佛祖統紀 1.80

1.80

The 'Parable of the Conjured City' chapter says: 'The Buddha said: "In the past there was a Buddha named Great Pervasive Wisdom Excellence. It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of asaṃkhyeya kalpas since his extinction. By the power of the Tathāgata's knowledge and vision, I view that distant time just as if it were today. Before that Buddha had left the household life, he had sixteen sons. Hearing that their father had attained bodhi, they went to the Buddha's place and requested the turning of the wheel of the Dharma. They all left the household life as young boys and became novices. The Buddha accepted their request, and after twenty thousand kalpas had passed, expounded this Mahāyāna sūtra named the Wondrous Dharma Lotus Sūtra for eight thousand kalpas, and then entered dhyāna-concentration for eighty-four thousand kalpas. At that time, the sixteen novices each ascended the Dharma throne, and likewise for eighty-four thousand kalpas, broadly expounded the Lotus for the fourfold assemblies. Each of them delivered sentient beings equal in number to six hundred myriad koṭis of nayutas of Ganges sands, causing them to give rise to the aspiration for bodhi."' (In the past, preaching the Dharma and forming conditions with them.) '"The sentient beings transformed by each bodhisattva were born世世 together with the bodhisattvas in every lifetime, and hearing the Dharma from them, all faithfully understood it."' (Meeting with one another again in the interim.) '"Those sixteen novices have all now attained bodhi and are currently expounding the Dharma in lands throughout the ten directions. One is named Amitābha, and so forth, and the sixteenth is myself, Śākyamuni Buddha."' (Conjoining master past and present.) '"When we were novices, each of us transformed immeasurable sentient beings who heard the Dharma from me for the sake of anuttarā bodhi."' (Conjoining disciples past and present into one; first conjoining present disciples, this section first clarifies those who do not regress and abide in bodhi.) '"Among these sentient beings, there are now those who abide in the stage of the śrāvaka; I constantly teach and transform them toward anuttarā bodhi, and they should gradually enter the Buddha path by this Dharma."' (Next clarifying those who regressed and now abide as śrāvakas.) '"Why is this? The Tathāgata's wisdom is difficult to believe and difficult to understand."' (Explaining the intention behind regressing and abiding.) '"The immeasurable sentient beings transformed at that time are you bhikṣus"' (directly conjoining past and present) '"and my future śrāvaka disciples after my extinction."' (Next conjoining future disciples. The Xuan says: 'The sixteen princes propagating the sūtra and forming conditions was all done in the interim, and is not the origin cause. The path practiced prior to this is named the origin, which is the wondrous origin cause.')