English
English version According to this scripture, there are a thousand Buddhas in each of the three periods of time: past, present, and future. The ninth volume of the *Mahaprajnaparamita Sastra* states that there were three Buddhas in the past ninety kalpas, and a thousand Buddhas in the subsequent kalpa. In the very first kalpa of the ninety kalpas, there was Vipasyin Buddha (Vipasyin Buddha, one of the Seven Buddhas of Antiquity). In the thirtieth kalpa, there were two Buddhas, named Sikhin and Visvabhu respectively. At the beginning of the ninety-first kalpa, there were four Buddhas, named Krakucchanda (Krakucchanda, one of the Seven Buddhas of Antiquity), Kanakamuni (Kanakamuni, one of the Seven Buddhas of Antiquity), Kasyapa (Kasyapa, one of the Seven Buddhas of Antiquity), and Sakyamuni (Sakyamuni, the present Buddha). The *Bhadrakalpika Sutra* says that from Krakucchanda Buddha to the nine hundred and ninety-ninth Buddha, they jointly used the first half of the kalpa, and then Rucika Buddha (Rucika Buddha) alone used the second half of the kalpa. After Rucika Buddha passed away, another sixty-two kalpas passed in vain without a Buddha appearing. After this period, a Buddha appeared, named Pure Radiance King, with a lifespan of ten small kalpas. After this Buddha, another three thousand kalpas passed in vain without a Buddha appearing. According to this scripture and treatise, there should not be a thousand Buddhas in the past and future two kalpas, how to reconcile this contradiction? The explanation is that both the statements of existence and non-existence are true and not false. The reason for this is that depending on the faculties and perceptions of sentient beings, the existence or non-existence of Buddhas is uncertain, so saying existence and non-existence do not contradict each other. Question: What is the limit of the measure of the Bhadrakalpa? The Tathagata Rucika alone used half a kalpa, as a kind of continuity, so one lifespan is considered many, and the past is considered many lifespans. Explanation: In the *Vajra Power Scripture*, it is said that in the past there was a Chakravartin King, whose thousand sons made a vow to seek Buddhahood. The king wanted to test who would become a Buddha first, so he took a thousand counters, washed them with fragrant water, and let the thousand sons take the counters. The one who got the first counter would become a Buddha first. This continued until the nine hundred and ninety-ninth Buddha. The last son will become the one thousandth Buddha. The brothers ridiculed him, saying, 'We have already completed becoming Buddhas and transforming sentient beings, who can you transform after you become a Buddha?' Then this young man wept upon hearing these words. Later, he thought, 'The world is boundless, and sentient beings are endless. I now make a vow that when I become a Buddha in the future, my lifespan will be equal to that of my brothers, and the number of sentient beings I transform will also be the same.' Then the earth shook, and the Buddha prophesied for him. Because of this cause, he alone used half a kalpa. Because of his weeping, he is named the Weeping Buddha. Then the brothers vowed to become Vajra Gods to protect Rucika Buddha. Bhadrakalpa --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
经中亦同此说。依此经文。一寿之量。等诸兄等。言一寿者。数多为一。一本所垂一名出故。贤劫量者。相传说言。六十四劫为一大劫。名贤劫等。所以然者。火水风劫一周转讫。合六十四。以此为限也。 次第八三会增减者。然通论一化说法之会。有无数会。何得唯云而说三会。度尔许者准度前佛所遗弟子。通论诸佛度先所遗。此亦未必唯在三会。或一二会。度先所遗。或有四五乃至十会。然今释迦弥勒二佛。齐有三会度先弟子。但其所度有多小耳。如菩萨处胎经。佛语弥勒言。汝生快乐国。不如我累苦。汝说法甚易。我说法甚难。初说九十六亿。二说九十四亿。三说九十二亿。我初说十二。二说二十四。三说三十六。汝所说三人。是吾先所化。九十六亿人。受持五戒者。九十四亿人。受持三归者。九十二亿人。一称南无佛者。汝父梵摩净将八万四千。非我先所化。是汝所开度。乃至广说。案云。三会唯度小乘弟子。以皆证得阿罗汉果故。若论大乘根性之人。令得无生忍等果者。无非先佛之所化度。故无限于三四会等。于中委悉文处当说也。 次第九明发心久近者。佛本行经第一卷云。昔有如来。号曰善恩。弥勒菩萨。于彼佛所。最初发心。弥勒菩萨。在于我前。四十余劫。发菩提心。然后我发道心。 现代汉语译本： 经文中也同样这样说。依照这部经文，一寿的量，和诸位一样，说‘一寿’，是多数合为一个。一本所垂，一名出现的原因。贤劫的量，相传的说法是，六十四劫为一个大劫，名为贤劫等。之所以这样说，是因为火、水、风劫一周运转完毕，合起来是六十四，以此作为界限。 次第八三会增减，是说通常来说，一化说法的大会，有无数次。为什么只说三会呢？度化那么多人，是依照度化先前佛所遗留的弟子。通论诸佛度化先前所遗留的弟子，也未必只在三会。或者一两次会，度化先前遗留的弟子。或者有四五次乃至十次会。然而现在释迦牟尼佛（释迦，Sakyamuni，能仁寂默；牟尼，名称；佛，buddha，觉者）和弥勒佛（弥勒，Maitreya，慈氏）两位佛，都有三会度化先前的弟子，只是他们所度化的人数有多有少罢了。如《菩萨处胎经》所说，佛告诉弥勒说：‘你生在快乐国，不如我累积苦行。你说法很容易，我说法很困难。’最初说九十六亿人，第二次说九十四亿人，第三次说九十二亿人。我最初说十二人，第二次说二十四人，第三次说三十六人。你所说的三人，是我先前所度化。九十六亿人，受持五戒（五戒，pañca-śīlāni，不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫、不妄语、不饮酒）的人；九十四亿人，受持三归（三归，tri-śaraṇa，皈依佛、皈依法、皈依僧）的人；九十二亿人，一称‘南无佛（南无佛，Namo Buddhaya，皈依佛陀）’的人。你的父亲梵摩净（梵摩净，Brahmā-viśuddha，清净的梵天）将八万四千人带来，不是我先前所度化，而是你所开导度化的。’乃至广说。按道理说，三会只度化小乘（小乘，Hinayana，声闻乘）弟子，因为他们都证得了阿罗汉果（阿罗汉，Arhat，应供）。如果说大乘（大乘，Mahayana，菩萨乘）根性的人，令他们得到无生法忍（无生法忍，anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti，对诸法不生不灭的真理的证悟）等果位，没有不是先前佛所度化的，所以不限于三四次会等。其中的详细情况，在后面的经文中会说到。 其次第九，说明发心时间的长短。佛本行经第一卷说，过去有如来，名为善恩（善恩，Śubhakara，善的恩惠）。弥勒菩萨，在那位佛所，最初发心。弥勒菩萨，在我之前，四十多劫，发菩提心（菩提心，bodhicitta，觉悟之心），然后我才发道心。
English
English version: The sutras also say the same. According to this sutra, the measure of one lifespan is like that of you all. Saying 'one lifespan' means that many are combined into one. The reason why one name appears in one volume. The measure of the Bhadrakalpa (Bhadrakalpa, the Fortunate Aeon) is traditionally said to be sixty-four kalpas (kalpa, an aeon) as one great kalpa, called Bhadrakalpa and so on. The reason for this is that the fire, water, and wind kalpas complete one cycle, totaling sixty-four, which is used as the limit. The decreasing of the three assemblies in the eighth sequence refers to the fact that, generally speaking, there are countless assemblies in one transformation of Dharma teaching. Why only speak of three assemblies? The salvation of so many people is based on the salvation of the disciples left by the previous Buddhas. Generally speaking, the Buddhas save the disciples left by the previous Buddhas, but it is not necessarily limited to three assemblies. Or one or two assemblies save the disciples left behind. Or there may be four, five, or even ten assemblies. However, now both Sakyamuni Buddha (Sakyamuni, the able and silent one; Muni, name; Buddha, the awakened one) and Maitreya Buddha (Maitreya, the benevolent one) have three assemblies to save their former disciples, but the number of people they save varies. As stated in the 'Sutra on the Embryo of the Bodhisattva', the Buddha told Maitreya: 'You are born in a happy land, not like my accumulation of suffering practices. Your Dharma teaching is very easy, my Dharma teaching is very difficult.' Initially, you will speak to ninety-six billion people, the second time to ninety-four billion people, and the third time to ninety-two billion people. I initially spoke to twelve people, the second time to twenty-four people, and the third time to thirty-six people. The three people you speak of were previously transformed by me. Ninety-six billion people uphold the five precepts (pañca-śīlāni, not killing, not stealing, not committing adultery, not lying, not drinking); ninety-four billion people uphold the three refuges (tri-śaraṇa, refuge in the Buddha, refuge in the Dharma, refuge in the Sangha); ninety-two billion people utter 'Namo Buddhaya (Namo Buddhaya, Homage to the Buddha)' once. Your father, Brahma-visuddha (Brahmā-viśuddha, pure Brahma), brought eighty-four thousand people, who were not previously transformed by me, but were enlightened and saved by you.' And so on. According to reason, the three assemblies only save the Hinayana (Hinayana, the Vehicle of the Hearers) disciples, because they have all attained the Arhat fruit (Arhat, worthy one). If we talk about people with Mahayana (Mahayana, the Bodhisattva Vehicle) roots, who attain the fruit of non-origination forbearance (anutpattika-dharma-kṣānti, the realization of the truth that all dharmas neither arise nor cease), none of them were not previously transformed by the Buddhas, so it is not limited to three or four assemblies, etc. The details will be discussed in the following sutras. Secondly, the ninth point explains the length of time since the initial aspiration. The first volume of the 'Buddha's Fundamental Conduct Sutra' says that in the past there was a Tathagata (Tathagata, Thus Gone One) named Subhakara (Śubhakara, good grace). Maitreya Bodhisattva, at that Buddha's place, initially made the aspiration. Maitreya Bodhisattva, forty kalpas before me, made the aspiration for Bodhicitta (bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment), and then I made the aspiration for the Path. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
昔有佛名示海幢如来。我于彼佛国。作转轮王。名曰牢□。弓初发道心。智度论第二十四卷云。释迦牟尼佛。与弥勒等诸菩萨。同时发心。精进力故。超越九劫。案云。释迦弥勒各有众多。同时前后。皆无妨也。问论说释迦所超九劫。为是大劫。为是小劫。若是大劫。同劫成佛。何得言超。若是小劫。在前一劫。云何超九。若言释迦应在弥勒之后九劫成佛。而今同在一劫成道。所以得言超九劫者。云何而言同时发心。解云。此中所超。准是大劫所以然者。言超劫者。非就实行。但依获准。示其超耳。谓三僧祇已满之后。修相好业。应迳百劫。而于九十一劫。修满故。言超九也。论说第九十一劫中千佛出世故知其九亦是大劫。然此二菩萨同时所发。是不定心。若论决定发心之时。弥勒发心九劫已后。释迦乃发决定之心。故应在后九劫成道。而今超九。同在一劫。此论约彼最初发心。故言同时发心之耳。由是道理不相违背也。余处所说超十二劫。准此应知也。 次第十明证果前后者。如十住结结经云。弥勒菩萨方习菩萨行乎。莫造斯观。所以者何。慈氏积行恒沙数劫。先以誓愿成等正觉。吾方习行而在其后。案此而言。弥勒之本在先证果。然释迦证果经说不同。如因果经言。善慧菩萨。功行成满。位登十地。在一生 现代汉语译本： 过去有一尊佛，名为示海幢如来（过去佛名）。我在那位佛的国度里，做转轮王，名叫牢□（转轮王名）。我最初发起道心。《智度论》第二十四卷说，释迦牟尼佛（现世佛）与弥勒（未来佛）等诸菩萨，同时发心。因为精进力的缘故，超越了九劫。按照这个说法，释迦和弥勒各有众多，同时或前后，都没有妨碍。有人问：论中说的释迦所超越的九劫，是大劫还是小劫？如果是大劫，同在一劫成佛，怎么能说超越？如果是小劫，在前一劫，怎么能超越九劫？如果说释迦应该在弥勒之后九劫成佛，而现在同在一劫成道，所以说超越九劫，这是什么原因？解释说：这里所说的超越，按照推断是大劫。之所以这样说，是因为说超越劫数，不是就实际修行而言，只是依据获得准许，显示他的超越而已。意思是说，在三个阿僧祇劫已经圆满之后，修习相好之业，应该经过一百劫，而他在第九十一劫修满，所以说超越九劫。《论》中说第九十一劫中有千佛出世，所以知道这九劫也是大劫。然而这两位菩萨最初所发的是不定心。如果论决定发心的时候，弥勒发心九劫以后，释迦才发决定之心，所以应该在后九劫成道。而现在超越九劫，同在一劫。这部论是就他们最初发心而言，所以说同时发心而已。由于这个道理，并不互相违背。其他地方所说的超越十二劫，按照这个道理也应该知道。 次第说明证果的前后。如《十住经》、《结结经》说，弥勒菩萨才开始学习菩萨行吗？不要这样看。为什么呢？慈氏（弥勒的别称）积累修行恒河沙数劫，先以誓愿成就等正觉。我才开始修行，在他之后。按照这个说法，弥勒的根本在于先证果。然而释迦证果的经典说法不同。如《因果经》说，善慧菩萨（释迦牟尼佛的前身）功行成就圆满，位登十地，在一生