三彌勒經疏 1.70

1.70

經曰「此人從今」以下，第二申勝報別答。言提捨此經佛答文，略有六觀：一天中勝報觀、二人間歸寂觀、三上升兜率觀、四下降閻浮觀、五眾生大依觀、六菩薩廣攝觀。今此答文中唯有初觀，即觀一生補處及十善勝報。約文為二：初答生處、後答淨穢。是初也。十二者，應云此人說此經已後十二年命終生天。然十二年，講者不同。一云：維摩四年，法華七年，涅槃一年，名十二年，以說維摩經第一年時說此經故。一云：說維摩經五年，法華七年，名十二年，說般若經第二十五年說此經故。一云：說維摩經第三年時說此經。何故者，外國集經傳云「如來滅度時，文殊、弘廣、彌勒三菩薩共闍毘佛身。二月十五日入涅槃，即此年夏三月。集經時雖在三菩薩，而弘經時唯有弘廣、文殊而彌勒無故。謂七月十五日集經已訖，從八月乃至第二年二月十五日弘經法，是故維摩二年、法華七年、涅槃一年、集經一年、弘經一年，合十二年。」雖有三解，而無聖教，取捨任意。然彌勒命終二說。一云：佛滅後方命終，既云結集時有三菩薩故。一云：法華會中雖有彌勒，而至涅槃會無彌勒號故，故先如來命終，然結集時為悅眾故化現耳。不爾，違《長阿含經》阿難序云「彌勒在兜率中，而佛涅槃時下，結集闍毘故。」後說為勝也。又《大集經》第四云「佛告：於此眾中，誰我滅度，我法令久住？」乃至下說言「佛世尊滅度，彼兜率天上廣宣如是無上經典。」又則彼經第一云「得佛道始十六年說此經」，是以明知彌勒菩薩者，佛成道第十六年時已生兜率天也。又《菩薩處胎經》第二云「佛告彌勒：『如是天中未得神通。』彌勒白佛言：『有成熟者，有未成熟者。』」又《增一經》第一云「辨結集法時眾集，云梵天、帝釋、四王諸天下降，彌勒兜率來集。」故知彌勒先佛入涅槃生彼天也。既爾，二解中第二說為勝。

From the sūtra passage stating, "Twelve years from now, this person…" downward is the second [part], specifically answering by explaining the supreme fruition. In the teaching of this sūtra, the Buddha's answering text contains roughly six contemplations: first, the contemplation of the supreme fruition in heaven; second, the contemplation of returning to quiescence among humans; third, the contemplation of ascending to Tuṣita; fourth, the contemplation of descending to Jambudvīpa; fifth, the contemplation of being a great refuge for sentient beings; and sixth, the contemplation of the Bodhisattva's vast gathering [of disciples]. In the present answering text, there is only the first contemplation, which contemplates the one-life-remaining bodhisattva and the supreme fruition of the ten virtuous actions. Dividing the text, there are two parts: first, answering about the place of birth; and second, answering about its purity or defilement. This is the first.

Regarding the "twelve [years]," it should mean: twelve years after this person speaks this sūtra, he will die and be born in heaven. However, regarding the twelve years, commentators differ. One says: four years for the *Vimalakīrti*, seven years for the *Lotus Sūtra*, and one year for the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra*, making twelve years, because this sūtra was preached in the first year of the preaching of the *Vimalakīrtinirdeśa*. Another says: five years of preaching the *Vimalakīrtinirdeśa* and seven years of the *Lotus Sūtra*, making twelve years, because this sūtra was preached in the twenty-fifth year of preaching the *Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras*. Another says: this sūtra was preached in the third year of preaching the *Vimalakīrtinirdeśa*. Why? A foreign chronicle of the council states: "When the Tathāgata entered parinirvāṇa, the three Bodhisattvas Mañjuśrī, Hongguang, and Maitreya jointly cremated the Buddha's body. He entered nirvāṇa on the fifteenth day of the second month, which was the three months of the summer of that year. At the time of compiling the scriptures, although the three Bodhisattvas were present, when propagating the scriptures there were only Hongguang and Mañjuśrī, and Maitreya was absent." That is to say, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month the compilation was completed, and from the eighth month until the fifteenth day of the second month of the following year they propagated the scriptural Dharma; therefore, two years for the *Vimalakīrti*, seven years for the *Lotus Sūtra*, one year for the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra*, one year for compiling the scriptures, and one year for propagating the scriptures together make twelve years. Although there are three explanations, as there is no sacred scripture [directly settling this], one may accept or reject them as one pleases.

However, regarding Maitreya's death, there are two theories. One says: he died only after the Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa, since it is said that the three Bodhisattvas were present at the council. Another says: although Maitreya was present in the *Lotus Sūtra* assembly, by the time of the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* assembly there was no mention of Maitreya's name; therefore, he died before the Tathāgata, and his appearance at the council was merely an apparition to delight the assembly. If not for this, it would contradict the preface by Ānanda in the *Dīrghāgama*, which says: "Maitreya was in Tuṣita, but descended at the time of the Buddha's nirvāṇa to compile the scriptures and perform the cremation." The latter theory is superior. Furthermore, the fourth fascicle of the *Mahāsaṃnipātasūtra* states: "The Buddha asked: 'In this assembly, after I pass into parinirvāṇa, who will cause my Dharma to abide for a long time?'" down to where it says below: "The Buddha, the World-Honoured One, having passed into parinirvāṇa, [he] will widely proclaim these unsurpassed scriptures up in that Tuṣita heaven." Moreover, the first fascicle of that same sūtra states: "Sixteen years after attaining the Buddha path, [the Buddha] preached this sūtra." From this, it is clearly known that Bodhisattva Maitreya had already been born in the Tuṣita heaven in the sixteenth year after the Buddha's attainment of bodhi. Furthermore, the second fascicle of the *Bodhisattvagarbhasūtra* states: "The Buddha said to Maitreya: 'In such heavens, they have not yet attained supernatural powers.' Maitreya said to the Buddha: 'There are those who have matured, and those who have not matured.'" In addition, the first fascicle of the *Ekottarikāgama* states, when explaining the assembly for compiling the Dharma: "Brahmā, Indra, and the devas of the Four Heavenly Kings descended, and Maitreya came to the assembly from Tuṣita." Therefore we know that Maitreya entered nirvāṇa before the Buddha and was born in that heaven. This being so, between the two explanations, the second theory is superior.