法苑珠林 63.33

63.33

又涅槃經云。善男子。如殑伽河中有七眾生。一者常沒。二者暫出還沒。三者出已則住。四者出已遍觀四方。五者遍觀已行。六者行已復住。七者水陸俱行。言常沒者。所謂大魚。受大惡業。身重處深。是故常沒。暫出還沒者。如是大魚受惡業故。身重處淺。暫見光明。因光故出。重故還沒。出已住者。謂坻彌魚。身處淺水樂見光明。故出已住。遍觀四方者。所謂錯魚。為求食故遍觀四方。是故觀方。觀已行者。謂是錯魚遙見餘物。謂是可食。疾行趣之。故觀已行行已復住者。是魚趣已既得可食。即便停住。故行已復住。水陸俱行者。即是龜也（喻七種眾生者如文不煩此述）。

Furthermore, the *Nirvāṇa-sūtra* states: Good son, as in the Gaṅgā River there are seven kinds of sentient beings: first, those who remain constantly submerged; second, those who emerge briefly and submerge again; third, those who, having emerged, remain; fourth, those who, having emerged, look all around in the four directions; fifth, those who, having looked all around, proceed; sixth, those who, having proceeded, stop again; seventh, those who travel both by water and land. Those who remain constantly submerged are the so-called great fish: having received great evil karma, their bodies are heavy and they stay in the depths; therefore they are constantly submerged. Those who emerge briefly and submerge again are such great fish that, because of evil karma, their bodies are heavy yet they stay in the shallows; briefly seeing the light, they emerge because of the light, but because they are heavy, they submerge again. Those who, having emerged, remain are the so-called timi fish: their bodies stay in shallow water and they delight in seeing the light; therefore, having emerged, they remain. Those who look all around in the four directions are the so-called makara fish: in order to seek food, they look all around in the four directions; therefore they observe the directions. Those who, having looked, proceed refers to these makara fish: seeing other things in the distance and thinking them to be edible, they travel swiftly toward them; therefore, having looked, they proceed. Those who, having proceeded, stop again: when these fish have reached them and obtained what is edible, they then stop; therefore, having proceeded, they stop again. Those who travel both by water and land are tortoises. (The analogies to the seven kinds of sentient beings are as in the text and need not be related here.)