大方廣佛華嚴經疏 24.12.5

24.12.5

一約一人則可云終，通望一切則無終極。 二以彼定執長邪見，故亦不應答。 謂若許有終必有始故，常法無始亦無終故。 三約法性皆不可說故。 《中論》云「大聖之所說，本際不可得。 生死無有始，亦復無有終。 若無有始終，中當云何有。 是故於此中，先後共亦無。 」既言本際不可得，亦不應定謂無始無終，況有始終之見耶？ 又有偈云「真法及說者，聽者難得故，是故則生死，非有邊無邊。 」上諸邪見多是外道，亦參小乘。 菩薩善知，則問答無滯便舉破者，令自他造中故也。 第二「菩薩」下顯多聞之意。 謂悲物無聞長淪生死，故誓持聞藏，自證利他。

First, with respect to one single person, one may speak of an end; but looking across all [beings], there is no final limit. Second, because their dogmatic grasping fosters wrong views, [the Buddha] also does not answer. That is to say, if one concedes that there is an end, there must be a beginning, for permanent dharmas have neither beginning nor end. Third, in terms of the dharmatā, both are ineffable. The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā states: 'What the Great Sage spoke of / is that the primal limit cannot be found. / Saṃsāra has no beginning, / nor does it have an end. / If there is neither beginning nor end, / how could there be a middle? / Therefore herein, / prior, posterior, and simultaneous also do not exist.' Since it is said that the primal limit cannot be found, one should also not definitively say there is neither beginning nor end, much less hold the view that there is a beginning and an end! Furthermore, a verse states: 'Because the true Dharma, its preacher, / and its listener are difficult to find, / therefore saṃsāra / is neither finite nor endless.' The above wrong views mostly belong to non-Buddhists, and also include the Hinayana. When bodhisattvas understand them well, their questions and answers are unhindered; they immediately raise refutations in order to cause themselves and others to dwell in the middle. Second, from 'the bodhisattva' onward, it clarifies the meaning of having heard much. That is, taking pity on beings who have heard nothing and long sink in saṃsāra, they vow to uphold the treasury of what has been heard, realizing it for themselves and benefiting others.