北山錄 1.9.2

1.9.2

[The sage is the Buddha.] He said: When the previous kalpa had disintegrated, heaven and earth were already empty. From emptiness it formed again, and this kalpa had its beginning. (The formation, abiding, disintegration, and emptiness of a world each last twenty kalpas. From a human lifespan of ten years, every hundred years it increases by one year, up to eighty-four thousand years; then every hundred years it decreases by one year down to ten years, which is called one kalpa. Thus, formation, abiding, disintegration, and emptiness total eighty kalpas, revolving in an endless cycle.) At that time, in the emptiness there was a subtle wind. The wind gradually grew fierce. Abiding beneath this realm, it verily was the wind circle. ("Fierce" means violent. "Verily" means indeed. The Treatise on the Establishment of the World Abhidharma says: After the world has been empty for twenty kalpas and is about to form, there arise the vairambha winds, blowing upon it to form the wind circle. It resides at the very bottom, nine hundred million sixty thousand yojanas thick and one billion two hundred thirty-four million five hundred yojanas wide.) Great clouds ascended into the sky and poured down rain like axle-trees, accumulating upon that wind circle and congealing to form the water circle. The very top of the water circle solidified into gold, like the skin that forms when milk rests; this is the golden circle. (Beneath the ground, one hundred million sixty thousand [yojanas] are formed of pure gold. The remaining eighty thousand above are a mixture of the seven realms, such as gold, silver, copper, and iron. The Abhidharmakośa-bhāṣya says: The water circle turns solid, as milk congeals when cooling.) Once the three circles were formed, rain flew from the sky and poured upon the golden circle, being both wide and deep. (The raindrops were like cart axles, ceasing neither day nor night, like a river pouring down for countless thousands of years. The water was two hundred million forty thousand yojanas deep, one billion two hundred thirty-four million five hundred yojanas wide, and thirty-six billion ten million three hundred fifty yojanas in circumference.) The wind struck this water, its purity and turbidity taking different substances, forming the Brahma worlds and the heavens dwelling in emptiness. (There is a wind named "grasping and holding" that blows to bring the world to completion. There is also a wind named "circling round" that rises to form the two continents of the east and west. Again, there is a wind named "pipa" that rises to form the southern continent. Again, there is a wind named "four directions and four corners" that rises to form the northern continent. First the Brahma world forms; due to past causes and conditions, the dwelling place of the Brahma King is as large as one set of four continents. At this time, the Brahma King was born here, and the Brahma sons were also born. The gods of the six heavens of the desire realm were like awakening from a dream, suddenly remembering past events. At that time, the gods gathered in groups, filled the expanse, and walked about, all saying: "In the past, this place had Mount Sumeru, the City of Beautiful Views, the Garden of Harsh Words, and so forth." Thus did they all remember.) It formed precious stones; it formed mountains and seas; it formed lands; it formed palaces; and the myriad things were intermingled. (If the wind forms a mountain in ascending succession, the mountain then has a peak. If the wind arises either straight or slanted, the mountain's form is either flat or towering upon the great earth. Mountain streams, flat and recessed, cliff caves, and perforations all result from the different forces of the wind. "Pin" means types; "cuo" means intermingled.) When the domains were first formed, gods who died in the upper realms were reborn below. Their bodies possessed flying light, their feet moved as if riding the clouds; they drank not, nor did they eat, and the span of their years was countless. (Some gods, having abandoned retribution in [the upper realms], took birth within this; furthermore, there were gods who, upon the end of their lifespan, were born in the four continents to receive human birth. At that time, these beings took joy and delight as their food, abiding in reliance upon joy and delight, with mind-made manifested bodies, abiding in natural radiance, peace, and bliss, flying about in mid-air. At this time, the sun and moon had not yet appeared in the world, the stars and constellations did not yet exist, day and night were not differentiated, and years and ages were not distinguished. There were no such things as male and female, father and mother, or surnames and names.) Down to when the taste of the earth was like maltose, the crust of the earth was extremely sweet, forest creepers spread fragrant scents, and rice grew luxuriantly. (At that time, the great ocean suddenly rose and suddenly fell, opening passages for rivers and springs. Where the water receded, there emerged earth-fat, extremely sweet and delicious in flavor, which grew to cover the ground, complete with delightful color, scent, touch, and taste, like refined honey. Furthermore, there was an earth crust, which all people ate. After the earth crust was exhausted, they next ate forest creepers. After the forest creepers were exhausted, there was naturally grown non-glutinous rice, overflowing with fragrance and flavor.) By eating these four, they brought disaster upon their bodies: their forms grew heavy and dense, their radiance vanished, and the sun, moon, and stars appeared from this time forth. (At that time, one person smelled the fragrance of this earth-fat and gave rise to a mind of desire and attachment. Pinching the great flavor with fingers, he smelled and tasted it, knowing its sweetness and excellence. The rest of the people followed his example. Indeed, because of the taste of the earth, their bodies gradually grew heavy and dense, unable to fly, and their bodily radiance was lost and vanished. Having lost their radiance, the world became dark, whereupon the sun and moon were born, and the stars appeared and became fixed.) Excreting defilements and channeling breath, the human way was established. ("Juan" means eliminating; it also means clarity: there were the matters of the greater and lesser impurities. Channeling breath refers to matters of defiled desire between male and female.) Resentment and miserliness having sprouted, love and desire arose, and fathers and sons came to be. ("Fen" is wrath; "lin" is stinginess and greed. Due to having love and stinginess, greed subsequently arose; being violated by others, wrath arose from this. Their complexions became ugly, their merit grew scant, and their spiritual powers were lost.) Rulers and ministers came to be; domains were demarcated and states divided, and the array of realms arose. Marking our borders and hamlets, trade and goods grew abundant; warding off wickedness and punishing crimes, penal laws were instituted. ("Xian" means preventing; "pi" means laws. These are all the foundations of establishing a state.) From this Jambudvīpa (this refers to a continent's land, named after the jambu tree) to a billion Jambudvīpas; from these four continents to a billion sets of four continents (the Eastern Pūrvavideha is superior in offerings; the Western Aparagodānīya uses cattle for trade; the Northern Uttarakuru has an upright and wholesome mind. These are the four continents of the world), extending to the Great Iron Ring Mountains ("Ju" means reaching; they are encircled by the Iron Ring Mountains), all were formed at the same time, constituting the realm of one Great Sage. (This great chiliocosm is together the domain of one Buddha's royal transformation.) As for when human lifespan gradually decreases, decreasing down to ten years, and having decreased, increases again, increasing up to eighty thousand years: at first, at twenty thousand years, there is an Iron-Wheel-Turning King; next, at forty thousand years, there is a Copper-Wheel-Turning King; next, at sixty thousand years, there is a Silver-Wheel-Turning King; and later, at eighty thousand years, there is a Golden-Wheel-Turning King. In this manner, they unify one Jambudvīpa, up to two, three, and four continents. (The Iron-Wheel King unifies one continent; the Copper, two continents; the Silver, three continents; and the Gold unifies four continents.) We are now in the ninth decrement of the Auspicious Kalpa. (In the Auspicious Kalpa, a thousand Buddhas appear; we are now in the ninth decreasing kalpa.) The remaining eleven kalpas may be known accordingly. At the end of one decrement: at thirty years famine arises; at twenty years, pestilence; at ten years, weapons and war arise. These are the small three calamities. (When it decreases to thirty years, there is the calamity of famine.)