四明尊者教行錄 4.127

4.127

答：一切眾生無始覆真和合而起諸相，雖真源不二，而所照有殊。如古德道：含生隨業現，三界不同軀，如漚依水起，水不礙沈浮。迷源雖不二，熏發有賢愚。來問以眾生成佛眾生界盡者，如彼水生浮漚，漚雖前後滅，即不可言水隨滅也。故《佛藏經》云：一日之中有百千萬億恒河沙眾生一時成佛，眾生界不減，佛界亦不增。何以故？如來藏無盡故。又長沙大師讚南泉云：堂堂南泉三世之源，金剛常住十方無盡。其旨亦同，當善思惟，切勿於眾生難思境界中而起斷滅見也。

Answer: All sentient beings from beginningless time obscure the true, and uniting with it, give rise to various marks; although the true source is non-dual, that which is illumined differs. As an ancient worthy said: 'Living beings manifest according to karma; in the three realms their bodies are not the same. Just as bubbles arise relying on water, the water does not hinder sinking or floating. Though the source of delusion is non-dual, its perfuming and bringing forth has the wise and the foolish.' Your query assumes that when sentient beings become buddhas, the realm of sentient beings will be exhausted; but just as bubbles are produced in water, and though bubbles are extinguished sooner or later, one cannot say that the water is extinguished along with them. Therefore the Fozang jing says: 'In a single day there are hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of Gaṅgā-sands of sentient beings who simultaneously become buddhas, yet the realm of sentient beings does not decrease, nor does the realm of buddhas increase. Why is this? Because the tathāgatagarbha is inexhaustible.' Furthermore, Master Changsha praised Nanquan, saying: 'Magnificent is Nanquan, the source of the three periods of time; the vajra constantly abides, inexhaustible in the ten directions.' His meaning is also the same. You should reflect upon this well and definitely not give rise to views of annihilation within the inconceivable sphere of sentient beings.