華嚴經明法品內立三寶章 2.15

2.15

Under the first, the Buddha's single word and sound pervades all—meaning all places, all times, and all dharmas. For those whose faculties are ripe, none fails to hear it, no matter how distant; for those whose faculties are not yet ripe, they do not hear it though they are near. As for 'pervading all places,' as in the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa*, Maudgalyāyana sought the sound, and the extremely distant was as if near. Second, pervading all times means that this round voice extends to the end of the future limit and has never rested. Third, pervading all dharmas means that there is not a single dharma that is not proclaimed by the round voice. Fourth, pervading all sentient beings means that with this round voice, there is no faculty or vessel that is not awakened. If so, why was Śāriputra seated there as if deaf and hearing nothing? Explanation: It is not that the round voice only reaches where it is heard; it also reaches these places where it is not heard, and is therefore called all-pervading. Question: If it is all-pervading, how can it form the inflections and expressions of vocal speech? If it were so, what would be the fault? Both would have faults. Why? If it were equally pervasive, it would lose vocal inflection; if it preserved inflection, it would not be equally pervasive. Now we explain: If on account of equal pervasion it lost vocal inflection, it would be round but not voice; if on account of inflection it went against equal pervasion, it would be voice but not round. Now, without destroying inflection it equally pervades, and without moving from pervasion it varies its melodies; this is called the Tathāgata's round voice, which is not a realm accessible to mental consciousness and deliberation.