法苑珠林 71.17

71.17

若諸凡夫造其罪福。不解因果善惡無性。是為迷事取性。常繫三有。故智度論云。譬如蠅無處不著。唯不著火焰。眾生愛著亦復如是。是善不善法中皆著。乃至非想亦著。唯不著般若波羅蜜性空大火。以此證知。無善惡性常輪五道。即當無佛性眾生也。此略明凡夫罪福二行迷事取性。所依經論竟。

If ordinary persons produce such faults and merits without understanding that cause and effect, good and evil, have no intrinsic nature, this is being confused about phenomena and grasping at intrinsic nature, remaining perpetually bound to the three realms of existence. Thus the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: "Just as a fly alights everywhere except on a flame, the attachment of sentient beings is also like this: they attach to both wholesome and unwholesome dharmas, and even attach up to the state of neither-perception-nor-non-perception; they only fail to attach to the great fire of the emptiness of intrinsic nature of the prajñāpāramitā." From this it is proven that those who lack the nature of good and evil and constantly revolve in the five destinies are precisely sentient beings without buddha-nature. This briefly explains the two practices of faults and merits of ordinary persons, who are confused about phenomena and grasp at intrinsic nature, concluding the citations from sūtras and treatises.