大乘起信論義記 3.281

3.281

"How is this remedied? Because from the beginning, the tathāgatagarbha possesses only pure virtues exceeding the sands of the Ganges, which are not separate from, not cut off from, and not different from the meaning of tathatā; and because the defiled phenomena of affliction exceeding the sands of the Ganges are solely illusory existences, fundamentally non-existent in their nature, and have never conjoined with the tathāgatagarbha since beginningless time. If the essence of the tathāgatagarbha possessed illusory phenomena and yet could cause realization that permanently puts an end to illusion, there is no such possibility."