觀心論疏 4.7

4.7

Question: The four noble ones—buddhas, bodhisattvas, and the two vehicles—are nirvāṇa, while the ten suchnesses of the six destinies are birth-and-death; birth-and-death and nirvāṇa are as eternally distinct as ascending and sinking; how can they be together in a single mind? Answer: To explain by analogy: ice is a metaphor for the six destinies, and water is a metaphor for the four noble ones; yet ice and water are of one substance, so what prevents birth-and-death and nirvāṇa from having an identical substance? It is simply because emptiness and existence do not obstruct each other, and the two rivers do not hinder each other, while being present in a single mind; therefore it is called the inconceivable object.