Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra
Translated from the Chinese by John McRae
(Taisho Volume 15, Number 642) p. 55
"At that time the elder Mahakasyapa came forward to address the Buddha, saying, "From now on, we should generate the thought of the World-Honored One with regard to all sentient beings. Why? We do not have the wisdom [to know] which sentient beings have the roots of Bodhisattvahood and which sentient beings do not. World-Honored One, because we do not know such things, we might belittle such sentient beings, only to our own disadvantage." The Buddha said, "Excellent, excellent! Kasyapa, you have spoken well. It is because of this that I have preached in the Sutras that people should not falsely evaluate sentient beings. Why? If you falsely evaluate other sentient beings, it will be to your own disadvantage. Only the Tathagatas should evaluate sentient beings and others. It is thus that the Sravakas and other Bodhisattvas should think of other sentient beings as Buddhas [lit., generate the thought of a Buddha regarding sentient beings]."
