The Buddha says that his lifespan is limitless. It is immeasurable. It is without beginning. And it is without end. It is beyond time. Also the Buddha says that he – and here we are not referring specifically to Shakyamuni but instead referring to the concept of Buddha – has given various names to himself. The Buddha is actually a manifold Buddha, that is the Buddha is many Buddhas. He is all Buddhas. He is Buddha beyond Shakyamuni Buddha. As we saw when the Buddha called his emanations back, all the Buddhas throughout time and space are all reflections or manifestations of a single Buddha. The Buddha appears to different people in different ways, but in all cases the intent, the fundamental purpose, of those Buddhas is to lead all beings to the concept of Eternal Buddha as revealed in Chapter XVI of this Saha World’s Lotus Sutra.