三彌勒經疏 1.70

1.70

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.