弘明集 5.5

5.5

善哉向生之言。曰天者何。萬物之總名。人者何。天中之一物。因此以談。今萬物有數而天地無窮。然則無窮之變。未始出於萬物。萬物不更生。則天地有終矣。天地不為有終。則更生可知矣。

How fine are the words of Master Xiang! He said: What is Heaven? It is the collective name for the myriad things. What is man? He is a single thing within Heaven. Speaking from this basis: now the myriad things have a limited number, yet Heaven and Earth are inexhaustible. If so, then the inexhaustible transformations have never emerged from outside the myriad things. If the myriad things did not undergo rebirth, then Heaven and Earth would have an end. Since Heaven and Earth do not have an end, rebirth can be known.