法苑珠林 24.20

24.20

Furthermore, the Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: 'Disciples of the Buddha, it is like the sun rising: its light first shines upon all the kings of great mountains, next shines upon all the great mountains, next shines upon the diamond-jewel mountains, and only then shines universally upon the whole great earth. The sunlight does not think, "I ought to shine first upon all the kings of great mountains, and so forth in sequence until I universally shine upon the great earth." It is only because the mountains and the earth have high and low elevations that the illumination has an earlier and a later. The Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksaṃbuddha is also like this: having accomplished the sun-disk of wisdom that is of the immeasurable and boundless dharmadhātu, he constantly emits the immeasurable and unobstructed radiance of wisdom. Its light shines upon the kings of great mountains such as the bodhisattvas; next it shines upon the pratyekabuddhas; next it shines upon the śrāvakas; next it shines upon sentient beings of determined wholesome roots in accordance with how they should receive transformation; and only then does it shine universally upon all sentient beings, even down to those of the wrongly determined, creating causes and conditions for their future benefit. The sunlight of the Tathāgata's wisdom does not think, "I shall first shine upon the bodhisattvas down to those of the wrongly determined"; it merely emits the sunlight of great wisdom to shine universally upon all. Disciples of the Buddha, it is like the sun and moon appearing in the world: even deep mountains and secluded valleys are everywhere illuminated. The sun and moon of the Tathāgata's wisdom are also like this: they illuminate all universally with nothing left unclear. It is only because the aspirations and wholesome roots of sentient beings differ that the light of the Tathāgata's wisdom appears in various distinctions.'