釋迦氏譜 1.273

1.273

余以感通之道殆非人謀。神交理會如有恒准。前約終相斯乃一期。至於大歸不無出沒。如摩耶等經千五百歲。不淨觀法無聞於時。今雖行世學者未顯。或以為滅自有行用何妨常存。又云。佛度女人正法減半。修行八敬還復千年。此亦據行有顯晦耳。如來在世尚有不見聞者。何況滅後根鈍障厚誠為滅相。故經云。我淨土不毀而眾見燒盡。斯豈不據信解明昧。故有興亡異途耶。又依善見論。佛法住世一萬年。五千年修道得三達智。後五千年修道不獲。然有剃髮袈裟相續。以斯通望經論互說增減不同。豈不隨人情所見也。又依入大乘論。佛以正法付賓頭盧羅睺羅等。十六大阿羅漢令住持佛法。又有九十九億諸阿羅漢親於佛前。受籌住壽護法不絕。諸大羅漢各有眷屬。在閻浮提及餘三方。天上為作福田護法住故（不明時候也）又依別傳。佛滅度後八百年中。師子國有大阿羅漢名為慶友。將欲滅度廣召四眾。佛以正法付囑迦葉乃至十六大阿羅漢。在於四洲天上住壽護法。乃至人壽減十歲時。刀丘劫起諸聖人等于時暫隱乃至人壽增一百歲時。聖人總出如前化導還復興顯。至人壽增六萬歲已。諸聖並集於閻浮提。收聚如來所有舍利。起一大塔七寶莊嚴。踊在空中諸阿羅漢。各禮佛塔作如是言。敬禮釋迦牟尼佛所有舍利。我等受佛遺囑護持正法。今時緣已盡所作已辦。我等今日奉辭涅槃。於是以願力故。空中化火滅無遺骸。如來舍利沒金剛際。爾時世界三寶名滅。至人壽七萬歲時。有七萬億數辟支佛出現。但現通化為世福田。如是乃至八萬歲彌勒下生。據此佛化時時相接也。

In my view, the way of sympathetic resonance is hardly something contrived by human planning; the spiritual meeting and intellectual communion have, as it were, a constant standard. The aforementioned pertains to the phase of final extinction and is merely one temporary period; as for the ultimate consummation, there is inevitably appearance and disappearance. For instance, according to scriptures such as the Māyā-sūtra, after fifteen hundred years, the method of contemplating impurity would no longer be heard of at that time; yet although it is practiced in the world today, scholars have not made it prominent. Some might consider it extinct, but as it continues to be practiced, what harm is there in its being perpetually preserved? Furthermore, it is said that because the Buddha ordained women, the True Dharma was reduced by half, but by practicing the eight gurudharmas it was restored to a thousand years; this too is said with respect to practice being visible or obscure. Even during the Tathāgata's lifetime, there were still those who did not see or hear him; how much more so after his parinirvāṇa, when those of dull faculties and heavy hindrances truly perceive the marks of extinction! Therefore, a scripture says: "My pure land is never destroyed, yet the multitude sees it burned up completely." Is this not based on whether faith and understanding are clear or benighted, so that there are different courses of flourishing and decline? Furthermore, according to the Sudarśanavibhāṣā, the Buddha's Dharma abides in the world for ten thousand years: for five thousand years one may cultivate the path and attain the threefold knowledge (traividyā); for the subsequent five thousand years, one will not attain it through cultivating the path, though the shaved heads and kāṣāya robes will continue in succession. Taking an overview of these varying accounts in the sūtras and treatises regarding increase and decrease, are they not in accordance with what is perceived by human dispositions? Furthermore, according to the *Mahāyānāvatāra-śāstra*, the Buddha entrusted the True Dharma to Piṇḍola, Rāhula, and others—sixteen great arhats—commanding them to maintain and protect the Buddha's Dharma. Moreover, there were 990 million arhats who personally, before the Buddha, received tallies to extend their life and protect the Dharma without interruption. These great arhats each have their retinues, remaining in Jambudvīpa and the other three continents, as well as in the heavens, acting as fields of merit and protecting the Dharma so that it abides (the duration is not clarified). Furthermore, according to a separate transmission, within eight hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, in the country of Siṃhala there was a great arhat named Nandimitra. When he was about to enter parinirvāṇa, he summoned the fourfold assembly extensively: the Buddha entrusted the True Dharma to Kāśyapa and continuing up to the sixteen great arhats, commanding them to extend their lifespan in the four continents and in the heavens to protect the Dharma. Even when the human lifespan decreases to ten years, when the kalpa of weapons arises, all these noble ones will temporarily conceal themselves for a time. Then, when the human lifespan increases to one hundred years, the noble ones will all emerge, teaching and guiding as before, and [the Dharma] will flourish and become visible again. When the human lifespan has increased to sixty thousand years, all the noble ones will gather in Jambudvīpa, collect all the relics of the Tathāgata, and erect a great stupa adorned with the seven jewels. Leaping into the air, all the arhats will each pay homage to the Buddha stupa, saying: "We pay homage to all the relics of Śākyamuni Buddha! Having received the Buddha's bequeathed instruction to protect and uphold the True Dharma, now that the temporal conditions are exhausted and our tasks are accomplished, we today take our leave and enter nirvāṇa." Thereupon, through the power of their vows, fire will materialize in mid-air and extinguish them without leaving any remains. The Tathāgata's relics will sink down to the vajra border. At that time, the name of the Three Jewels will be extinguished in the world. When the human lifespan reaches seventy thousand years, seven hundred billion pratyekabuddhas will appear; they will only manifest supernatural transformations to serve as fields of merit for the world. In this way, when [the lifespan reaches] eighty thousand years, Maitreya will descend and be born. Based on this, the Buddha's transformations are continuous from period to period.