Today in my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra practice I cover Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva. That chapter opens like this:
Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha [faced the east and] emitted rays of light from the fleshy tuft on his head, that is, from one of the marks of a great man, and also from the white curls between his eyebrows. The light illumined one hundred and eight billion nayuta Buddha-worlds, that is, as many worlds in the east as there are sands in the River Ganges. There was a world called [All-] Pure-Light-Adornment [in the east] beyond those worlds. In that world was a Buddha called Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom, the Tathāgata, the Deserver of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Man of Wisdom and Practice, the Well-Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Man, the Controller of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. He expounded the Dharma to a great multitude of innumerable Bodhisattvas who were surrounding him respectfully. The ray of light, which was emitted from the white curls [between the eyebrows] of Śākyamuni Buddha, also illumined that world.
For me, the first time I read this, it brought up a question. Back in Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures, we’re told that Śākyamuni, as a requirement before opening the Stupa of Treasures, was required to “call back all the Buddhas of his replicas who will be expounding the Dharma in the worlds of the ten quarters at that time.” Or as Reeves puts it, “Let the buddhas who are embodiments of that buddha and are preaching the Dharma in the worlds of the ten directions return together and assemble in one place.”
So I wondered, whether, after all of Śākyamuni’s replicas returned, were there any Buddhas left in the universe? Or, in other words, are all Buddhas replicas of the eternal Śākyamuni?
The reference in Chapter 24 to a Buddha called Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom seemed to suggest that there are other Buddhas in the universe besides Śākyamuni and his replicas.
And then upon reading The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva, the question became a bit more complicated.
First we meet the Buddha Good Virtue (Reeves, p413):
From the sky of the eastern direction will come a voice saying: “Here is a buddha, a world-honored one named Good Virtue, who also is embodied in innumerable buddhas who sit crosslegged on lion seats under jewel trees. All these world-honored ones, in the concentration of universal manifestation of bodily forms, speak to a follower, praising him and saying: ‘Good, good, good son! You have now read and recited the Great Vehicle sutras. What you have recited is in the sphere of the buddhas.’ “
And then we meet the Buddha Sandalwood Virtue (Reeves, p415):
When a follower thinks in this way, a voice in the sky will say: “In the southern direction there is a buddha named Sandalwood Virtue, who also is embodied in countless other buddhas. All these buddhas teach the Great Vehicle and cut off sins and evils.
At this point it appears reasonable to conclude, at least based on this sutra, that Śākyamuni and his replicas are not the only Buddhas, and not only are there other Buddhas, but those Buddhas have replicas.
We even get Abundant Treasures Buddha in the Stupa emanating Buddhas (Reeves, p422):
Having said this, followers should continue repenting, and after seven days the Stupa of Abundant Treasures Buddha will spring out of the earth. With his right hand, Shakyamuni Buddha will open the door of the stupa, where Abundant Treasures Buddha will be seen deep in the concentration of universal manifestation of bodily forms. From all the pores of his body he will emit rays of light as numerous as the grains of sands of the Ganges. In each of the rays will be hundreds of thousands of billions of transformed buddhas.
And then there is this (Reeves, p409):
When the great assembly has gathered together like a cloud, they will see Shakyamuni Buddha emitting rays of golden light from the pores of his whole body, in each of which are hundreds of millions of transformed buddhas. From the tufts of white hair between their eyebrows, the sign of a great man, the embodiment buddhas will emit rays of light that stream into the head of Shakyamuni Buddha. Seeing this, from all the pores of their bodies the embodiment buddhas will also emit rays of golden light, in each of which are transformed buddhas, numerous as the grains of sands in the Ganges.
So here he have Śākyamuni emanating Buddhas and those Buddhas turn around and emanate more Buddhas. Turtles all the way down.
