大般涅槃經集解 7.90

7.90

案僧亮曰：此第二譬也。緣悟時至，菩薩出世，能治生死，譬醫八術者，譬除八倒。法身於人為遠，義言遠方來也。法瑤曰：八術謂慈心等四對、三毒及等分也。善療眾病者，知眾生根也。知諸方藥者，善解法相也。法身懸絕，譬遠方來也。

Sengliang comments: This is the second parable. The conditions for awakening having matured, the bodhisattva appears in the world and is able to cure saṃsāra; this is compared to the physician. The 'eight arts' symbolize the eradication of the eight inversions. The dharmakāya is distant from ordinary people, so it is figuratively said that he 'came from a distant land'. Fayao says: The eight arts refer to the four counterparts such as a mind of loving-kindness, the three poisons, and their equal division. 'Adept at curing all illnesses' means knowing the faculties of sentient beings. 'Knowledgeable in all formulas and medicines' means understanding the characteristics of phenomena well. The dharmakāya is far removed and beyond reach, which is compared to 'coming from a distant land'.