Jingde Records of the Transmission of the Lamp, Fascicle 1

七佛天竺祖師

The Seven Buddhas and the Patriarchs of India

七佛

The Seven Buddhas

毘婆屍佛

Vipasyin Buddha

屍棄佛

Sikhin Buddha

毘舍浮佛

Visvabhu Buddha

拘留孫佛

Krakucchanda Buddha

拘那含牟尼佛

Kanakamuni Buddha

迦葉佛

Kasyapa Buddha

釋迦牟尼佛

Sakyamuni Buddha

天竺一十五祖(內一祖旁出無錄)

The fifteen patriarchs of India (one of whom is a collateral line and is not recorded)

第一祖摩訶迦葉

First Patriarch Mahakasyapa

第二祖阿難(旁出末田底迦)

Second Patriarch Ananda (with the collateral line of Madhyantika)

第三祖商那和修

Third Patriarch Sanavasa

第四祖優波毱多

Fourth Patriarch Upagupta

第五祖提多迦

Fifth Patriarch Dhritaka

第六祖彌遮迦

Sixth Patriarch Micchaka

第七祖婆須蜜

Seventh Patriarch Vasumitra

第八祖佛陀難提

Eighth Patriarch Buddhanandi

第九祖伏馱蜜多

Ninth Patriarch Buddhamitra

第十祖脇尊者

Tenth Patriarch Parsva, the Venerable Ribs

第十一祖富那夜奢

Eleventh Patriarch Punyayasas

第十二祖馬鳴大士

Twelfth Patriarch the Great Being Asvaghosa

第十三祖迦毘摩羅

Thirteenth Patriarch Kapimala

第十四祖龍樹大士

Fourteenth Patriarch the Great Being Nagarjuna

敘七佛

An Account of the Seven Buddhas

古佛應世。綿歷無窮。不可以周知而悉數也。故近譚賢劫有千如來。暨於釋迦。但紀七佛。案長阿含經云。七佛精進力。放光滅闇冥。各各坐諸樹。於中成正覺。又曼殊室利為七佛祖師。金華善慧大士。登松山頂行道。感七佛引前維摩接後。今之撰述。斷自七佛而下。

The ancient Buddhas appeared in the world in an unbroken succession without end, and it is impossible to know them all or list them one by one. Therefore, speaking only of the recent age, there are a thousand Tathagatas in the Bhadra Kalpa, and from Sakyamuni we record only the Seven Buddhas. The Long Agama Sutra says: By the power of the Seven Buddhas' diligence they emit light that dispels darkness, and each sits beneath a different tree, where he attains perfect enlightenment. Also, Manjusri is the patriarch teacher of the Seven Buddhas. The Great Being Shan Hui of Jinhua climbed to the summit of Mount Song to practise, and sensed the Seven Buddhas leading before him and Vimalakirti receiving him behind. This present compilation therefore begins by cutting in just below the Seven Buddhas.

毘婆屍佛(過去莊嚴劫第九百九十八尊)偈曰。

Vipasyin Buddha (the nine hundred and ninety-eighth honored one of the past Adorned Kalpa); his verse says:

身從無相中受生猶如幻出諸形象

This body is born from the formless, like an illusion that conjures up all kinds of forms,

幻人心識本來無罪福皆空無所住

the mind of the conjured person is fundamentally without sin, and sin and merit are both empty, with no place to abide.

長阿含經云。人壽八萬歲時此佛出世。種剎利。姓拘利若。父槃頭。母槃頭婆提。居槃頭婆提城。坐波波羅樹下。說法三會。度人三十四萬八千人。神足二。一名騫茶。二名提舍。侍者無憂。子方膺。

The Long Agama Sutra says: This Buddha appeared in the world when human life was eighty thousand years. His caste was Ksatriya and his clan Kaundinya. His father was named Bandhuma and his mother Bandhumati. He lived in the city of Bandhumati and sat beneath the patala tree. He taught the Dharma in three assemblies and saved three hundred and forty-eight thousand people. He had two disciples of supernatural power: the first named Khanda and the second Tisya. His attendant was named Asoka. His son was named Fangying.

屍棄佛(莊嚴劫第九百九十九尊)偈曰。

Sikhin Buddha (the nine hundred and ninety-ninth honored one of the Adorned Kalpa); his verse says:

起諸善法本是幻造諸惡業亦是幻

Arising of all kinds of good dharmas is fundamentally illusion; creating all kinds of evil deeds is also illusion,

身如聚沫心如風幻出無根無實性

the body is like gathered foam and the mind like wind, conjured forth without root and without real nature.

長阿含經云。人壽七萬歲時此佛出世。種剎利。姓拘利若。父明相。母光耀。居光相城。坐分陀利樹下。說法三會。度人二十五萬。神足二。一名阿毘浮。二名婆婆。侍者忍行。子無量。

The Long Agama Sutra says: This Buddha appeared in the world when human life was seventy thousand years. His caste was Ksatriya and his clan Kaundinya. His father was named Aruna and his mother Prabhavati. He lived in the city of Arunavati and sat beneath the pundarika tree. He taught the Dharma in three assemblies and saved two hundred and fifty thousand people. He had two disciples of supernatural power: the first named Abhibhu and the second Sambhava. His attendant was named Kshemankara. His son was named Atula.

毘舍浮佛(莊嚴劫第一千尊)偈曰。

Visvabhu Buddha (the one thousandth honored one of the Adorned Kalpa); his verse says:

假借四大以為身心本無生因境有

The four elements of earth, water, fire and wind are borrowed as the body; the mind is originally unborn and exists because of objects,