遊心安樂道 1.26

1.26

第三疑者，謂疑平等性智等濟之意。如同經說：「一切眾生，悉皆有心，凡有心者，當得菩提。」由不了故，生疑而言：「若言『眾生皆有佛性，悉度一切有情，令得無上菩提』者，是則諸眾生雖多，必有終盡，其最後佛，無利他德，所化無故，畢不成佛，功德闕故；無他有功，不應道理；闕功成佛，亦無是處。」作是邪計，誹謗大乘，不信平等應度之意。為治如是狹小疑執，是故安立大乘廣智，欲明佛智無所運載，運載一切，皆入無餘，故曰大乘；其所運載，無限無際，故名廣智。所以然者，虛空無邊故，眾生無數量；三世無際故，生死無始終。眾生既無始終，諸佛亦無始終。若既諸佛有始成者，其前無佛果，無聖教；無聖教故，無聞薰習；聞薰習無而成佛者，則無因有果，但有言無實。由是道理，諸佛無始。雖實無始，而無一佛本不作凡，雖皆本作凡，而展轉無始，以是准知眾生無終；雖實無終，而無一人後不作佛，雖悉後作佛，而展轉無終。是故應信平等性智無所不度，而非有限，是以安立大乘廣智，是為對治第三疑也。

The third doubt concerns the intention of the wisdom of equality to save all equally. As the sūtra says: 'All sentient beings possess mind; whoever possesses mind will attain bodhi.' Because of failing to understand this, they raise a doubt and say: 'If it is said that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature and [the Buddhas] will deliver all sentient beings, causing them to attain unsurpassed bodhi, then, although sentient beings are many, they must eventually come to an end. The very last Buddha would have no virtue of benefiting others, because there would be none left to transform, and so would ultimately not become a Buddha, due to lacking merit; that there are no other [sentient beings] yet [a Buddha] has merit does not accord with principle; and that one could become a Buddha while lacking merit is likewise impossible.' Devising such wrong views, they slander the Mahāyāna and do not believe in the intention of saving [all] equally. To remedy such narrow doubts and attachments, the 'vast wisdom of the Mahāyāna' is established. It wishes to clarify that the Buddha's wisdom conveys without conveying, yet conveys all into the remainderless [nirvāṇa]; thus it is called 'Mahāyāna' (Great Vehicle). That which it conveys is boundless and limitlessly vast; therefore it is called 'vast wisdom.' Why is this? Because empty space is boundless, sentient beings are without measure. Because the three periods of time are without limit, saṃsāra is without beginning or end. Since sentient beings are without beginning or end, the Buddhas are also without beginning or end. If the Buddhas had an initial beginning of attainment, then prior to that there would have been no fruition of Buddhahood and no holy teachings; because there were no holy teachings, there would have been no hearing and perfuming; and if one became a Buddha without hearing and perfuming, then there would be an effect without a cause, which is mere words without reality. By this principle, the Buddhas are without beginning. Although they are truly without beginning, there is not a single Buddha who was not originally an ordinary person. Although all were originally ordinary persons, this proceeds continuously without beginning; from this we can infer that sentient beings are without end. Although they are truly without end, there is not a single person who will not subsequently become a Buddha; although all will subsequently become a Buddha, this proceeds continuously without end. Therefore, one should believe that the wisdom of equality leaves none unsaved, yet is not finite. Thus the vast wisdom of the Mahāyāna is established. This remedies the third doubt.