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一一諸菩薩。所將諸眷屬。
其數無有量。如恆河沙等。
或有大菩薩。將六萬恆沙。
如是諸大眾。一心求佛道。
是諸大師等。六萬恆河沙。
俱來供養佛。及護持是經。
將五萬恆沙。其數過於是。
四萬及三萬。二萬至一萬。
一千一百等。乃至一恆沙。
半及三四分。億萬分之一。
千萬那由他。萬億諸弟子。
乃至於半億。其數復過上。
百萬至一萬。一千及一百。
五十與一十。乃至三二一。
單己無眷屬。樂於獨處者。
俱來至佛所。其數轉過上。
如是諸大眾。若人行籌數。
過於恆沙劫。猶不能盡知。
「一一諸菩薩」：彌勒菩薩請問於佛，說是從地湧出這些菩薩，他一個也不認識。這所有每一位菩薩，「所將諸眷屬」：所帶來的眷屬，也就是他的弟子。「其數無有量」：這個數目，是很難算得清楚的，有無量無邊那麼多。「如恆河沙等」：就好像在印度佛說法時，前邊那個恆河的沙那麼多。「或有大菩薩」：或者其中有一位大菩薩，「將六萬恆沙」：帶著六萬恆河沙數那麼多的弟子。「如是諸大眾」：他所帶來這麼多的大眾，「一心求佛道」：都是一心求成佛道的。「是諸大師等」：所有這些大菩薩、大法師，「六萬恆河沙」：有六萬恆河沙那麼多。「俱來供養佛」：同時都來在佛前供養佛。「及護持是經」：他們發願，都來護持《妙法蓮華經》。
「將五萬恆沙」：或者帶著五萬恆河沙那麼多的弟子。「其數過於是」：或者有比五萬更多一點的，或者有比五萬又少一點的。「四萬及三萬」：或者帶了四萬的徒弟、或者帶三萬的徒弟。「二萬至一萬」：或者又帶二萬，乃至一萬。「一千一百等」：或者一千個恆河沙、或者一百個恆河沙。「乃至一恆沙」：乃至於一個恆河沙。「半及三四分」：或者半恆河沙、或者一個恆河沙分出三分、或者分成四分，這麼多的弟子。「億萬分之一」：或者乃至於恆河沙分成億萬分之一分。「千萬那由他」：或者千萬那由他分之一。「萬億諸弟子」：這所有萬億這麼多的徒弟。「乃至於半億」：或者半億的弟子。「其數復過上」：或者也有的多一點、或者有少一點的。「百萬至一萬」：或者一百萬、或者一萬。「一千及一百」：或者一千、或者到一百。「五十與一十」：或者五十個弟子、或者有帶十個弟子的。「乃至三二一」：或者有帶三個弟子的，又有帶兩個弟子、又有帶一個弟子的。「單己無眷屬」：或者就是菩薩自己來的，因為他就願意一個人，不願意收徒弟，怕徒弟不聽話，有很多的麻煩。「樂於獨處者」：他願意自己單獨的修行。可是現在呢？「俱來至佛所」：都到釋迦牟尼佛這兒來了。「其數轉過上」：這個數目，簡直沒法子一定知道是多少的！「如是諸大眾」：像這樣，這麼多的大眾菩薩。「若人行籌數」：假設有人用籌數算──就好像用算盤子來算一算它。「過於恆沙劫」：就算到恆河沙那麼長的時間、那麼多的大劫，「猶不能盡知」：也不能完全知道這個數目。
待續
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Each
and every Bodhisattva
Has brought a retinue
Limitless in number,
Like the Ganges sand grains.
Some of the Great Bodhisattvas
Lead retinues of beings as many as
The sand grains in sixty thousand Ganges Rivers.
Such are the great assemblies
Single-mindedly seeking the Buddha Way.
These Great Masters,
In number like the sand grains in sixty thousand Ganges Rivers,
Have all come to make offerings to the Buddha
And to protect and uphold this Sutra.
Those with retinues comprised of as many as the sand grains
in fifty thousand Ganges Rivers
Are even more in number.
Those with retinues numbering forty, or thirty thousand,
Twenty down to ten thousand,
One thousand, one hundred,
And so forth, down to the sand grains of a single Ganges River,
And those with a half, a third, or a quarter thereof,
Down to one ten thousandth of a millionth thereof,
Or one thousandth of a ten thousandth of a nayuta thereof,
And the ones with tens of thousands of millions of disciples,
on down to half a million,
Are even more numerous.
There are also those with hundreds of tens of thousands,
Thousands, or hundreds,
Fifty, or ten,
Down to three, two, or one,
And those who come alone without a retinue,
Preferring isolation—
All these come before the Buddha
In numbers surpassing those just stated.
So large is the assembly,
That were one to count them
For eons numbering more than Ganges sand grains,
Still one could not fully know them.
Each and every Bodhisattva. Maitreya Bodhisattva
continues to question the Buddha about the Bodhisattvas who welled
forth out of the earth, not one of whom he has ever seen before.
Every one of those Bodhisattvas has brought a
retinue limitless in number. The actual count of all these Bodhisattvas
would be extremely difficult to ascertain. They were limitless and
boundless, like the Ganges sand grains. / Some of the Great
Bodhisattvas / Lead retinues comprised of beings, disciples, who are as
many as / The sand grains of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers. They have
that many disciples. Such are the great assemblies / Single-mindedly
seeking the Buddha Way.
These Great Masters, / In number like the sand
grains in sixty thousand Ganges Rivers / Have all come to make
offerings to the Buddha. They all make offerings to the Buddha at the
same time, and they arrive to protect and uphold this Sutra. They wish
to make vows to protect and maintain the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower
Sutra.
Those with retinues comprised of as many disciples
as the sand grains in fifty thousand Ganges Rivers / Are yet even more
in number. Perhaps there are those whose retinues surpass the number
fifty thousand or are less than fifty thousand. There are those with
retinues numbering forty or thirty thousand disciples. Some bring
twenty, down to ten thousand, / One thousand, one hundred, / And so
forth, down to the sand grains in a single Ganges river. Those who
bring disciples whose number was a half, a third, or a quarter thereof,
/ Down to one ten thousandth of a millionth thereof, / Or one
thousandth of a ten thousandth of a nayuta thereof, on down to half a
million disciples are more numerous. Maybe they bring more or less than
the above numbers.
And the ones with tens of thousands of millions of
disciples, on down to half a million, / Are even more numerous. / There
are also those with hundreds of tens of thousands, / Thousands, or
hundreds in their retinues. Some bring fifty disciples or ten
disciples.
Some bring down to three or two disciples or one
disciple. And there are those who come alone without a retinue. Maybe
there are Bodhisattvas who come by themselves because they prefer not
to take disciples, feeling that disciples often fail to heed
instructions and make all kinds of trouble. Preferring isolation, some
cultivators come all by themselves. But now even they, all these, come
before the Buddha Shakyamuni, in numbers surpassing those just stated.
There’s really no way to calculate their number. So large is the
assembly / That were one to count them / For great eons numbering more
than Ganges sand grains, / Still one could not fully know them. Never
could their number be completely known.
To be continued
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