- bcom ldan ’das, bdag cag gis ’dus pa chen po’i le’u’i chos kyi rnam grangs ’di phyogs bcu’i ’jig rten du ma lus par rdzogs shing rgyas par bgyi’o.
’jig rten gyi khams mi mjed ’di na yang byang chub sems dpa’ sems dpa’ chen po byams pa dam pa’i chos yongs su gzung ba dang dam pa’i chos bsrung ba’i slad du chos kyi rnam grangs ’di rgyas par bgyid de;
bcom ldan ’das yongs su mya ngan las ’das nas slad ma’i dus lnga brgya ba tha ma la chos kyi rnam grangs ’di byang chub sems dpa’ gang dag gi rna lam du grag par ’gyur ba dang, ’dzin pa dang, ’chang ba dang, klog pa dang, ston pa, de dag ni byang chub sems dpa’ byams pa’i byin gyi rlabs su rig par bgyi’o.
vayaṃ, bhagavann, imaṃ mahāsaṃnipātaparivartaṃ dharmaparyāyaṃ daśadikṣu lokadhātuṣu niravaśeṣataḥ pūrayiṣyāmo vistarīkariṣyāmaḥ.
asyāṃ ca sahāyāṃ lokadhātau maitreyo bodhisattvo mahāsattvaḥ saddharmaparigrahāya saddharmarakṣaṇāyemaṃ dharmaparyāyaṃ vistarīkariṣyati.
bhagavatparinirvāṇāt paścime kāle paścimāyāṃ pañcaśatyāṃ yeṣām ayaṃ dharmaparyāyo bodhisattvānāṃ śravaṇapatham āgamiṣyaty udgrāhiṣyate dhāryiṣyate vācyiṣyate prakāśyiṣyate, te maitreyasya bodhisattvasyādhiṣṭhānādhiṣṭitā veditavyāḥ.
– Lord, in the worlds of the ten directions we will fulfil completely and disseminate this exposition of religion, a chapter of the Great Collection.
And in this world Sahā, the bodhisattva, the great being Maitreya will disseminate this exposition of religion to help true religion, to protect true religion.
In the final time, the final five hundred years [of the thousand years which religion lasts] following the complete extinction of the Lord, the bodhisattvas to whose hearing this exposition of religion comes, and by whom it is grasped, retained, recited and explained, are to be known as blessed by the presence of the bodhisattva Maitreya.
slad ma’i dus lnga brgya tha ma la zhes bya ba ni de bzhin gshegs pa’i chos ’phel ba dang ’grib pa’i tshul bstan pa’i phyir dus kyi khyad par brjod pa’o.
de yang dper na mi’i tshe lo brgya thub pa la lo lnga bcu’i bar du ni ’phel ba’i dus te, lus dang shes rab dang rtsal la sogs pa ’phel zhing skye ba’o, de ltar lo lnga bcu ’das nas de’i phyi ma’i lnga bcu ni ’grib pa’i dus te, lus dang shes rab dang rtsal la sogs pa shin tu nyams shing bri nas tha mar rga shi la thug ste zad par ’gyur ro. de bzhin du sangs rgyas shā kya thub pa’i bstan pa la ’bras bu thob pa dang shin tu rgyas pa’i dus ni lo stong shig ’jam bu’i gling na gnas so; de’i phyed du bgos te lnga brgya snga ma ni ’phel ba’i dus su gzhag la, lnga brgya phyi ma ni ’grib pa’i dus su gzhag go.
’phel ba ni lo brgyad cu’i bar du shā kya thub pa mya ngan las ma ’das te, de’i dus su byang chub sems dpa’ dang nyan thos la sogs pa ’phags pa phyogs bcu nas dge ba’i rtsa ba smin te, lhag ma rnams kyang shin tu lhag par rnam par grol, gzhan lha dang mi la sogs pa yang de bzhin gshegs pa nyid kyis bka’ bstan cing mngon sum du yongs su smin te yongs su bkrol bas lhag par ’bras bu ’thob bo.
de nas sangs rgyas mya ngan las ’das nas kyang lo lnga brgya snga ma ’das kyi bar du ni byang chub sems dpa’ dang nyan thos chen po dag sangs rgyas kyi bstan pa rnams shin tu ’dzin cing ’jam bu’i gling na khyab par grangs mang du gnas te, de dag gis kyang lha dang mi la sogs pa shin tu zad med pa yongs su smin pa dang yongs su grol bar byas te, ’bras bu thob par gyur to.
dper na dus de’i tshe na gtam du brjod pa ’phags pa nyan thos u pa gu pta zhes bya ba zhig gis kyang sangs rgyas kyi bstan pa bzung nas sems can grangs med pa bsgral te, ji snyed cig bsgral ba de dag byang bu la bris te bsags pas rang gi khang pa gang ngo zhes bya ba dang, dge slong des bdud kyang btul te, de dge slong de dus gzhan zhig na bsam gtan byed pa’i tshe de’i thad du bdud cig ’ongs pas ma tshor bar mgo la me tog gi phreng ba gzhag go. de nas dge slong des kyang tshor te bdud de la gdul ba’i skabs snang ngo snyam nas, khyi ro ’bu can zhig tu sprul te bdud kyi lus la se mo dor btags nas, bdud kyis dor du mi nus par byin gyis bslabs so. de nas bdud de rang gi dor ma nus nas brgya byin gyi thad du phyin te, gsol ba btab na des kyang grogs ma byas so. de tshangs pa’i thad du phyin te, gsol ba btab na yang tshangs pas kyang ma bkrol te, tha ma dge slong gi mgo la me tog bzhag pas nyes so zhes dge slong gi thog tu btang ngo. de nas dge slong la phyag ’tshal te, gsol ba btab nas dge slong u pa gu pta sngon sangs rgyas ma mthong ba de bdud kyis sangs rgyas mtshan dang ldan pa nyan thos kyi ’khor dang bcas pa cig sprul te bstan na khyi ro dgrol bar dam bcas te, khyi ro dkrol nas sangs rgyas ’khor dang bcas par sprul na bstan to zhes bya ba lta bu’o.
de bas na lnga brgya snga ma ni dus bzang po ste, dus de la ltos nas khyad par smras pa ni lnga brgya phyi ma zhes bya’o. de lta mod kyi lnga brgya phyi ma’i dus de na yang lo lnga brgya’i bar du ni byang chub sems dpa’ dang nyan thos la sogs pa ’phags pa grangs mang du ’dzam bu’i gling na gnas te, de dag gis kyang lha dang mi la sogs pa shin tu tshad med pa yongs su smin pa dang yongs su bkrol te ’bras bu thob par byas so. de ltar ’bras bu thob pa la sogs par gyur kyang lnga brgya snga ma dang sbyar na de’i dus ngan pa’i phyir lnga brgya phyi ma zhes smos te; lnga brgya phyi ma’i mgo nas sangs rgyas kyi chos nam ’dzam bu’i gling na med par ma gyur gyi bar du lnga brgya phyi ma zhes bya ba’i dus su bsdu’o.
lnga brgya phyi ma’i dang po tshun chad dus ngan par gzhag mod kyi, ’on kyang lo lnga brgya’i bar du ni dus ngan pa’i nang nas kyang ’bras bu thob pa ni shin tu dka’ ba’i phyir dus ngan pa’i yang ngan pa khyad par du smos pa’o. lnga brgya phyi ma’i lo ’das phyin chad nas chos med kyi bar du dus ngan pa’i yang ngan par gzhag mod kyi, de’i tshe na yang brtson ’grus dang nan tan byas nas ’bras bu mi thob pa yang ma yin, byang chub sems dpa’ dang nyan thos ’ga’ tsam ’jig rten du mi ’byung ba yang ma yin no.
"In the final time, the final five hundred years (pashcime kāle pashcimāyāṃ panycashatyāṃ) it is said, this is a comparative figure of speech concerned with time (kālavisheṣokti, on this term v. Kāvyādarsha) to teach the way in which the religion of the Tathāgata develops and then deteriorates.
In the lifespan of a man amounting to a hundred years, fifty years is the time of development when body (kāya), insight (prajnyā) and strength (vikrama) develop and originate. But when fifty years have passed, the next fifty years is the time of deterioration when body (kāya), insight (prajnyā) and strength (vikrama) are destroyed and diminish until they disappear in the end by death. In the same way the time during which the teachings (deshanā) of the Tathāgata Śākyamuni achieve results (phala) and are disseminated is the thousand years it remains in Jambudvīpa; dividing it in two halves the first five hundred years (pūrvapanycashatī) is the period of development, while the last five hundred (pashcimapanycashatī) is the period of deterioration.
As for development, during the eighty years during which Śākyamuni had not yet reached extinction (aparinirvṛta), the holy (ārya) bodhisattvas and disciples (shrāvaka) from the ten directions developed their roots of good (kushalamūla), the rest attained great freedom (atyantavimukta), while others, gods, human beings, etc., attained great results (atyantaphala), since the Tathāgata himself taught them, matured them in person, and liberated them.
Then, in the period after the Buddha had reached extinction until the end of the first period of five hundred years, there were a great number of great disciples and bodhisattvas who took up the teachings of the Buddha and disseminated them in Jambudvīpa. And by them innumerable (atyantākṣaya) gods, human beings, etc. were matured and liberated, thus achieving results (phala).
For example, during that time one could mention one holy disciple (āryashrāvaka) named Upagupta, who liberated innumerable beings after having grasped the teaching of the Buddha .... [Then follows a summary of the story of the alakṣaṇaka (v. Edg. s.v.) Buddha Upagupta who, among other feats, subdued Māra by ornamenting him with the corpses of a snake, a dog and a man so that he would not distract bhikṣus in meditation. The story is found in Divy XXVI p. 348ff. The story of Upagupta’s earlier birth as an ape, when he taught the ṛṣis to meditate after learning it from the pratyekabuddhas, is also found in Msv i p. 3ff.]
Thus the first five hundred years (pūrvapanycashatī) is a good period (bhadrakāla), and having that in view it is a comparative statement (visheṣokti) when one calls it [the next period] final (pashcima). But during the final period of five hundred years (pashcimāyāṃ panycashatyām) there are still multitudes of holy ones (ārya), both bodhisattvas and disciples (shrāvaka), in Jambudvīpa, and by them innumerable (atyantākṣaya) gods, human beings, etc. are matured and liberated, thus achieving results (phala). But even though results (phala) are achieved, since, compared with the first five hundred years (pūrvapanycashatī), it is inferior (tatkālahīnatvāt), it is called the final five hundred years (pashcimapanycashatī); the period called the final five hundred years is [the period] from the beginning of the final five hundred years until the time when the religion of the Buddha (buddhadharma) disappears in Jambudvīpa.
Even though the first of the final five hundred years (pashcimapanycashatī) are defined as inferior (hīna), after the five hundred inferior years there is another comparative statement (visheṣokti) of very inferior time (hīnātihīnakāla), when achieving results (phala) becomes exceedingly difficult. But even though the time after the five hundred final years (pashcimapanycashatī) – when there is no religion (dharma) – is defined as very inferior (hīnātihīna), it does not mean – even at that time – that results (phala) are not achieved after acting with vigour (vīrya) and making progress (pratipatti), it does not mean that no bodhisattvas and disciples (shravaka) are born in the world (loka)."
Cf. Vajra p. 5315-18: asti bhagavan kecit sattvā bhaviṣyanti anāgate ’dhvani pashcime kāle pashcime samaye pashcimāyā panycashatyāṃ sadddharmavipralope vartamāne ya imān evaṃrūpān dharmāny shrutvābhishraddadhāsyanti?; and Krp pp. 41715-16, 41817, 4198, 4202; Sdhmp p. 48110; and Buston ii p. 102ff.