西方合論 7.14

7.14

六、菩薩三祇行滿，生十方世界利益一切眾生者，菩薩功德成滿，自然有不思議業，能現十方利益眾生。《起信論》曰：「證發心菩薩于一念頃，能至十方無餘世界供養諸佛，請轉法輪，唯為開導利益眾生，不依文字。或示超地，速成正覺，為怯弱眾生故；或說我于無量阿僧祇，當成佛道，為怠慢眾生故。而實菩薩種性根等，發心則等，所證亦等，無有超過之法，以一切菩薩，皆經三阿僧祇劫故。」如《智度論》言：「釋迦世尊，從過去釋迦文佛至尸棄佛，為初阿僧祇；從尸棄佛至然燈佛授記時，為二阿僧祇；從然燈佛至毘婆尸佛，為三阿僧祇。」《婆沙論》敘三阿僧祇劫修六度行，百劫種相好因，然後獲五分法身。唯識謂地前歷一僧祇，初地滿二僧祇，八地至等覺，是三僧祇，然後獲究竟法身。

Sixth, as for the bodhisattva whose practice over the three asaṃkhyeyas is complete and who is reborn in the worlds of the ten directions to benefit all sentient beings: when the bodhisattva's merits are fully perfected, they naturally possess inconceivable activity, able to manifest in the ten directions to benefit sentient beings. The *Awakening of Faith* states: 'The bodhisattva who has realized the arousal of the mind [for enlightenment] can in a single thought-moment reach all worlds throughout the ten directions without remainder to make offerings to the buddhas and request the turning of the wheel of the Dharma, solely to guide and benefit sentient beings, not relying on words. Or they may manifest skipping bhūmis to quickly attain correct enlightenment for the sake of faint-hearted sentient beings; or they may say, "After immeasurable asaṃkhyeyas, I will attain the Buddha path," for the sake of indolent sentient beings. Yet in reality, the predispositions and faculties of bodhisattvas are equal; when they arouse the mind it is equal, and what they realize is also equal; there is no dharma of skipping ahead, because all bodhisattvas pass through three asaṃkhyeya kalpas.' As the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: 'Śākyamuni, the World-Honoured One, from the past Śākyamuni Buddha up to Śikhin Buddha, passed the first asaṃkhyeya; from Śikhin Buddha up to the time of receiving the prediction from Dīpaṅkara Buddha, passed the second asaṃkhyeya; from Dīpaṅkara Buddha up to Vipaśyin Buddha, passed the third asaṃkhyeya.' The *Mahāvibhāṣā* recounts cultivating the practices of the six pāramitās for three asaṃkhyeya kalpas, planting the causes for the marks and signs for one hundred kalpas, and only then obtaining the fivefold Dharma body. The Vijñaptimātra says that before the bhūmis one passes one asaṃkhyeya; at the first bhūmi the second asaṃkhyeya is completed; from the eighth bhūmi up to samyaksaṃbodhi is the third asaṃkhyeya, and only then is the ultimate Dharma body obtained.