In the volume two of Lankavattara sutra: [[ " (Bodhisattva)
Great Wisdon, what is meant by the group who are without the nature
of enlightenement? It means the icchantikas. Great Wisdom , the
icchantikas do not have the nature to attain nirvana. Why? Because
when it comes to the possibility of emancipation they do not have a
believing mind, and threfore they will never enter nirvana.
Great Wisdom, the icchantikas are of two kinds. What are the two
kinds?
The first kind is those who have burned all the roots of
goodness.
The second kind is those who, feeling pity and compassion toward
all living beings, vow to save all those in the realm of living
beings.
Great Wisdom, what does it mean to burn all the roots of goodness?
It means to speak slanderously of the storehouse of bodhisattva
teachings, saying "These do not accord with the teachings of the
sutras, the monastic rules, and emancipation, and will cause one to
abandon the root of goodness. Because they say such things , they
can never attain nirvana
"Great wisdom, those who out of pity for living beings take a vow
to save all those in the realm of living beings are called
bodhisattva. Great Wisdom , these bodhisattvas as an expedient
means make their vow , saying , "So long as there are other living
beings who do not enter nirvana, I myself will not enter nirvana.
Therefore these bodhisattvas and mahasattvas do not enter
nirvana.
Great Wisdom, the person described above constitute the two kinds
of ichantikas, or those who are without the nature to attain
nirvana. And for this reason they invariably pursue the way of the
icchantika."
Bodhisattva Great Wisdom, then said to the Buddha, "World-Honored
One, of these two kinds of icchantikas, which will never enter
nirvana? "
The Buddha replied to Great Wisdom, "Those icchantikas who are
bodhisattvas and mahasattvas will never enter nirvana. Why? Because
they know that all things in the original state are in nirvana.
Therefore they do not enter nirvana.
But this is not true of those icchantikas who have cast aside the
roots of goodness, Why? Because , Great Wisdom, if those ichantikas
who have cast aside the roots of goodness should meet with a Buddha
or with a good friend, then they will conceive a desire for
enlightenment and will cultivate good roots and thus be able to
attain nirvana." ]]
So the view of the passage , could also correspnds to that if the
people of the two vehicles not able to attain Buddhahood, through
the doctrines preached for fourty or more years ( of which the
Buddha said " I have not yet revealed the truth in Lotus Assembly ,
according to the Lotus Sutra ) then it will be impossible for the
bodhisattva as well to fulfilled their vows and attain
Buddhahood.
The Avatamsaka Sutra also said in the similarly as , " Until all
those in the realm of living beings have been saved , my vow will
not be fulfilled"
And from the Mahanirvana sutra ( volume 32 of the 36 version ) "
Though one believes that living beings possess the Buddha nature,
one suppose this does not mean that all of them envariably do so.
This is called the state of insufficient-belief"
( and in volume 31 of the 36 ) it states " To believe that all
living beings, including icchantikas, possess the Buddha nature is
the first of the Ten rules to be follwed by bodhisattvas , and is
known as sufficient belief.'
From the Essentials of One Vehicle Teaching ( by monk Genshin of
Tendai school , 1006 )" This makes it clear that when the sutra
says that all living beings posses the Buddha nature, it does nt
mean mean that only a small portion of them do so. To insist that
"all" means only a small portion not only contradicts what is said
in the sutra, but represents a state of insufficient belief. But
why would one deliberately choose to enter such a state and thus
become an icchantika? From this we can see that what is meantis
that all living beings possess the Buddha nature. And from this one
may logically conclude that all living beings can attain
Buddhahood'
" Seen in term of thir great compassion for living beings,
bodhisattvas are always to be regards as icchantikas . but seen in
terms of their great wisdom , it is only natural to conclude that
they can attain Buddhahood."
And monk Pao-kung/Pao-chin state " To call them icchantikas of
great compassion is to see them in term of the teachings set forth
in the pre-Lotus sutra ( understanding ). But it is not permissible
to use the earlier teachings to critize the later teaching. The
commentaries of the Buddhist scholars are for the most part in
agreement on this point."
Thus in the Chapter 2 of Lotus Sutra, the Buddha says " What I long
ago hoped for has now been fullfilled . I have converted all living
beings and caused them all to enter the Buddha way." so even those
there are livings beings yet to enter the Buddha way, the power
sealed in this sutra insured that all living beings in the ten
relams of existences will attain Buddha way.
Bodhisatva Vasubandhu in his Treatise on teh Buddha nature states "
The Thus Come One, in order to free living beings from the five
types of faults and allow them to gain the five types of virtues ,
teaches that all living beings possess the Buddha nature.
The five type of faults are:
i) to possess an inferior and unworthly mind.
ii) to possess an arrogant mind
iii) to cling to what is unreal and illusory
iv) to salnder the true doctrine
v) to think only of oneself