高僧傳 6.24

6.24

Prior to this, the Central Lands did not yet have the doctrine of the eternal abiding of nirvāṇa, but spoke only of long life. Huiyuan thereupon sighed and said: "The Buddha is the ultimate; the ultimate is unchanging. How could the principle of the unchanging ever be exhausted!" He then composed the *Treatise on the Dharma-nature*, saying: "The ultimate takes non-change as its nature; attaining this nature takes realizing the ultimate as its principle." When Kumārajīva saw the treatise, he praised it, saying: "A person of a border country, before even having the scriptures, has secretly chimed with the principle! Is this not wonderful!"