釋淨土群疑論 7.19

7.19

I explain: Basing ourselves upon the lower birth of the lowest grade, where the lotus flower only opens after twelve great kalpas, and Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, with voices of great compassion, expound extensively for them the real mark of all dharmas and the method for eradicating sins—by this we accordingly know that they also have sinful obstacles, and due to these sinful obstacles the flower opens only after passing through kalpas. Were it not so, for what reason would the karmic practices of the nine grades differ, with each having gradations in whether the flower opens early or late?