觀無量壽佛經疏 3.22

3.22

"Furthermore, when the water has settled, take [a grain] of rice and drop it freely into the water; the ripples of the water will stir across the bowl, and leaning forward to look, the white [spot] will stir. Dropping [an object] about the size of a bean, the ripples of the water will be even greater, and the white [spot] on the face may be visible or invisible; up to dropping a date or the like into the water, its ripples will become still greater, and both the white [spot] on the face and one's own head and face will disappear completely and not manifest, because the water is stirred. The 'bowl' is an analogy for the bodily vessel. The 'water' is an analogy for the water of one's own mind. The 'ripples' are an analogy for distracted thoughts and afflictions. That 'the ripples gradually cease' means checking and relinquishing all conditions, steadying the mind on a single object. That 'the water settles and the object manifests' means the mind that conditions is unconfused, the object conditioned is unmoved, inwardly and outwardly tranquil, and the sought-after mark clearly appears.