法苑珠林 66.7

66.7

As the Madhyamāgama says: At that time, the World-Honoured One addressed the monks: 'Sentient beings transmigrate through the long night of beginningless birth and death, unaware of the fundamental limit of suffering. Monks, what do you think? If all the grasses and trees of this great earth were cut into tallies four fingers long, and used to count the parents upon whom you have depended during your long night of transmigrating through birth and death, the number of tallies would be exhausted, yet the number of those parents would still not be exhausted. Monks, it is because of transmigrating through the long night of such beginningless birth and death that one does not know the fundamental limit of suffering.'