安樂集 1.58

1.58

答曰：「此人亦有一徒。何者？若身居不退已去，為化雜惡眾生故，能處染不染，逢惡不變——如鵝、鴨入水，水不能濕——如此人等，堪能處穢拔苦。若是實凡夫者，唯恐自行未立，逢苦即變，欲濟彼者，相與俱沒。如似逼鷄入水，豈能不濕？是故《智度論》云：『若凡夫發心，即願在穢土拔濟眾生者，聖意不許。』何意然者？龍樹菩薩釋云：『譬如四十里氷，如有一人，以一升熱湯投之，當時似如少減。若經夜至明，乃高於餘者。凡夫在此發心救苦，亦復如是。以貪、嗔境界違順多故，自起煩惱返墮惡道故也。』」

I reply: For this person there is also a category [to consider]. What is it? If their person has already attained non-retrogression or beyond, in order to transform defiled and evil sentient beings, they are able to dwell in defilement without being defiled, and encounter evil without changing—just as when geese or ducks enter water, the water cannot wet them—people like this are capable of dwelling in defilement to pull beings out of suffering. But if one is truly an ordinary person, one must fear that one's own practice is not yet established: upon encountering suffering one changes, and wishing to rescue others, both drown together. It is like forcing a chicken into water—how could it not get wet? Therefore the Da zhidu lun says: 'If an ordinary person, upon arousing the aspiration, vows immediately to pull out and rescue sentient beings in a defiled land, the sage's intention does not permit it.' For what reason? Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna explained: 'For example, with ice covering forty li, if a person pours a single pint of hot water onto it, at that moment it seems to melt slightly; but when the night passes and morning comes, it is even higher than the rest. An ordinary person arousing the aspiration here to rescue others from suffering is also like this. Because situations provoking greed and anger are numerous in agreement and opposition, they give rise to their own afflictions and fall back into the evil destinies.'