法苑珠林 20.8

20.8

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.)