法苑珠林 24.48

24.48

Furthermore, the Saṅghāṭa Sūtra states: At that time, the Bodhisattva Sarvaśūra addressed the Buddha, saying, “World-Honoured One, if there are sentient beings who hear this Dharma, how many kalpas will their lifespan be?” The Buddha said, “Their lifespan will be a full eighty kalpas.” Sarvaśūra addressed the Buddha, saying, “By what measure is a kalpa?” The Buddha said, “Suppose there is a great city twelve yojanas in length and breadth and three yojanas in height, completely filled with sesame seeds. If a long-lived person, after every hundred years, takes away one seed, in this way the sesame seeds in the city would be completely exhausted, yet the kalpa would still not be exhausted. Furthermore, suppose there is a great mountain twenty-five yojanas in length and breadth and twelve yojanas in height. If a long-lived person, after every hundred years, brushes it once with a light silk cloth, in this way the mountain would be exhausted, yet the kalpa would still not be exhausted. This is called the measure of a kalpa.” Then the Bodhisattva Sarvaśūra addressed the Buddha, saying, “World-Honoured One, even by making a single vow one attains such a mass of merit and a lifespan of eighty kalpas, how much more so for broadly cultivating all practices within the Buddha's Dharma!”