大乘入道次第 1.17

1.17

六談德量者，《華嚴經》頌云：「發心功德不可量，充滿一切眾生界。眾智共說無能盡，何況所餘諸妙行。」又云：「若有菩薩初發心，誓求當證佛菩提。彼之功德無邊際，不可稱量無與等。」又云：「菩薩於生死，最初發心時，一向求菩提，堅固不可動。彼一念功德，深廣無邊際。如來分別說，窮劫猶不盡。」《發菩提心論》云：「如來言：如諸菩薩最初發心，下劣一念福德果報，百千萬劫說不能盡。況復一日一月一歲，乃至百千，所習諸心福德果報豈可說盡。何以故？菩薩所行無盡，欲令一切眾生皆住無生忍，得無上菩提故。」《辨中邊論》亦云：「勝故無盡故，由利他不息。」

Sixth, in discussing the measure of its virtues, a verse in the Avataṃsaka-sūtra states: "The merit of generating the mind is immeasurable, / Filling the realms of all sentient beings. / Even if all the wise were together to explain it, they could not exhaust it, / How much less the remainder of the various wondrous practices." It also says: "If there is a bodhisattva who initially generates the mind, / Vowing to seek the eventual realization of the Buddha's bodhi, / His merit is boundless, / Incalculable, and without equal." It also says: "When a bodhisattva, within saṃsāra, / Initially generates the mind, / Single-mindedly seeking bodhi, / He is steadfast and immovable. / The merit of that single thought-moment / Is profound, vast, and boundless. / Even if the Tathāgata were to explain it analytically, / He would still not exhaust it to the end of kalpas." The Bodhicittotpāda-śāstra states: "The Tathāgata said: 'The karmic reward of merit from a single humble thought-moment of the initial generation of the mind by bodhisattvas cannot be fully explained in hundreds of thousands of myriads of kalpas. How much less could one possibly explain the karmic reward of merit from the minds cultivated over a day, a month, a year, or even hundreds of thousands of years! Why is this? Because the practice of a bodhisattva is inexhaustible, wishing to cause all sentient beings to abide in the patience of non-arising and attain unexcelled bodhi.'" The Madhyāntavibhāga-bhāṣya also states: "'Because of being superior and because of being inexhaustible,' due to unceasingly benefiting others."