金剛經纂要刊定記 1.105

1.105

乳非下引經喻。《涅槃》第十云：「復次，善男子！如牧牛女為欲賣乳，貪多利故加二分水，轉復賣與餘牧牛女。彼牧牛女得已，復加二分水，轉賣與近城女人。彼女得已復加二分水，賣與城中女人。彼女得已復加二分水，詣市賣之。時有一人為子納婦，當須好乳以待賓客，至市欲買。是賣乳者多索價數。是人答言：『汝乳多水，不直爾許之直。今我贍待賓客，是故當取。』取已還家煮用，作麋而無乳味，然於苦味中千倍為勝。何以故？乳之為味，諸味中最。善男子！我涅槃後，正法未滅餘八十年。爾時是經於閻浮提當廣流布。是時當有諸比丘，抄略是經分作多分，抄前著後、抄後著前，前後著中、中著前後，雜以世語錯定是經。今多眾生不得正見。如彼女人展轉賣乳，乃至成麋而無乳味。然彼經意以喻涅槃，此借用之以喻般若。此中城內之言語稍漫通，今取最初新搆之乳未加水者，以為喻也。」

From "Milk is not" below, he cites the sūtra metaphor. The tenth scroll of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra says: "Furthermore, good man! It is like a cowherd girl who, wishing to sell milk and greedy for much profit, added two parts of water, and then sold it to another cowherd girl. Having obtained it, that cowherd girl again added two parts of water and sold it to a woman near the city. Having obtained it, that woman again added two parts of water and sold it to a woman inside the city. Having obtained it, that woman again added two parts of water and went to the market to sell it. At that time, there was a man taking a wife for his son, who needed good milk to entertain guests, and went to the market wishing to buy it. The milk seller asked a high price. The man replied: 'Your milk has much water and is not worth such a price. Now, because I must provide for my guests, I must take it.' Having taken it, he returned home and boiled it to make gruel, but it lacked the flavor of milk; yet among bitter flavors, it was a thousand times superior. Why? Because the flavor of milk is the foremost among all flavors. Good man! After my nirvāṇa, when eighty years remain before the True Dharma is extinguished, at that time this sūtra will be widely circulated in Jambudvīpa. At that time there will be monks who abridge this sūtra and divide it into many parts, taking what is before and putting it behind, taking what is behind and putting it before, putting before and behind in the middle, and putting the middle in front and behind, mixing it with worldly language and mistakenly establishing this sūtra. Now many sentient beings do not attain right view. It is just like that woman progressively selling milk, until it became gruel and lacked the flavor of milk." However, that sūtra's meaning used this to metaphorize nirvāṇa; here it is borrowed to metaphorize prajñā. The language about being inside the city here is somewhat loose; now we take the very first newly milked milk to which no water has yet been added as the metaphor.