法華義疏 7.129

7.129

「爾時窮子先取其價尋與除糞」，第三、領上得益。貧賤之人其心局小，恐不得直而有徒勞之弊，故先取其價然後乃作。二乘小心畏不得果，故前期涅槃之果然後修行斷結。此譬即鄙之深也。「其父見子愍而怪之」，第四、父生愍怪。昔日本有大乘願行，而遂不受大法樂於小乘，故可傷愍，愍不信大、怪其取小，此中四大聲聞作鄙斥小乘之譬，從上即遣傍人喚子不來，至其父見子而生愍怪，明好事喚子不來、惡事呼而來，何鄙之甚耶？今實得羅漢，遂是除糞鄙賤之人，況未得果欲學小乘之者，如一形之內保執《毘曇》及《成論》者乎！

"Then the destitute son first took his wages and thereupon cleared away dung with them" is the third, understanding the attainment of benefit above. A poor and lowly person's mind is narrow and small; fearing that he might not get wages and suffer futile labor, he first takes his wages and only then works. The small mind of the two vehicles fears not attaining the fruit, so they first anticipate the fruit of nirvāṇa and only then cultivate to cut off defilements. This parable expresses deep disdain for them. "His father saw his son and felt pity and wonder" is the fourth, the father giving rise to pity and wonder. Formerly he originally had the aspirations and practices of the Mahāyāna, yet ultimately did not receive the great Dharma and took pleasure in the Hīnayāna; hence he was pitiable. Pitying his lack of faith in the great and wondering at his adopting the small: here the four great śrāvakas make a parable disdaining and rebuking the Hīnayāna; from the aforementioned dispatching of attendants to call the son and his not coming, up to his father seeing the son and giving rise to pity and wonder, it shows that when summoned for a good matter the son does not come, yet when called for a foul matter he comes—how exceedingly base is this! If now having truly attained arhatship he is still a base person who clears away dung, how much more so for those who have not yet attained the fruit and wish to study the Hīnayāna, clinging within a single lifetime to the Abhidharmakośa and the Tattvasiddhi Śāstra!