華嚴一乘教義分齊章 2.12

2.12

Question: "If nature is spoken of only waiting upon practice, then when one has not practiced in the foolish stage, is there no nature-gotra? If it is absent, it should not exist later, for what was previously absent and later exists is not a nature-gotra. If it is present, that there should be nature without practice is unreasonable, and the treatises do not state this." Answer: "Since these two are dependently originated, when there is no practice, there is also no such nature; because of this, sentient beings lacking gotra are also established. As for the claim that 'what was previously absent and later exists is not a nature-gotra,' this is also not so. Because where practice is perfected, nature must certainly have been present previously; but in the foolish stage, because one has not yet practiced, nature is not spoken of. Once practice is subsequently aroused, it is no longer called absence of practice; therefore, when practice is perfected, nature is subsequently spoken of as existing. Whichever practice one repeatedly engages in among the vehicles, at that time it is said that one originally possessed that nature."