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「其佛侍者」：每位佛的侍者，「各各見是菩薩大眾」：每一個侍者都看見這一些個大菩薩。「於三千大千世界四方」，「從地湧出」：從地湧出來。「住於虛空」：因為多寶佛塔、多寶如來和釋迦牟尼佛都在虛空，所以這一些個大菩薩也上不著天、下不落地，就站在虛空那個地方。「各白其佛言」：這一些個侍者對他跟著來的那位佛就說，「世尊」：這個「世尊」，不是釋迦牟尼佛，是釋迦牟尼佛分身那些個世尊。「此諸無量無邊阿僧祇」：阿僧祇，也就是「無量數」；這一些個無量無邊的無量數「菩薩大眾」，「從何所來」：現在他們是從哪個地方來的？怎麼以前我們都沒有和他們見過面？
爾時。諸佛各告侍者。諸善男子。且待須臾。有菩薩摩訶薩。名曰彌勒。釋迦牟尼佛之所授記。次後作佛。已問斯事。佛今答之。汝等自當因是得聞。
「爾時，諸佛各告侍者」：當爾之時，釋迦牟尼佛分身這些個諸佛，就告訴他們所帶來的徒弟說，「諸善男子」：你們這些個好孩子啊！「且待須臾」：你不要吵！你不要一點也不靜。他一定就說：「你Quiet(安靜)！不要make too much noise
(喧嘩)！」「且待須臾」：你等一等！你不要著急嘛！「有菩薩摩訶薩」：已經有一位菩薩摩訶薩，這個大菩薩，「名曰彌勒」：他的名字叫彌勒。你到底有沒有聽見哪？他已經問釋迦牟尼佛了！「釋迦牟尼佛之所授記」：這一位彌勒菩薩，是釋迦牟尼佛給他授的記別號。「次後作佛」：他等釋迦牟尼佛入涅槃之後，在將來，彌勒佛就成佛。
這「彌勒佛成佛」，在中國就有一些外道，這也是「彌勒佛」、那也是「彌勒佛」！這個就說：「我就是彌勒佛來啦！你認識我嗎？」那個就說：「我是真的彌勒佛啊！」那個又說：「我才是真的呢！」就這樣子，你也傳一個道、他也傳一個道，各傳各教；又是收緣、又是結果，又是很多很多的。在中國很多假彌勒菩薩，他說他是彌勒菩薩來的；其實彌勒菩薩來還早呢！彌勒菩薩要當來──當來，在甚麼時候來呢？我不講過？人的壽命，一百年減去一歲，身量的高度，減去一寸；等減到人壽十歲上，然後再增加，也是一百年增加一歲，身量高度增加一寸。因為現在人壽命和身量高度，每一百年減去一寸；等將來人壽十歲那時候，人就像狗那麼高，都長得不高，他到十歲就死了。你算算！不過因為我們人也都活不到一百年，所以一百年之後的人，我們也不知道多高了！但是這是普通來平均，不是單說某一個人；「你說減，我看現在人比以前的人更高了！」單單一個不算，這是整個人類來算！等人壽命減到十歲上，那時候再增，也是一百年增一歲，身量高度增一寸，增到八萬四千歲；然後再減，減到八萬歲，那時候，彌勒菩薩才出世呢！所以現在這一些個假的，先說他是彌勒菩薩，這是錯誤的！不過你又要知道這個，你若和彌勒菩薩有緣，彌勒菩薩現在也可以來教化你、來度你；也沒有定法。
待續
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Each of the attendants of those Buddhas were
seeing this great assembly of Bodhisattvas. Every attendant looked at
these Great Bodhisattvas of the three thousand great thousand worlds
welling forth out of the earth in the four directions. In each of the
cardinal directions, they issued forth from the ground and were
dwelling in empty space. Because the stupas of Many Jewels Buddha—the
Thus Come One Many Jewels—and Shakyamuni Buddha were both in space,
this great assembly of Bodhisattvas stood neither in the heavens nor on
the ground but in space. Each attendant said to his respective Buddha,
“World Honored One.” The title World Honored One here does not refer to
Shakyamuni Buddha, but to all of Shakyamuni Buddha’s division-body
World Honored Ones. There were limitless, boundless asamkhyeyas of
Bodhisattvas in this great host. Asamkhyeya means a limitless number.
There were limitless, boundless numbers of limitlessly, boundlessly
many Bodhisattvas. “Where have they all come from, this great assembly
of Great Bodhisattvas? How is it that we have never met them before?
What place have all these Great Bodhisattvas come from?”
Each
of those Buddhas then told his attendants, “All of you good men, just
wait one moment! There is a Bodhisattva Mahasattva named Maitreya, upon
whom Shakyamuni Buddha has bestowed a prediction that he shall be the
next Buddha. He has already asked about this matter, and the Buddha is
about to answer him. For this reason, you may all hear about it.”
Each of those Buddhas, all those division-body
Buddhas of Shakyamuni Buddha, then told his attendants, the disciples
he had brought with him, “All of you good men. You youngsters! Just
wait one moment. Don’t make so much noise. You aren’t the least bit
composed.” The Buddhas certainly said, “Quiet! Don’t make so much
noise. Wait a minute. Don’t be nervous. There is a Bodhisattva
Mahasattva—there’s already a Great Bodhisattva—named Maitreya. He is
the one upon whom Shakyamuni Buddha has bestowed a prediction that he
shall be the next Buddha. Maitreya Bodhisattva has been given a
prediction and a name; he will follow Shakyamuni Buddha to become the
next Buddha. After Shakyamuni Buddha enters Nirvana, then, in the
future, within the Buddhadharma, Maitreya will be the next Buddha.”
In the world, there are proponents of externalist
ways who claim to be Maitreya Buddha. This one says, “I am Maitreya
Buddha; I have come. Do you recognize me?”
Another says, “Actually, I am the real Maitreya
Bodhisattva.”
That’s the way it goes. One transmits a Way and
another one transmits another Way. Each transmits a different teaching.
There’s “receiving perfection” and “reaping the fruition” —lots of
kinds. In China alone, there are many phony Maitreya Bodhisattvas. They
say they are Maitreya Bodhisattva, but actually it’s too early for
Maitreya Bodhisattva to come.
Maitreya Bodhisattva will come in the future. When
will that be? I’ve talked about this before. The average human life
span decreases by a year every hundred years. The average height
decreases by an inch. When the life span has decreased to the point
that people live an average of ten years, it will begin to increase
again at the same rate: every hundred years adding one year to the
average life span and adding one inch to the average height.
When the average life span drops to ten years,
people will be about the height of dogs. They won’t grow very tall, and
they will die by the time they are ten years old. People’s life spans
and heights will decrease each hundred years. But most people don’t
live to be a hundred, so we won’t know how tall the people will be a
hundred years from now. Also, you have to remember that this is an
average, not a specific person’s height and life span. You may want to
argue that some people are taller than people used to be. But
individuals don’t count; we are referring to the average.
After the average human life span reaches ten
years, it will begin to increase. Every hundred years, the life span
will increase by one year and the average height by one inch; they will
increase again. When the average life span has increased to eighty-four
thousand years, it will start to decrease again. When the average life
span has decreased to eighty thousand years, Maitreya Bodhisattva will
come into the world. Therefore, these pretenders who say they are
Maitreya Bodhisattva are mistaken. But you should also realize this: If
you have conditions with Maitreya Bodhisattva, he can come now and
teach and transform you; he can save you. There are no fixed Dharmas.
To be continued
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