法苑珠林 64.36

64.36

Now, all living beings endowed with vital breath possess spiritual consciousness; those that crawl and those that soar alike know fear of death. Thus it is that for bodhisattvas in their practices, saving and succouring come first, while for the Buddhas appearing in the world, great compassion is fundamental. Therefore, standing by the river coveting fish is not as good as weaving a net; observing others receiving blessings is not as good as cultivating the causes. For this reason, if one seeks the reward, nothing surpasses first generating goodness: giving equally to the noble and the lowly, regarding the pure and the defiled with an impartial mind. One should equally revere the merit-field of the Three Jewels and the four modes of birth, and when the moment arrives, always bring relief, providing food and clothing, exhausting the treasures in one's clenched fist and renouncing the amusements of eyes and ears. Giving away one's own possessions to offer in dāna, one follows it with sympathetic joy. Relying indeed on chests and baskets to encourage their intention, and using jades and silks to manifest one's sincerity. Even flesh, bone, and marrow of the body are not hoarded with longing; how much less could love and attachment arise toward external wealth? When bodhisattvas carry out their practices, they do not even wait to be asked. Although the mind does not depend on things, things serve as a weir to trap the mind. When mind and material things are both prepared, merit and wisdom are practiced together.