法苑珠林 20.8

20.8

又藥王藥上經云。釋迦牟尼佛告大眾言。我昔無數劫時。於妙光佛末法之中出家學道。聞五十三佛名。聞已合掌心生歡喜。復教他人令得聞持。他人聞已展轉相教。乃至三千人。此三千人異口同音稱諸佛名。一心敬禮。以是因緣功德力故。即得超越無數億劫生死之罪。其初千人者。始從華光佛為首下至毘舍佛。於莊嚴劫得成佛道。即過去千佛是也。此中千佛者。始從拘樓孫佛為首。下至樓至佛。於賢劫中次第成佛。後千佛者。始從日光佛為首。下至須彌相佛。於星宿劫中當得成佛。現在十方諸佛善德如來等。亦得聞是五十三佛名。故於十方世界各得成佛。若有善男子善女人及餘一切眾生。得聞是五十三佛名者。是人於百千萬億阿僧祇劫不墮惡道。復有人能聞是五十三佛名者。生生之處常得值遇十方諸佛。若復有人能至心敬禮五十三佛名者。除四重五逆及謗方等經。皆悉清淨。以是諸佛本誓願故。於念念中即得除滅如上諸罪（三千佛名在諸佛集劫經。名號種姓國土等在賢劫經。千佛中釋迦當第四成佛也）。

Furthermore, the Bhaiṣajyarāja-bhaiṣajyasamudgata-sūtra states: Śākyamuni Buddha addressed the great assembly, saying: “In the past, countless kalpas ago, during the semblance Dharma of the Buddha Prabhāsvaraprabha, I left household life to study the Way. I heard the names of fifty-three Buddhas; having heard them, I joined my palms and rejoiced in my heart. Furthermore, I taught others, enabling them to hear and uphold them; others, having heard them, taught one another in turn, up to three thousand people. These three thousand people, with different mouths but the same voice, proclaimed the names of the Buddhas and paid homage with single-minded reverence. Due to the power of these causal conditions and merit, they immediately transcended the sins of birth and death of countless billions of kalpas. The first thousand people, beginning with Prabhāketu Buddha as the foremost down to Vipaśyin Buddha, attained Buddhahood in the Vyūhakalpa; these are the thousand Buddhas of the past. The middle thousand people, beginning with Krakucchanda Buddha as the foremost down to Ruci Buddha, attain Buddhahood in succession during the Bhadrakalpa. The latter thousand people, beginning with Sūryaprabha Buddha as the foremost down to Sumeruketu Buddha, will attain Buddhahood during the Nakṣatrakalpa. The present Buddhas of the ten directions, such as the Tathāgata Guṇaprabha, also heard the names of these fifty-three Buddhas, and therefore each attained Buddhahood in the worlds of the ten directions. If there are good men, good women, or any other living beings who hear the names of these fifty-three Buddhas, such persons will not fall into evil destinies for hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of asaṃkhyeya kalpas. If there are further people who are able to hear the names of these fifty-three Buddhas, wherever they are born, they will constantly encounter the Buddhas of the ten directions. If there are further people who can pay reverent homage to the names of the fifty-three Buddhas with a sincere mind, except for the four grave offenses, the five heinous deeds, and slandering the Vaipulya sutras, all will be purified. Because of the original vows of these Buddhas, in thought after thought, the above sins will be eradicated.” (The names of the three thousand Buddhas are in the Zhufuji jie jing; their titles, clans, and buddha-lands are in the Bhadrakalpika-sūtra. Among the thousand Buddhas, Śākyamuni is the fourth to attain Buddhahood.)