大方廣佛華嚴經隨疏演義鈔 9.22

9.22

Regarding the Commentary's statement "because the single principle is completely equal, it is said that the realm of sentient beings and the realm of buddhas neither increase nor decrease": this is the fifth, the distinction that sentient beings and buddhas neither increase nor decrease. Here only the meaning is different, while the names do not differ. That is to say, since the dharmatā is identical, even if all sentient beings were to simultaneously become buddhas, the realm of sentient beings would not decrease and the realm of buddhas would not increase. Since the realms of sentient beings and buddhas are dharmatā, dharmatā cannot be added to dharmatā. For example, just as space in the east is sentient beings and space in the west is buddhas, one cannot add space in the east to space in the west to make the east decrease and the west increase; hence there is neither increase nor decrease. Sūtras such as the Mahāprajñāpāramitā all speak according to the equality of the single nature.