觀音玄義記 3.10

3.10

Question: The faculties of śrāvakas are dull, yet they can quickly enter the seven worthy and four noble [stages]; bodhisattvas have sharp wisdom, so why do they still reside at the stage of summit after three asaṃkhyeya [eons]? Answer: Śrāvakas cultivate the applications of mindfulness and so forth in only a single realm and through a single gate, and therefore they are easy to achieve. Bodhisattvas extensively engage all realms, each and every one of the four gates, and additionally add the six perfections, perfuming and cultivating them over a vast expanse of time, so that each and every practice gathers all sentient beings and brings them to planting, ripening, and liberation; therefore, during the three asaṃkhyeya [eons], who knows how many people among ordinary persons they have transformed to transcend the ordinary and enter the noble? While oneself remains on this shore, one ferries others to the other shore; therefore, though passing through long kalpas, their verified stage remains below.