question: Why establish these three kalpas? Answer: The *Sūtra on the Contemplation of the Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyasamudgata* says: "At that time Śākyamuni Buddha addressed the great assembly, saying: 'In the past, during the sembiance dharma of Prabhāprabhāsa Tathāgata, I went forth to study the Way. Hearing the names of these fifty-three Buddhas, joy arose in my heart, and later I taught them to others. Others, having heard them, taught them to one another in turn, until three thousand people with different mouths spoke with one voice, reciting the names of all the Buddhas and bowing with deep reverence; they then managed to transcend the sins of birth-and-death spanning countless billions of kalpas. Among them, one thousand people, with Prabhāketu Buddha as the foremost and Vipaśyin Buddha as the last, attained Buddhahood in the past Vyūhakalpa. The middle one thousand Buddhas, with Krakucchanda Buddha as the foremost and Rucika as the last, attain Buddhahood in the Bhadrakalpa. The latter one thousand Buddhas, with Sūryaprabha Tathāgata as the foremost and Sumeruketu Buddha as the last, will attain Buddhahood in the future Constellation Kalpa.'"