華嚴經內章門等雜孔目章 4.11

4.11

Regarding the time of an asaṃkhyeya, the Mahāyāna and the Hīnayāna, the two vehicles, are not the same. The Hīnayāna takes sixty small kalpas as an asaṃkhyeya of great kalpas; in the Hīnayāna, passing through three such asaṃkhyeyas, one is able to become a Buddha. In the Mahāyāna, from the koṭi onward, forming one hundred phrases is called one *ayuta*; from one *ayuta* onward it is called one asaṃkhyeya; this is the first number among the ten great numbers. The Buddha of the Triyāna and Mahāyāna has only the conventional conversion of a single region; passing through these three great kalpas of practicing the path, he is able to accomplish Buddhahood. If it is the meaning of the sudden teaching, it cannot be spoken of. If it is the meaning of the Ekayāna, they are inexhaustible kalpas. Why is this? Because relying on the Ekayāna, all sentient beings have already fully accomplished Buddhahood. Furthermore, for the sake of sentient beings, they newly and constantly accomplish Buddhahood, and without abiding in the stages of training, accomplish correct enlightenment; according to this, it is not limited by periods of time, and therefore is inexhaustible. The arising of this teaching weighs and evaluates the virtues of the ten bhūmis so as to give rise to faith in them. Moreover, this method of enumeration is an attainment running through all ten bhūmis. The remaining meanings are as in the separate section.