釋氏要覽 2.382

2.382

In Sanskrit it is *bahu-jana*; here this means "sentient beings" (zhongsheng), referring to being born from a multitude of conditions. Dharma Master Sengyou says: 'Because they are born together in the world in multitudes, they are called *zhongsheng*.' The Tang Tripiṭaka Master translated the term as *sattva* (youqing), meaning that all insentient things are also produced by relying on a multitude of conditions; now to exclude the insentient, he says *youqing* ("having sentience"). The *Zhengqi dacheng jing* states: 'What is the meaning of "sentient being"? The Buddha said: It is the conjunction of sentience and thought, namely the arising through conditions of earth, water, fire, wind, space, consciousness, name-and-form, dhātus, and āyatanas, and being born through the confrontation of causes, karma, and fruits.' The *Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra* states: 'All beings have ignorance as their root, and are borne along in the flow by craving in accordance with their karma.'