The Medicinal Herbs, and Four Predictions
藥草喻品第五・授記品第六
A single rain falls on an entire mountain range, and every grass, herb, and tree drinks the same water — yet each grows only as large as its own roots allow. The Buddha offers this as his own image for how one teaching reaches beings of every capacity without becoming a different teaching for each. Four elder disciples, still uncertain despite everything said so far, ask for something more concrete than an image: a prediction with their own names in it. One by one, the Buddha gives it to them.
- This part covers
- The Buddha's praise of Mahākāśyapa's understanding, and the parable of a single rain falling on grasses, medicinal herbs, and trees of every size, each growing according to its own nature though nourished by the same water; the teaching that the Buddha's own Dharma is likewise "of one mark and one flavor"; a sevenfold classification, in verse, of how differently beings receive that one teaching, from ordinary humans and gods up through advanced bodhisattvas; and, in the chapter that follows, the Buddha's formal predictions of future buddhahood for Mahākāśyapa, Subhūti, Mahākātyāyana, and Mahāmaudgalyāyana, following the same anxious, personal request already voiced once by Śāriputra.
- Why it matters
- The medicinal herbs parable gives the sūtra's clearest image yet for how a single truth can produce different, unequal-looking outcomes without ceasing to be a single truth. The predictions that follow show that image is not only theoretical: understanding the one teaching, on this sūtra's own terms, is not complete until it is confirmed for a person by name.
1. The Buddha's Praise, and the Parable of the Rain
爾時世尊告摩訶迦葉及諸大弟子：「善哉，善哉！迦葉善說如來真實功德。誠如所言，如來復有無量無邊阿僧祇功德，汝等若於無量億劫說不能盡。迦葉！當知如來是諸法之王，若有所說皆不虛也。 於一切法，以智方便而演說之，其所說法，皆悉到於一切智地。如來觀知一切諸法之所歸趣，亦知一切眾生深心所行，通達無礙；又於諸法究盡明了，示諸眾生一切智慧。 「迦葉！譬如三千大千世界，山川谿谷土地所生卉木叢林及諸藥草，種類若干，名色各異。密雲彌布，遍覆三千大千世界，一時等澍，其澤普洽。卉木叢林及諸藥草，小根小莖、小枝小葉，中根中莖、中枝中葉，大根大莖、大枝大葉，諸樹大小，隨上中下各有所受。一雲所雨，稱其種性而得生長華菓敷實。雖一地所生，一雨所潤，而諸草木，各有差別。 「迦葉！當知如來亦復如是，出現於世，如大雲起，以大音聲普遍世界天、人、阿修羅，如彼大雲遍覆三千大千國土。於大眾中、而唱是言：『我是如來、應供、正遍知、明行足、善逝、世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊，未度者令度，未解者令解，未安者令安，未涅槃者令得涅槃，今世後世，如實知之。我是一切知者、一切見者、知道者、開道者、說道者，汝等天、人、阿修羅眾，皆應到此，為聽法故。』爾時無數千萬億種眾生，來至佛所而聽法。如來于時，觀是眾生諸根利鈍、精進懈怠，隨其所堪而為說法，種種無量，皆令歡喜，快得善利。是諸眾生聞是法已，現世安隱，後生善處，以道受樂，亦得聞法。既聞法已，離諸障礙，於諸法中，任力所能，漸得入道。如彼大雲，雨於一切卉木叢林及諸藥草，如其種性，具足蒙潤，各得生長。 「如來說法，一相一味——所謂：解脫相、離相、滅相，究竟至於一切種智。其有眾生聞如來法，若持讀誦，如說修行，所得功德，不自覺知。所以者何？唯有如來知此眾生種相體性，念何事、思何事、修何事，云何念、云何思、云何修，以何法念、以何法思、以何法修，以何法得何法。眾生住於種種之地，唯有如來如實見之，明了無礙。如彼卉木叢林諸藥草等，而不自知上中下性。如來知是一相一味之法——所謂：解脫相、離相、滅相——究竟涅槃常寂滅相，終歸於空。佛知是已，觀眾生心欲而將護之，是故不即為說一切種智。 「汝等，迦葉！甚為希有，能知如來隨宜說法，能信能受。所以者何？諸佛世尊隨宜說法，難解難知。」
At that time the World-Honored One said to Mahākāśyapa and the other great disciples: "Excellent, excellent! Kāśyapa has spoken well of the Tathāgata's true qualities. It is just as you have said — yet the Tathāgata has, besides, immeasurable, boundless, incalculable qualities more, which you could not exhaust even in immeasurable koṭis of kalpas of speaking. Kāśyapa! You should know that the Tathāgata is the king of all things, and whatever he teaches is never empty or false. Regarding all things, he expounds them by wisdom and skillful means, and whatever Dharma he teaches reaches, in every case, the ground of the wisdom of all modes. The Tathāgata observes and knows where all things ultimately lead, and also knows what lies deep in the minds of all beings and how they act, penetrating this without obstruction; and, having thoroughly and clearly understood all things, he shows beings the wisdom of all modes. "Kāśyapa! Suppose that, throughout a great trichiliocosm, among its mountains, rivers, valleys, and the soil itself, there grew grasses, trees, thickets, forests, and every kind of medicinal herb, of every species and every distinct name and form. A dense cloud spread out, covering the entire trichiliocosm, and let fall its rain all at once and equally, its moisture reaching everywhere alike. The grasses, trees, thickets, forests, and every medicinal herb — those with small roots, small stems, small branches, and small leaves; those with medium roots, medium stems, medium branches, and medium leaves; those with large roots, large stems, large branches, and large leaves; every tree, large or small — each received its share according to whether it was of the upper, middle, or lower kind. From the rain of that single cloud, each grew according to its own nature, putting forth flowers and bearing fruit. Though all grew from the one same earth and were moistened by the one same rain, each plant and tree was, nonetheless, different from every other. "Kāśyapa! You should know that the Tathāgata is likewise so. He appears in the world like a great cloud rising, and with a great voice reaching every corner of the world — its gods, humans, and asuras — as that great cloud covers the whole trichiliocosm entirely. In the midst of the great assembly he proclaims: 'I am the Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Fully Awakened, Complete in Understanding and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Being, Tamer of Those to be Tamed, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. I cause those not yet delivered to be delivered, those not yet understanding to understand, those not yet at peace to find peace, those not yet at nirvāṇa to attain nirvāṇa; I know truly both this present world and the world to come. I am one who knows all, sees all, knows the path, opens the path, and teaches the path. You gods, humans, and asuras should all come here, to listen to the Dharma.' At that time countless thousands of myriads of koṭis of kinds of beings came to where the Buddha was, to listen to the Dharma. The Tathāgata then observed these beings' faculties, sharp or dull, diligent or lax, and taught the Dharma according to what each could bear, in every kind of way and measure, causing every one of them to rejoice and swiftly attain good benefit. These beings, having heard this Dharma, found peace in the present life, and, in lives to come, were born in good places, receiving happiness through the path, and were able to hear the Dharma again. Having heard the Dharma, they were freed from every obstruction, and, according to whatever strength they had within each teaching, gradually came to enter the path. It was just like that great cloud, raining upon every grass, tree, thicket, forest, and medicinal herb — each, according to its own nature, fully receiving the moisture, and each growing accordingly. "The Dharma the Tathāgata teaches is of one mark and one flavor — namely, the mark of liberation, the mark of detachment, the mark of cessation — reaching, in the end, to the wisdom of all modes. Whatever beings hear the Tathāgata's Dharma, and uphold, read, and recite it, and practice as it teaches, the merit they attain by this they do not themselves perceive. Why is this so? Only the Tathāgata knows these beings' every kind of nature, mark, and embodiment — what they are thinking of, what they are reflecting on, what they are cultivating; how they think, how they reflect, how they cultivate; by what Dharma they think, by what Dharma they reflect, by what Dharma they cultivate; by what Dharma they attain what Dharma. Beings dwell in every kind of stage, and only the Tathāgata sees this exactly as it is, clearly and without obstruction — just as the grasses, trees, thickets, forests, and medicinal herbs do not themselves know whether their own nature is of the upper, middle, or lower kind. The Tathāgata knows that this Dharma is of one mark and one flavor — namely, the mark of liberation, the mark of detachment, the mark of cessation — the mark of the eternal, quiescent cessation that is the ultimate nirvāṇa, returning in the end to emptiness. The Buddha, knowing this, considers the desires in beings' minds and protects them accordingly, and for this reason does not teach the wisdom of all modes to them all at once. "You, Kāśyapa, are exceedingly rare, in being able to understand that the Tathāgata teaches the Dharma according to what is fitting, and in being able to believe and accept it. Why is this so? Because the buddhas, the world-honored ones, teach the Dharma according to what is fitting, and it is hard to understand and hard to know."
Zhiyi asks why this chapter's central image is specifically a medicinal herb, rather than simply a plant or a tree. An ordinary plant only grows; a medicinal herb, once it has grown, does something further — it removes illness, restores what has been depleted, and can even, in the traditional pharmacology this image draws on, transform the one who takes it. He reads this as the more exact parallel for what happens to the four elders across this stretch of the sūtra: they do not merely receive the rain and grow taller, as the burning-house parable's rescued children did in a single scene. Nourished slowly, they become able themselves to relieve others' suffering — the very disciples who confessed years of quiet self-satisfaction in the previous chapter are, in this one, already turning to face outward again.
The phrase "one mark and one flavor" (一相一味) is worth holding onto precisely, since the rest of this chapter's verse builds directly on it. Zhiyi glosses "one mark" as the single ground all the plants grow from — corresponding, he says, to the single true nature shared equally by every being's mind, regardless of what grows from it. He glosses "one flavor" as the single rain — the one vehicle's single teaching, which discloses that same one nature however differently it is received. The image he offers to hold both halves together: a single, undifferentiated patch of earth is nonetheless what allows peach trees and plum trees, entirely different from each other, to grow from it; and though the peach and the plum differ from each other in every visible way, both share the same one solid, real nature underneath. Knowing that the ground contains this capacity for difference is, on his reading, already understanding that the real contains the provisional; knowing that peach and plum share one same underlying nature is already understanding that the provisional contains the real.
2. The Parable Retold in Verse
爾時世尊欲重宣此義，而說偈言： 「破有法王， 出現世間， 隨眾生欲， 種種說法。 如來尊重， 智慧深遠， 久默斯要， 不務速說。 有智若聞， 則能信解； 無智疑悔， 則為永失。 是故迦葉！ 隨力為說， 以種種緣， 令得正見。 迦葉當知！ 譬如大雲， 起於世間， 遍覆一切； 慧雲含潤， 電光晃曜， 雷聲遠震， 令眾悅豫。 日光掩蔽， 地上清涼， 靉靆垂布、 如可承攬。 其雨普等， 四方俱下， 流澍無量， 率土充洽。 山川險谷、 幽邃所生， 卉木藥草， 大小諸樹， 百穀苗稼， 甘蔗蒲萄， 雨之所潤， 無不豐足， 乾地普洽， 藥木竝茂。 其雲所出， 一味之水， 草木叢林， 隨分受潤。 一切諸樹， 上中下等， 稱其大小， 各得生長， 根莖枝葉， 華菓光色， 一雨所及， 皆得鮮澤。 如其體相， 性分大小， 所潤是一， 而各滋茂。 佛亦如是， 出現於世， 譬如大雲， 普覆一切。 既出于世， 為諸眾生， 分別演說， 諸法之實。 大聖世尊， 於諸天人、 一切眾中， 而宣是言： 『我為如來， 兩足之尊， 出于世間， 猶如大雲， 充潤一切。 枯槁眾生， 皆令離苦， 得安隱樂—— 世間之樂， 及涅槃樂。 諸天人眾， 一心善聽， 皆應到此， 覲無上尊。』 我為世尊， 無能及者， 安隱眾生， 故現於世。 為大眾說， 甘露淨法， 其法一味， 解脫涅槃。 以一妙音、 演暢斯義， 常為大乘， 而作因緣。 我觀一切， 普皆平等， 無有彼此， 愛憎之心。 我無貪著， 亦無限礙， 恒為一切， 平等說法。 如為一人， 眾多亦然， 常演說法， 曾無他事。 去來坐立， 終不疲厭， 充足世間， 如雨普潤。 貴賤上下， 持戒毀戒， 威儀具足， 及不具足， 正見邪見， 利根鈍根， 等雨法雨， 而無懈倦。 一切眾生， 聞我法者， 隨力所受， 住於諸地。 或處人天， 轉輪聖王， 釋梵諸王， 是小藥草。 知無漏法， 能得涅槃， 起六神通， 及得三明， 獨處山林， 常行禪定， 得緣覺證， 是中藥草。 求世尊處， 我當作佛， 行精進定， 是上藥草。 又諸佛子， 專心佛道， 常行慈悲， 自知作佛， 決定無疑， 是名小樹。 安住神通， 轉不退輪， 度無量億、 百千眾生， 如是菩薩， 名為大樹。 佛平等說， 如一味雨； 隨眾生性， 所受不同， 如彼草木， 所稟各異。 佛以此喻， 方便開示， 種種言辭， 演說一法， 於佛智慧， 如海一渧。 我雨法雨， 充滿世間， 一味之法， 隨力修行。 如彼叢林， 藥草諸樹， 隨其大小， 漸增茂好。 諸佛之法， 常以一味， 令諸世間， 普得具足， 漸次修行， 皆得道果。 聲聞緣覺， 處於山林， 住最後身， 聞法得果， 是名藥草， 各得增長。 若諸菩薩， 智慧堅固， 了達三界， 求最上乘， 是名小樹， 而得增長。 復有住禪， 得神通力， 聞諸法空， 心大歡喜， 放無數光， 度諸眾生， 是名大樹， 而得增長。 如是迦葉！ 佛所說法， 譬如大雲， 以一味雨， 潤於人華， 各得成實。 迦葉當知！ 以諸因緣、 種種譬喻， 開示佛道， 是我方便， 諸佛亦然。 今為汝等， 說最實事： 『諸聲聞眾， 皆非滅度。 汝等所行， 是菩薩道， 漸漸修學， 悉當成佛。』」
At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this same meaning once more, spoke in verse: "The king of the Dharma who breaks through existence appears in the world, and, according to what beings desire, teaches the Dharma in every kind of way. The Tathāgata, honored and revered, his wisdom profound and far-reaching, has long kept this essential truth in silence, and has not been quick to speak it. If those with wisdom hear it, they are able to believe and understand; those without wisdom, falling into doubt and regret, lose it forever. For this reason, Kāśyapa, I teach according to each one's own strength, through every kind of cause, so that right view may be attained. Kāśyapa, you should know: it is like a great cloud, rising over the world, covering everything; a cloud of wisdom, holding its moisture, its lightning flashing bright, its thunder resounding far, bringing delight to every being. The sun's light is veiled, and the earth grows cool; the clouds hang thick and heavy, as though one could reach out and gather them. Its rain falls equally, on every side at once, an immeasurable stream, drenching the whole land. Whatever grows in the mountains, rivers, steep valleys, and hidden depths — grasses, trees, medicinal herbs, trees great and small, the sprouting grain of every crop, sugarcane and grapevines — moistened by this rain, none fails to flourish; the parched earth is everywhere soaked, and every herb and tree grows lush together. From that single cloud comes water of a single flavor, and the grasses, trees, thickets, and forests each receive their moisture according to their own portion. Every tree, of the upper, middle, and lower kind alike, grows according to its own size, and its roots, stems, branches, and leaves, its flowers, fruit, and luster, wherever the one rain reaches, all grow fresh and glistening. According to their own form and nature, whether their portion is large or small, the moisture they receive is one and the same, and yet each grows and flourishes in its own way. The Buddha is likewise so: he appears in the world like a great cloud, covering everything alike. Having appeared in the world, he distinguishes and expounds, for the sake of all beings, the true reality of all things. The great sage, the World-Honored One, in the midst of every assembly of gods and humans, proclaims: 'I am the Tathāgata, honored among the two-footed; I appear in the world like a great cloud, filling and moistening everything alike. Beings withered and parched I cause, every one, to leave suffering behind, and to attain peace and happiness — the happiness of this world, and the happiness of nirvāṇa. All you gods and humans, listen well with one mind; you should all come here, and behold the unsurpassed one.' I am the World-Honored One, whom none can equal; to bring peace to beings, I appear in the world. For the great assembly I teach the pure Dharma of sweet dew; this Dharma is of one flavor — liberation, nirvāṇa. With a single wondrous voice, I expound this same meaning, always making it the cause and condition for the Great Vehicle. I regard all beings alike, everywhere equal, with no mind that favors one over another, no love or hatred between them. I have no greed or attachment, and no limit or obstruction; I constantly teach the Dharma equally to all. As I would teach a single person, so I teach the multitude as well, constantly expounding the Dharma, with no other concern at all. Going, coming, sitting, standing, I am never wearied or reluctant, satisfying the whole world, like rain that moistens everything equally. Noble or lowly, high or low, keeping the precepts or breaking them, complete in proper conduct or lacking it, of right view or wrong view, of sharp faculties or dull — on all alike I rain the rain of the Dharma equally, without ever growing weary. Of all beings who hear my Dharma, each receives it according to his own strength, and dwells at his own stage. Some remain among humans and gods, as wheel-turning sage kings, or as Śakra, Brahmā, and the other heavenly kings — these are the small medicinal herbs. Some know the undefiled Dharma, and are able to attain nirvāṇa, giving rise to the six spiritual powers and the three insights, dwelling alone in the mountain forests, constantly practicing meditative concentration, and attaining the realization of a pratyekabuddha — these are the medium medicinal herbs. Some seek the World-Honored One's own place, thinking, 'I too shall become a buddha,' and practice diligence and concentration — these are the highest medicinal herbs. And there are children of the Buddha, single-minded in the buddha-path, constantly practicing loving-kindness and compassion, who know for themselves, with certainty and without doubt, that they shall become buddhas — these are called the small trees. And there are those who abide firmly in spiritual powers, turning the wheel that never turns back, delivering across immeasurable koṭis of hundreds of thousands of beings — bodhisattvas such as these are called the great trees. The Buddha teaches equally, like a rain of one flavor; yet, according to each being's own nature, what is received differs, just as the grasses and trees each take in what they are given differently. The Buddha, by this parable, opens and reveals, through every kind of word, one single Dharma — though, measured against the Buddha's own wisdom, it is but a single drop from the ocean. I rain the rain of the Dharma, filling the whole world; this Dharma of one flavor, each practices according to his own strength — just as the thickets, medicinal herbs, and trees, each according to its own size, gradually grow more lush and fine. The Dharma of the buddhas is always of this one flavor, causing the whole world to be fully satisfied by it, and, practicing it by degrees, all attain the fruit of the path. The śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, dwelling in the mountain forests, in their final body, hear the Dharma and attain its fruit — these are called the medicinal herbs, each growing accordingly. Those bodhisattvas whose wisdom is firm, who have penetrated the three realms and seek the highest vehicle — these are called the small trees, and they too grow accordingly. And there are those who dwell in meditative concentration, attaining the power of spiritual penetration, who, hearing that all things are empty, rejoice greatly in their hearts, and send forth countless rays of light, delivering beings across — these are called the great trees, and they too grow accordingly. Thus, Kāśyapa! The Dharma the Buddha teaches is like a great cloud, whose rain of one flavor moistens the flowers of humankind, each coming to bear its own fruit. Kāśyapa, you should know: opening and revealing the buddha-path through every kind of cause and condition and every kind of parable is my own skillful means, and every buddha does likewise. Now, for your sake, I speak the most true and real matter of all: 'None of you śrāvakas has truly reached extinction. What you have been practicing is the bodhisattva path, and, gradually cultivating and learning it, you shall all become buddhas.'"
The verse names seven categories — three grades of medicinal herb, then a small tree, then a large tree — spanning from ordinary humans and gods who have not yet sought liberation at all, up through advanced bodhisattvas with great spiritual powers. It is worth being clear about what the classification is not doing: nothing in the passage suggests these categories are fixed identities. The whole point of the rain image, restated here in the closing lines, is that "none of you śrāvakas has truly reached extinction" and "you shall all become buddhas" — the sevenfold scheme describes where a plant stands right now in its growth, not a ceiling on how tall it can eventually become. Read against the "one mark, one flavor" teaching from the previous section, the diversity of outcomes the parable takes such care to enumerate is itself the evidence for, not an exception to, the claim that a single rain is falling on all of them.
3. Kāśyapa's Prediction
爾時世尊說是偈已，告諸大眾，唱如是言：「我此弟子摩訶迦葉，於未來世，當得奉覲三百萬億諸佛世尊，供養恭敬，尊重讚歎，廣宣諸佛無量大法。於最後身，得成為佛，名曰光明如來、應供、正遍知、明行足、善逝、世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊。國名光德，劫名大莊嚴。佛壽十二小劫，正法住世二十小劫，像法亦住二十小劫。國界嚴飾，無諸穢惡、瓦礫荊棘、便利不淨。其土平正，無有高下、坑坎堆阜。琉璃為地，寶樹行列，黃金為繩，以界道側，散諸寶華，周遍清淨。其國菩薩無量千億，諸聲聞眾亦復無數，無有魔事，雖有魔及魔民，皆護佛法。」 爾時世尊欲重宣此義，而說偈言： 「告諸比丘： 『我以佛眼， 見是迦葉， 於未來世， 過無數劫， 當得作佛。 而於來世， 供養奉覲， 三百萬億， 諸佛世尊。 為佛智慧， 淨修梵行。 供養最上， 二足尊已， 修習一切， 無上之慧。 於最後身， 得成為佛。 其土清淨， 琉璃為地， 多諸寶樹， 行列道側， 金繩界道， 見者歡喜。 常出好香， 散眾名華， 種種奇妙， 以為莊嚴。 其地平正， 無有丘坑。 諸菩薩眾， 不可稱計， 其心調柔， 逮大神通， 奉持諸佛， 大乘經典。 諸聲聞眾， 無漏後身， 法王之子， 亦不可計， 乃以天眼， 不能數知。 其佛當壽， 十二小劫； 正法住世， 二十小劫； 像法亦住， 二十小劫。 光明世尊， 其事如是。』」
At that time the World-Honored One, having spoken this verse, addressed the great assembly, declaring: "This disciple of mine, Mahākāśyapa, in a future age, shall come to attend upon three hundred myriad koṭis of buddhas, the world-honored ones, making offerings to them, honoring, revering, and praising them, and broadly proclaiming the buddhas' immeasurable great Dharma. In his final body, he shall attain buddhahood, named Light Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Fully Awakened, Complete in Understanding and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Being, Tamer of Those to be Tamed, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. His land will be named Radiant Virtue, and the kalpa will be named Great Adornment. That buddha's lifespan will be twelve small kalpas; the true Dharma will remain in the world for twenty small kalpas, and the counterfeit Dharma will remain for twenty small kalpas as well. The realm will be adorned and pure, without any filth, rubble, thorns, or unclean waste. Its ground will be level and smooth, without high or low places, pits or mounds. Its ground will be of lapis lazuli, with rows of jeweled trees, bordered by cords of gold along the roadsides, scattered with every kind of jeweled flower, pure throughout. Its bodhisattvas will be immeasurable thousands of koṭis in number, and its śrāvakas likewise beyond counting; there will be no work of Māra there, and though Māra and his host will be present, they will all protect the Buddha's Dharma." At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this same meaning once more, spoke in verse: "I tell you monks: with my buddha-eye I see that this Kāśyapa, in a future age, after countless kalpas, shall attain buddhahood. In an age to come, he shall make offerings to and attend upon three hundred myriad koṭis of buddhas, the world-honored ones, and, for the sake of the Buddha's wisdom, purely cultivate pure conduct. Having made offerings to the supreme, most honored among the two-footed, and cultivated every unsurpassed wisdom, in his final body he shall attain buddhahood. His land will be pure, its ground of lapis lazuli, with many jeweled trees in rows along its roads, bordered by cords of gold — a sight to bring joy to any who see it. Fine fragrances will constantly arise there, and every kind of rare and wondrous flower will be scattered about as adornment. Its ground will be level and smooth, without hill or pit. Its bodhisattvas will be beyond counting, their minds gentle and pliant, attaining great spiritual powers, upholding the great sūtras of every buddha. Its śrāvakas, undefiled in their final body, children of the Dharma-king, will likewise be beyond counting — even with the heavenly eye, their number could not be known. That buddha's lifespan shall be twelve small kalpas; the true Dharma shall remain in the world for twenty small kalpas, and the counterfeit Dharma shall remain for twenty small kalpas as well. Such shall be the story of the World-Honored One Light."
Kāśyapa's prediction follows the same formula Part 4 established for Śāriputra — a future name, a land, a kalpa, a lifespan, and a duration for the true and counterfeit Dharma afterward — and the chapters ahead will repeat this same formula for one disciple after another. Rather than treating each repetition as requiring fresh explanation, this site's commentary will note only what changes meaningfully from one prediction to the next; the underlying claim, that a specific, named future awaits a specific, named disciple, is the same claim each time, and its force lies less in any single detail than in how many times, for how many different people, the sūtra is willing to make it concrete.
4. Three Disciples' Anxious Plea
爾時大目犍連、須菩提、摩訶迦栴延等，皆悉悚慄，一心合掌，瞻仰尊顏，目不暫捨，即共同聲而說偈言： 「大雄猛世尊， 諸釋之法王， 哀愍我等故， 而賜佛音聲。 若知我深心， 見為授記者， 如以甘露灑， 除熱得清涼。 如從饑國來， 忽遇大王饍， 心猶懷疑懼， 未敢即便食； 若復得王教， 然後乃敢食。 我等亦如是， 每惟小乘過， 不知當云何， 得佛無上慧。 雖聞佛音聲， 言我等作佛， 心尚懷憂懼， 如未敢便食； 若蒙佛授記， 爾乃快安樂。 大雄猛世尊， 常欲安世間， 願賜我等記， 如飢須教食。」
At that time Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Subhūti, and Mahākātyāyana, every one of them trembling with awe, joined their palms with one mind, and, gazing up at the Buddha's honored countenance without turning their eyes away, spoke together with one voice in verse: "Great, valiant World-Honored One, Dharma-king of the Śākyas, out of pity for us, grant us too the sound of the Buddha's voice. If you know our deepest minds, and see fit to bestow a prediction on us, it would be like sprinkling sweet dew, removing our fever and bringing us cool relief. It is like one who, coming from a famine-stricken land, suddenly encounters a great king's own feast, yet still, his heart full of doubt and fear, dares not eat at once — only after receiving the king's own command does he finally dare to eat. We too are just the same: constantly aware of the fault of the lesser vehicle, we do not know how we might attain the Buddha's own unsurpassed wisdom. Though we have heard the Buddha's voice say that we shall become buddhas, our hearts still hold care and fear, as though we dare not yet eat; only if we receive the Buddha's own prediction will we then find true peace and ease. Great, valiant World-Honored One, who ever wishes to bring peace to the world — we beg you, grant us too this prediction, as one starving needs to be told to eat."
The simile these three disciples reach for is worth pausing on, since it names something the sūtra has not stated so plainly before: a general assurance, however sincerely meant, is not the same as a personal one. A starving traveler set before a king's own feast does not eat merely because food is present and he is hungry — he waits, the verse says, for the king's own explicit word, even though the food was already there for the taking. Mahākāśyapa has just received exactly the individual word these three are asking for; what they are describing is the specific gap between believing, in general, that "we shall become buddhas," and hearing one's own name attached to that promise. The chapter does not treat this gap as a failure of faith. It simply grants the request, three times over, in the section that follows.
5. Three More Predictions: Subhūti, Kātyāyana, and Maudgalyāyana
爾時世尊知諸大弟子心之所念，告諸比丘：「是須菩提，於當來世，奉覲三百萬億那由他佛，供養恭敬，尊重讚歎，常修梵行，具菩薩道。於最後身、得成為佛，號曰名相如來、應供、正遍知、明行足、善逝、世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊。劫名有寶。國名寶生。其土平正，頗梨為地，寶樹莊嚴，無諸丘坑、沙礫、荊棘、便利之穢，寶華覆地，周遍清淨。其土人民，皆處寶臺、珍妙樓閣。聲聞弟子，無量無邊，算數譬喻所不能知。諸菩薩眾，無數千萬億那由他。佛壽十二小劫，正法住世二十小劫，像法亦住二十小劫。其佛常處虛空為眾說法，度脫無量菩薩及聲聞眾。」爾時世尊欲重宣此義，而說偈言： 「諸比丘眾， 今告汝等， 皆當一心， 聽我所說： 我大弟子， 須菩提者， 當得作佛， 號曰名相。 當供無數， 萬億諸佛， 隨佛所行， 漸具大道。 最後身得， 三十二相， 端正姝妙， 猶如寶山。 其佛國土， 嚴淨第一， 眾生見者， 無不愛樂， 佛於其中， 度無量眾。 其佛法中， 多諸菩薩， 皆悉利根， 轉不退輪， 彼國常以， 菩薩莊嚴。 諸聲聞眾， 不可稱數， 皆得三明， 具六神通， 住八解脫， 有大威德。 其佛說法， 現於無量， 神通變化， 不可思議。 諸天人民， 數如恒沙， 皆共合掌， 聽受佛語。 其佛當壽， 十二小劫， 正法住世， 二十小劫， 像法亦住， 二十小劫。」 爾時世尊復告諸比丘眾：「我今語汝，是大迦旃延，於當來世，以諸供具，供養奉事八千億佛，恭敬尊重。諸佛滅後，各起塔廟，高千由旬，縱廣正等五百由旬，皆以金、銀、琉璃、車璩，馬瑙、真珠、玫瑰七寶合成，眾華、瓔珞、塗香、末香、燒香、繒蓋、幢幡，供養塔廟。過是已後，當復供養二萬億佛，亦復如是。供養是諸佛已，具菩薩道，當得作佛。號曰閻浮那提金光如來、應供、正遍知、明行足、善逝、世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊。其土平正，頗梨為地，寶樹莊嚴，黃金為繩以界道側，妙華覆地，周遍清淨，見者歡喜。無四惡道——地獄、餓鬼、畜生、阿修羅道，多有天、人、諸聲聞眾及諸菩薩，無量萬億莊嚴其國。佛壽十二小劫，正法住世二十小劫，像法亦住二十小劫。」爾時世尊欲重宣此義，而說偈言： 「諸比丘眾、 皆一心聽， 如我所說， 真實無異。 是迦栴延， 當以種種， 妙好供具， 供養諸佛。 諸佛滅後， 起七寶塔， 亦以華香， 供養舍利。 其最後身， 得佛智慧， 成等正覺。 國土清淨， 度脫無量， 萬億眾生， 皆為十方， 之所供養。 佛之光明， 無能勝者。 其佛號曰， 閻浮金光。 菩薩聲聞， 斷一切有， 無量無數， 莊嚴其國。」 爾時世尊復告大眾：「我今語汝，是大目犍連，當以種種供具供養八千諸佛，恭敬尊重。諸佛滅後，各起塔廟，高千由旬，縱廣正等五百由旬，皆以金、銀、琉璃、車璩、馬瑙、真珠、玫瑰、七寶合成，眾華、瓔珞、塗香、末香、燒香、繒蓋、幢幡，以用供養。過是已後，當復供養二百萬億諸佛，亦復如是。當得成佛，號曰多摩羅跋栴檀香如來、應供、正遍知、明行足、善逝、世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛、世尊。劫名喜滿，國名意樂。其土平正，頗梨為地，寶樹莊嚴，散真珠華，周遍清淨，見者歡喜。多諸天、人、菩薩、聲聞，其數無量。佛壽二十四小劫，正法住世四十小劫，像法亦住四十小劫。」爾時世尊欲重宣此義，而說偈言： 「我此弟子、 大目犍連， 捨是身已， 得見八千， 二百萬億， 諸佛世尊。 為佛道故， 供養恭敬， 於諸佛所， 常修梵行， 於無量劫， 奉持佛法。 諸佛滅後， 起七寶塔， 長表金剎， 華香伎樂， 而以供養， 諸佛塔廟。 漸漸具足， 菩薩道已， 於意樂國， 而得作佛。 號多摩羅， 栴檀之香。 其佛壽命， 二十四劫， 常為天人， 演說佛道。 聲聞無量， 如恒河沙， 三明六通， 有大威德。 菩薩無數， 志固精進， 於佛智慧， 皆不退轉。 佛滅度後， 正法當住， 四十小劫， 像法亦爾。 我諸弟子， 威德具足， 其數五百， 皆當授記。 於未來世、 咸得成佛。 我及汝等， 宿世因緣， 吾今當說， 汝等善聽。」
At that time the World-Honored One, knowing what was in the minds of these great disciples, said to the monks: "This Subhūti, in an age to come, shall attend upon three hundred myriad koṭis of nayutas of buddhas, making offerings to them, honoring, revering, and praising them, constantly cultivating pure conduct, and being complete in the bodhisattva path. In his final body, he shall attain buddhahood, named Name-and-Form Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Fully Awakened, Complete in Understanding and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Being, Tamer of Those to be Tamed, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. The kalpa will be named Possessing Treasure, and the land will be named Treasure-Born. Its ground will be level and smooth, of crystal, adorned with jeweled trees, without hills, pits, sand, gravel, thorns, or unclean waste; jeweled flowers will cover the ground, pure throughout. The people of that land will all dwell in jeweled towers and marvelous, precious pavilions. Its śrāvaka disciples will be immeasurable and boundless, beyond the reach of any count or comparison; its bodhisattvas will number countless thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas. That buddha's lifespan shall be twelve small kalpas; the true Dharma shall remain in the world for twenty small kalpas, and the counterfeit Dharma for twenty small kalpas as well. That buddha will constantly dwell in the sky, teaching the Dharma for the assembly, delivering across immeasurable bodhisattvas and śrāvakas." At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this same meaning once more, spoke in verse: "You monks, I tell you now, listen with one mind to what I say: my great disciple Subhūti shall attain buddhahood, named Name-and-Form. He shall make offerings to countless myriad koṭis of buddhas, and, following what those buddhas practiced, gradually become complete in the great path. In his final body he shall attain the thirty-two marks, upright and handsome, like a mountain of jewels. That buddha's land will be adorned and pure beyond all others; beings who see it will, without exception, love and delight in it, and the buddha there will deliver immeasurable beings across. In that buddha's Dharma there will be many bodhisattvas, every one of sharp faculties, turning the wheel that never turns back, and that land will be constantly adorned by them. Its śrāvakas will be beyond number, every one attaining the three insights, complete with the six spiritual powers, abiding in the eight liberations, of great majesty and virtue. That buddha's teaching of the Dharma will manifest immeasurable, inconceivable spiritual powers and transformations. Gods and humans, their number like the sands of the Ganges, will all join their palms together, listening to and receiving the Buddha's words. That buddha's lifespan shall be twelve small kalpas; the true Dharma shall remain in the world for twenty small kalpas, and the counterfeit Dharma for twenty small kalpas as well." At that time the World-Honored One said further to the monks: "I tell you now: this Mahākātyāyana, in an age to come, shall make offerings and render service, with every kind of offering, to eight thousand koṭis of buddhas, honoring and revering them. After each buddha's parinirvāṇa, he shall raise a stūpa and shrine, a thousand yojanas high and five hundred yojanas square, made entirely of the seven treasures — gold, silver, lapis lazuli, giant clam-shell, carnelian, pearl, and rose quartz — and make offerings to those stūpas and shrines with flowers, garlands, perfumed ointments, powdered incense, burning incense, silken canopies, and banners. After this, he shall make offerings likewise to twenty thousand koṭis of buddhas more. Having made these offerings, and being complete in the bodhisattva path, he shall attain buddhahood, named Jambūnada Gold Light Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Fully Awakened, Complete in Understanding and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Being, Tamer of Those to be Tamed, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. His land will be level and smooth, of crystal, adorned with jeweled trees, bordered by cords of gold along the roadsides, its ground covered with wondrous flowers, pure throughout — a sight to bring joy to any who see it. There will be none of the four evil destinies — the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and asuras; there will be many gods, humans, śrāvakas, and bodhisattvas, immeasurable myriads of koṭis of them, adorning that land. That buddha's lifespan shall be twelve small kalpas; the true Dharma shall remain in the world for twenty small kalpas, and the counterfeit Dharma for twenty small kalpas as well." At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this same meaning once more, spoke in verse: "You monks, listen with one mind: what I say is true, and no different from what shall be. This Kātyāyana shall make offerings to the buddhas with every kind of fine and wondrous offering. After each buddha's parinirvāṇa, he shall raise stūpas of the seven treasures, and make offerings to their relics with flowers and incense as well. In his final body he shall attain the Buddha's own wisdom, and accomplish perfect and complete awakening. His land will be pure, and he shall deliver across immeasurable myriads of koṭis of beings, who shall be honored with offerings from all the ten directions. That buddha's radiance none shall surpass; that buddha shall be named Jambūnada Gold Light. Bodhisattvas and śrāvakas, having cut off every trace of existence, immeasurable and countless, shall adorn his land." At that time the World-Honored One said further to the great assembly: "I tell you now: this Mahāmaudgalyāyana shall make offerings, with every kind of offering, to eight thousand buddhas, honoring and revering them. After each buddha's parinirvāṇa, he shall raise a stūpa and shrine, a thousand yojanas high and five hundred yojanas square, made entirely of the seven treasures — gold, silver, lapis lazuli, giant clam-shell, carnelian, pearl, and rose quartz — and make offerings with flowers, garlands, perfumed ointments, powdered incense, burning incense, silken canopies, and banners. After this, he shall make offerings likewise to two hundred myriad koṭis of buddhas more. He shall then attain buddhahood, named Tamālapattra-Candana-Gandha Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Fully Awakened, Complete in Understanding and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Being, Tamer of Those to be Tamed, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. The kalpa will be named Joyful Fullness, and the land will be named Mind's Delight. His land will be level and smooth, of crystal, adorned with jeweled trees, scattered with pearl-blossoms, pure throughout — a sight to bring joy to any who see it. There will be many gods, humans, bodhisattvas, and śrāvakas, immeasurable in number. That buddha's lifespan shall be twenty-four small kalpas; the true Dharma shall remain in the world for forty small kalpas, and the counterfeit Dharma for forty small kalpas as well." At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to restate this same meaning once more, spoke in verse: "This disciple of mine, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, having set aside this body, shall come to see eight thousand, two hundred myriad koṭis of buddhas, the world-honored ones. For the sake of the buddha-path, he shall make offerings and pay reverence to them, constantly cultivating pure conduct in the presence of every buddha, and, through immeasurable kalpas, upholding the Buddha's Dharma. After each buddha's parinirvāṇa, he shall raise stūpas of the seven treasures, with tall golden spires, making offerings with flowers, incense, and music to the buddhas' stūpas and shrines. Gradually becoming complete in the bodhisattva path, he shall attain buddhahood in the land of Mind's Delight, named Tamālapattra-Candana-Gandha. That buddha's lifespan shall be twenty-four kalpas, and he shall constantly teach the buddha-path for gods and humans. His śrāvakas shall be immeasurable, like the sands of the Ganges, complete with the three insights and the six spiritual powers, of great majesty and virtue. His bodhisattvas shall be countless, firm in resolve and diligent, never turning back from the Buddha's own wisdom. After that buddha's parinirvāṇa, the true Dharma shall remain for forty small kalpas, and the counterfeit Dharma likewise. These disciples of mine, complete in majesty and virtue, five hundred in number, shall all receive this same prediction, and, in an age to come, shall every one attain buddhahood. The causal connections between myself and all of you, from ages past, I shall now speak of; listen well, all of you."
Read one after another, the three remaining predictions vary mainly in scale and emphasis rather than in kind: Subhūti's future buddha teaches while dwelling in open sky; Kātyāyana's and Maudgalyāyana's both emphasize a long practice of raising stūpas after each of many buddhas' deaths, a devotional practice that echoes, at far greater scale, the sand-stūpa passage from Part 3. What matters most for the chapters ahead is the closing line: "these disciples of mine, complete in majesty and virtue, five hundred in number, shall all receive this same prediction... the causal connections between myself and all of you, from ages past, I shall now speak of." Four names have now been confirmed one at a time; the sūtra has just announced that five hundred more are waiting, and that what comes next will explain not only that they will become buddhas, but why — a shared history reaching back further than this present lifetime.