大乘起信論義疏 2.23

2.23

問曰：若如是者，何故《大經．菩薩品》言「若言眾生身中具足十力、四無畏等者，非我弟子，是大邪見。」下文復言「眾生有性，以當見故。」兩經相違，云何會通？答：此等經文皆說行德。若如行德，十力、無畏今時有者，是大邪見，然非無理。又復果性，以當得名為當見。故此經言「如貧女寶、如闇中寶，本自有之，非適今也。」此說理。此等經文非一，是故無違。

Question: If it is so, why does the Great Sūtra [Nirvāṇa Sūtra], in the 'Bodhisattva Chapter,' say: "If one says that within the bodies of sentient beings the ten powers, four fearlessnesses, and so forth are fully present, that person is not my disciple; this is great wrong view"? And below, it further says: "Sentient beings possess the nature because they will see it in the future"? These two sūtras contradict each other; how are they reconciled? Answer: These sūtra passages are all speaking of practiced virtues. If spoken in terms of practiced virtues, to hold that the ten powers and fearlessnesses are present now is a great wrong view; however, it is not that the principle is absent. Moreover, the nature of fruition is called 'seeing in the future' because it will be attained in the future. Thus this sūtra says: "Like the poor woman's treasure, or treasure in the dark, it is originally possessed inherently, not newly acquired now." This speaks of the principle. These sūtra passages are not merely of one kind; therefore there is no contradiction.