廣弘明集 9.19

9.19

Furthermore, on examining the Duren benxing jing, it says: 'The Grand High Lord of the Dao said: "Over immeasurable kalpas I have delivered countless people. Because of the merit of my causes and conditions, the Heavenly Worthy of Primordial Beginning conferred upon me the title of Grand High (Taishang)."' Scrutinizing this raises doubts. For instance, the Youwu shengcheng pin says: 'Emptiness is the mother of the myriad things; the Dao is the father of the myriad things.' This means that the Dao existed first, and only then were there sentient beings. Thus this was the father of the Dao, not something made by sentient beings. Since the Dao is like this, why would sentient beings need to cultivate virtue to make it? Furthermore, the Dao generates the myriad things, and the beginning of generating things is indeed the origin. Since I was originally born without defiling habits, how could there be the distinctions of suffering and pleasure in the six realms of rebirth and four forms of birth? This too is impossible. It also says: 'The conscious spirit of sentient beings originally exists of itself and is not generated by the Dao.' Yet since the Dao can generate the myriad things, is the conscious spirit not a 'thing'? This too is impossible.