三彌勒經疏 1.31

1.31

言劫量長短者，昔云六十四劫名為賢劫，以火水等六十四數名最大劫，故後諸師多作此說，以佛為賢劫量，謂千佛具出為賢劫量。諸佛出生無決定，故奘師云：「二十住劫名為賢劫。印度諸師皆作此說，更無諍論。」然《智度論》第九卷云「前九十劫有三佛出世，謂初劫毘婆尸佛出；第三十二劫二佛出，一名尸棄、二名鞞怒婆附；第九十一劫千佛出，謂劫初四佛出，一名迦羅鳩喰陀、二名迦那含牟尼、三名迦葉、四名釋迦牟尼。」及世施設說二十住中，前五劫、後十劫佛不出，唯中間五劫佛出者，皆據隨轉理門說。既據不同，故不相違。不爾，便違《智度論》云「無量歲時有佛出世，名阿彌陀。」又婆羅門傳云：此今此中劫，雖小乘宗名第九劫，而依大乘有二十住劫中初故，故今大乘云：拘留孫等四佛皆出初劫，所餘諸佛出後十九劫。又《瑜伽論》云「初後二劫，亦增減故。」故知非唯減時佛出，增時佛出亦無違義。由此義故，前十劫出九百九十九佛，後十劫獨出樓至佛。若作此解，《善順金剛力士經》云「樓至最後成佛而壽半劫，與九百九十九佛所度適等無有差別。」三說中後解為勝，不爾，如何《智度論》云「淨居天子見劫成時蓮華，而知賢劫有千佛。」又《菩薩處胎經》云「梵王過賢劫已，其命乃盡。」此賢劫既二十中劫，應例過未二劫亦二十中劫，此即應說成二十劫，名莊嚴劫；壞二十劫，名星宿劫。謂成壞時既有眾生，佛可教化故。

Regarding the length and shortness of the kalpa's measure: In the past it was said that sixty-four kalpas are called the Bhadrakalpa, because the count of sixty-four [cycles] of fire, water, and so forth is named the greatest kalpa; therefore, later masters mostly made this assertion, taking the Buddhas as the measure of the Bhadrakalpa, meaning that the full appearance of one thousand Buddhas serves as the measure of the Bhadrakalpa. But because the appearance of the Buddhas is not fixed, Master Xuanzang said: 'Twenty antarakalpas of abiding are called the Bhadrakalpa. All the masters of India make this assertion, without any further dispute.' However, the ninth fascicle of the Da zhidu lun says: 'In the preceding ninety kalpas, three Buddhas appeared in the world: that is, in the first kalpa, Vipaśyin Buddha appeared; in the thirty-second kalpa, two Buddhas appeared, one named Śikhin and the second named Viśvabhū; in the ninety-first kalpa, one thousand Buddhas appear: that is, at the beginning of the kalpa four Buddhas appear, the first named Krakucchanda, the second named Kanakamuni, the third named Kāśyapa, and the fourth named Śākyamuni.' And the Lokaprajñapti states that within the twenty antarakalpas of abiding, in the first five kalpas and the last ten kalpas no Buddha appears, and only in the middle five kalpas do Buddhas appear—these are all stated according to the approach of teaching in accordance with provisional principles. Since they rely on different points of reference, they do not contradict each other. If not so, it would contradict the Da zhidu lun when it says: 'At an immeasurable age, there was a Buddha appearing in the world named Amitābha.' Furthermore, a Brahmanical tradition says: 'Although the Hīnayāna school names the present antarakalpa the ninth kalpa, according to the Mahāyāna it is the first among the twenty kalpas of abiding'; therefore, the Mahāyāna now says: Krakucchanda and the other four Buddhas all appear in the first kalpa, and the remaining Buddhas appear in the subsequent nineteen kalpas. Also, the Yogācārabhūmiśāstra says: 'The first and last two kalpas also increase and decrease.' Thus we know that not only do Buddhas appear in periods of decrease, but that Buddhas appear in periods of increase is also not contradictory in principle. On account of this principle, in the first ten kalpas nine hundred and ninety-nine Buddhas appear, and in the last ten kalpas Rucika Buddha alone appears. If one adopts this interpretation, the Shanshun jingang lishi jing says: 'Rucika Buddha attains Buddhahood last and his lifespan is half a kalpa, saving sentient beings in a number exactly equal to and no different from the nine hundred and ninety-nine Buddhas.' Among the three explanations, the latter interpretation is superior. If not so, how could the Da zhidu lun say: 'The sons of the Śuddhāvāsa heavens, seeing the lotuses at the time the kalpa was forming, knew that the Bhadrakalpa would have one thousand Buddhas'? Furthermore, the Pusa chutai jing says: 'Only after the King of the Brahmā realm passes the Bhadrakalpa does his lifespan come to an end.' Since this Bhadrakalpa consists of twenty antarakalpas, by analogy the past and future two kalpas must also consist of twenty antarakalpas. This means one should say that the twenty kalpas of formation are named the Vyūhakalpa, and the twenty kalpas of destruction are named the Constellation Kalpa. That is to say, since at the times of formation and destruction there are sentient beings, the Buddhas can instruct and transform them.