大乘法苑義林章 7.26

7.26

Fifth, regarding measurement: Both the Buddhabhūmi-sūtra and the Cheng weishi lun state that although the dharmatā land is not subsumed under form and its shape, measurement, or size cannot be spoken of, nevertheless, according to the phenomenal aspect, its measure is boundless, like space pervading everywhere. Concerning the self-enjoyment land, the Daśabhūmika-sūtra states that a bodhisattva of the tenth stage attains rebirth in the palace of Maheśvara, where ten fruition marks manifest: there is a great jewelled lotus throne whose circumference surpasses the count of dust motes in ten asaṃkhyeyas of hundreds of thousands of trichiliocosms; the bodhisattva of the tenth stage sits upon it and ascends to perfect enlightenment. Having attained Buddhahood, to the end of future time, it transforms in continuous succession into a purely clean Buddha land, boundless in circumference and adorned with myriad jewels, because its measure is boundless in accordance with the dharmatā land. The other-enjoyment land manifests in accordance with what is suitable for the bodhisattvas of the ten stages; it may be small or great, inferior or superior, changing and altering from time to time. The Brahmajāla-sūtra says: 'I am now Rocana, seated upon a lotus throne; one flower holds a hundred kotis of realms, and one realm has one Śākya.' The Mahāyānasaṃgraha and other texts say that a bodhisattva of the first stage awakens to ten times a hundred gateways and sees a hundred Buddha lands. One Buddha realm is a trichiliocosm; a trichiliocosm has ten billion sets of four continents; each set of four continents has one transformation Buddha, so within a trichiliocosm there are ten billion transformation Buddhas. A bodhisattva of the first stage sees one hundred times ten billion transformation Buddhas and one enjoyment body; the enjoyment body dwells on the dais of a great jewelled lotus flower; the flower has one hundred petals, and each petal is a great trichiliocosm. The one enjoyment Buddha is named Rocana, and the one hundred times ten billion transformation Buddhas are named Śākya; inseparable from the single body of Rocana are the many Śākyas. A bodhisattva of the second stage sees one enjoyment Buddha sitting on a thousand-petalled lotus, up to the tenth stage where the Buddha seen has extremely large flowers with boundless petals. Moreover, in the second stage one sees the ten enjoyment bodies of Rocana and the thousand times ten billion transformation bodies of Śākya that were seen in the first stage, up to the tenth stage where one sees the immeasurable enjoyment bodies of Rocana and immeasurable transformation bodies of Śākya seen in the ninth stage. Although the number of Buddhas in a great trichiliocosm is large, they are not separate from the transformations of Śākya; therefore, it is called the domain transformed by one Buddha. Furthermore, in the Hīnayāna it is only said that there is one Buddha without multiple transformation bodies; this too speaks of one Buddha in accordance with their capacities. Alternatively, in the path of accumulation, one sees that one set of four continents has one principal Buddha; in the path of preparation, one sees that a trichiliocosm has one principal Buddha; because it gradually increases from the first stage upwards, the measure of the other-enjoyment land is not fixed. As for the transformation land, it may be pure or defiled, small or large, and its subsequent transformations likewise have no fixed limit, because it manifests at any given time in accordance with what is suitable for sentient beings. In the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa-sūtra, the Buddha pressed his toe against the ground and the trichiliocosm became pure; when Vimalakīrti was about to arrive, he transformed the single city of Vaiśālī in advance to be pure. When expounding the Lotus Sūtra, he first transformed the trichiliocosm, next transformed two million nayutas of Buddha lands in each of the ten directions to make them pure, and afterwards transformed them again. Hence we know that its size is not fixed according to the occasion. The Benye jing says: 'Vairocana Buddha is the Dharma body; Rocana Buddha is the enjoyment body; Śākyamuni Buddha is the transformation body.' Therefore it is stated in this way.