Earth Store Sutra, Chapter 1: Spiritual Penetrations in the Palace of the Trayastrimsha Heaven with commentary by Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
...Commentary:
“Manjushri Bodhisattva, indescribably many eons ago. There is no way to say how long that is or how many eons that is. This is just as incalculable as the analogy used earlier for a long period of time: if each blade of grass, tree, forest, rice plant, hemp stalk, bamboo, reed, mountain, rock, and dust mote in a Three Thousand Great Thousand World System was a Ganges River. Then suppose that each grain of sand in each of those Ganges Rivers was a world. And that each dust mote in each of those worlds was an eon. Then suppose that each dust mote accumulated in each of those eons was itself an eon.
This number is bigger than and more difficult to calculate than the number representing the amount of force required to send a rocket to the moon. We are using math to calculate the force needed to shoot a rocket into a certain spot in space, to stop it, and to orbit it. After the exact figures needed for fuel have been calculated with mathematics, the rocket is shot into the atmosphere. This is calculable. However, no matter how advanced mathematics develops or how precise science gets, there is no way to calculate the number of eons that Earth Store King Bodhisattva has gone through.
During the time of a Buddha named Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices Thus Come One, Earth Store Bodhisattva Mahasattva was the son of a great elder. At that time, there was a Buddha in the world named Lion Sprint. Lions are the king among beasts. As long as a lion roars, all the beasts are frightened into paralysis and collapse or become numb. The name of this Buddha is like a lion. Sprint is an indication of the speed at which lions run. The Buddha is named Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices because he is replete with the Six Paramitas and the myriad conducts
Sutra:
That elder’s son, upon observing the Buddha’s hallmarks and fine features and how the thousand blessings adorned him, asked that Buddha what practices and vows made him so magnificent. Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices Thus Come One then said to the elder’s son, ‘If you wish to have a body like mine, you must first spend a long time liberating beings who are undergoing suffering.’
Commentary:
That elder’s son, upon observing the Buddha’s hallmarks and fine features . . . He saw the Thus Come One Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices have 32 hallmarks and 80 subsidiary characteristics and a thousand blessings that adorn. How come he has 32 hallmarks and 80 subsidiary characteristics? It is because of a thousand blessings that adorn him. Cultivating the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds turns into one hundred blessings. Each number turns into ten, making a total of one thousand. Each blessing accumulates so that there are one thousand blessings. And this is how the thousand blessings adorned him. He asked that Buddha what practices and vows made him so magnificent. Seeing how perfect and wonderful the Buddha’s features are, he asked Thus Come One Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices what practices did you cultivate before and what vows did you make before so that you have such features? Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices Thus Come One then said to the elder’s son, ‘If you wish to have a body like mine, let me tell you, you must first spend a long time liberating beings who are undergoing suffering. When all beings who suffer are saved, leaving behind their suffering, then your appearance will be perfect; meaning that once you save living beings so that they become Buddhas, you become Buddhas.’
Sutra:
“Manjushri, that comment caused the elder’s son to make a vow: ‘From now until the end of future time throughout uncountable eons, I will use expansive expedient means to help beings in the Six Paths who are suffering for their offenses. Only when they have all been liberated, will I myself become a Buddha.’ From the time he made that great vow in the presence of that Buddha until now, hundreds of thousands of nayutas of inexpressibly many eons have passed, yet he still is a Bodhisattva.
Commentary:
“Manjushri Bodhisattva, that comment caused the elder’s son to make a vow. When this elder’s son heard Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices Thus Come One say this that he made a vow. He said: ‘From now until the end of future time. . . The elder’s son refers to himself about how he went through who knows how many infinite eons until the end of future, that is why he says throughout uncountable eons. How can future eons disappear? They will not, which is why this number of eons is incalculable. I will use expansive expedient means to help beings in the Six Paths who are suffering for their offenses, for living beings in the six realms who suffer and create offenses. Since every thought and every move of living beings in the Saha world are offenses and karma, they are the beings that offend and suffer in the six realms. The six realms are heavenly beings, humans, asuras, hell-beings, hungry ghosts and animals. I vastly established various, not just one, expedient practices.
Only when they have all been liberated, leaving suffering and acquiring blessings, realizing Buddhahood soon. Only when all beings have become Buddhas will I myself become a Buddha. If there is one being does not become a Buddha, I will not become a Buddha either. If yet a single being’s not accomplished Buddhahood, accordingly I also must renounce nirvana’s bliss.’ From the time he made that great vow in the presence of that Buddha, Lion Sprint Complete in the Ten Thousand Practices Thus Come One, until now, a period of time that lasted hundreds of thousands of nayutas, a very large number in Sanskrit, of inexpressibly, another very large number in Sanskrit many eons have passed, yet he still is a Bodhisattva who has not realized Buddhahood.
of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, Chapter One: Spiritual Penetrations in the Palace of the Trayastrimsha Heaven