觀音義疏記 4.17

4.17

問：若惡心自剋怨賊，何故但令起慈？答：賊害事顯，但令起慈，即彰聖力；毒藥陰謀，反害方驗。然賊亦有自害，如東林老僧為賊所斬，賊反以劍自刺心入背出，群黨奔迸。又毒藥未必例皆還著。有作折攝二用釋者，若二俱有機則可然；若能害者無冥顯二機，折亦徒施。

Question: If an evil mind recoils on oneself, why does [the bodhisattva] only cause the resentful bandits to give rise to compassion? Answer: Bandits committing harm is an overt matter; merely causing them to give rise to compassion already manifests the holy power. Poison is a covert scheme; only rebounding harm provides verification. Yet bandits also harm themselves: for example, when the old monk of Donglin was being cut down by bandits, the bandit turned his sword on himself, stabbing through his heart and out his back, and the gang fled in disarray. Furthermore, poison does not invariably rebound in every case. Some explain this using the two functions of subjugation and embrace; if both possess the capacity, then it may be so; but if the harm-doer lacks both covert and overt capacities, subjugation would also be applied in vain.