觀音玄義 1.14

1.14

八明本迹者，雖復益物，權實之巧，而巧有優降，必是上、中、下智本迹之殊，權實略而且橫，今欲細判高下以明次位，若其本高，所作權實之迹則妙，是故次總略之後，辯其細妙之能也。非本無以垂迹，故先明本；非迹無以顯本，應先迹也。

Eighth, clarifying origin and traces: although beings are benefited through the skillfulness of the expedient and the real, such skillfulness has superiority and inferiority; it must involve the distinction between origin and traces of superior, middling, and inferior wisdom. The expedient and real are brief and horizontal; now we wish to minutely determine the higher and lower to clarify their sequence and stages: if the origin is high, the traces of the expedient and real that are wrought are wondrous. Therefore, following what was general and brief, the capacity of this fine and wondrous nature is discerned. Without the origin, there is no way to project the traces; therefore the origin is clarified first. Without the traces, there is no way to reveal the origin; hence the traces should come first.