“Ananda, seandainya ada seorang petani yang memiliki lahan ladang yang sempurna, bebas dari bebatuan, subur, dan telah dibajak dengan baik. Andaikan sang petani memiliki benih yang segar dan sempurna. Andaikan petani ini menanam benih tersebut ke ladang yang dimaksud pada musim yang tepat, mengairi dengan rajin dan menjaganya sebaik mungkin. Andaikan petani ini kemudian berseru: ‘Wahai benih, hilanglah! Jangan tumbuh, saya tidak mau panen’. Hal ini akan sia-sia dan tidak akan menyebabkan benih tersebut gagal tumbuh dan petani tersebut pasti akan tetap panen pada waktunya. Seperti halnya petani tersebut, jika seseorang dalam samsara memberikan persembahan kepada Buddha dan berkata: ‘semoga tindakan saya ini tidak akan membawa saya ke pencerahan’, maka hal tersebut juga tidak akan menghambat orang tersebut mencapai pencerahan [sebagai hasil dari persembahan yang diberikannya tersebut]. Akar dari kebajikan yang dihasilkan dari memberikan persembahan kepada Buddha tidak akan pernah hilang dan akan selalu ada sampai akhirnya berbuah dan membawa orang tersebut kepada pencerahan, sekecil apapun persembahan yang diberikan.”
“Ananda, suppose that there was a householder farmer who had a field that was free of rocks, stumps, brambles, gravel, pebbles. Suppose that soil of this field well and cultivated it witf tools. Suppose that he also had seeds which were fresh and fertile, free of damage from wind or sun, and which were unbroken, uncracked, free of rot, and unspoiled. Suppose that he planted these seeds at the proper time and season, watered the field regularly and allowed it to become dry, and took care of it in every way. Suppose them, Ananda, that this householder farmer should approach the field at a later time and, standing at its edge, say, ‘Seeds, disappear! Seeds, don’t sprout! Don’t grow! I don’t want a harvedt. I don’t want any profit.’ Ananda, what do you think? Would the farmer’s words make the seeds disappear?”
Ananda replied: “Blessed One, they would not. Sugata, they would not.”
Then the Blessed One asked, “Would the corps disappear? Would the farmer fail to make a profit?”
Again Ananda replied, “Blessed One, that would not happen. Sugata, that would not happen.”
Then the Blessed One declared: “just so, Ananda,if a person who praised samsaric existence, and who took delight in samsaric existence, were to make an offering to the Buddha, and then say, ‘May this virtue root never bring me complete nirvana, ‘it is still not possible nor is there any chance that he would fail to attain complete nirvana. Ananda, the fruit of virtue roots generated toward the Buddha, even if a person did not want it, is to attain complete nirvana. I declare that his virtue roots will remain until he finally achieves nirvana. In the same way, whatever kind of virtue roots a person generates in a single thought toward the Buddha, Blessed One, the fruit of them all is to attain the nirvana. I declare that thse virtue roots will remain untuil the person finally achieved nirvana.
– Sutra White Lotus of Compassion –