大般涅槃經義記 1.205

1.205

自下純陀以己所知反教文殊。於中兩喻：初貧女喻反教文殊，顯佛無為；後大人喻反教文殊，覆佛有為。前中先喻，次勸，後合。喻中六句：一處苦求善喻、二「止他」已下依教主解喻、三「是客舍」下教授令出喻、四「其產未」下懷解向果喻、五「於其中路遇惡」已下逢苦不退喻、六「慈念」已下賞解得果喻。初中，貧女喻修行人，無德稱貧，能生常解，故名為女；無境安心，名無居家；離善知識，名無救護；煩惱嬰纏，名加病苦；無法充神，名飢渴逼。訪友遊行，求法乞匃。第二句中，「止他客舍，生一子」者，名佛為他；大乘教法是佛攝人所安止處，名為客舍；依教曰止，起解名生，終能結繼，故說為子。第三句中，「是客舍主，驅逐去」者，佛是舍主；教授向果，名驅逐去，亦可教令捨詮求實，名驅逐去。第四句中，「其產未久，携抱是兒至他國」者，解生不遙，名為未久；懷解在心，名抱是兒；悕心向果，名為欲至；無上菩提是佛住處，名為他國。第五句中，於修行時名為中路；觸對塵境名遇風雨；起惡招苦，逼切自身，名寒苦至；加為惡友侵害善法，名為毒虫之所唼食；中逢小乘，名經恒河；賞解求出，名抱兒渡；小乘眾生共相逼勸，名水漂疾；守解不從，名不放捨；乃至為彼小乘所殺，人喪道廢，是故名為母子俱沒。未必有此，蓋乃假設過分為言，縱使有此，亦須堅守。第六句中，「如是女人生梵天」者，喻諸菩薩賞解功德，終得菩提。

Next, Cunda uses what he knows to turn around and instruct Mañjuśrī. Herein there are two similes: first, the simile of the poor woman turns around to instruct Mañjuśrī, revealing that the Buddha is unconditioned; second, the simile of the great man turns around to instruct Mañjuśrī, concealing that the Buddha is conditioned. In the former, there is first a simile, next an exhortation, and finally an application. In the simile there are six clauses: first, the simile of being in suffering and seeking the good; second, from "staying in another's..." downward, the simile of relying on the master of teaching to generate understanding; third, below "this guest house," the simile of teaching to cause one to leave; fourth, below "not long after giving birth," the simile of harboring understanding and heading toward the fruit; fifth, from "encountering adversity midway" downward, the simile of encountering suffering without retreating; sixth, from "compassionately thinking of..." downward, the simile of cherishing understanding and attaining the fruit. In the first [clause], the poor woman is a simile for a practitioner: lacking virtue is called poor; being able to give birth to understanding of the eternal is why she is called a woman; having no realm to settle the mind is called having no home; departing from good spiritual friends is called being without savior or protection; afflictions entangling one is called the addition of sickness and suffering; having no Dharma to nourish the spirit is called being pressed by hunger and thirst. Visiting friends and traveling is seeking the Dharma through begging. In the second clause, "staying in another's guest house, she gave birth to a son": calling the Buddha "another"; the Mahāyāna teaching is the place where the Buddha gathers people to settle and abide, hence called a "guest house"; relying on the teaching is called "staying"; giving rise to understanding is called "giving birth"; ultimately being able to continue the lineage is why he is spoken of as a "son." In the third clause, "the master of this guest house drove them away": the Buddha is the master of the house; instructing toward the fruit is called "driving them away"; alternatively, teaching one to abandon the linguistic expression to seek the reality is called "driving them away." In the fourth clause, "not long after giving birth, she carried this boy in her arms to another country": understanding having arisen not long ago is called "not long after"; harboring understanding in the mind is called "carrying this child in her arms"; aspiring in one's mind toward the fruit is called "wishing to go to"; unexcelled bodhi is the place where the Buddha abides, hence called "another country." In the fifth clause, the time of practice is called "midway"; encountering sense objects is called "encountering wind and rain"; giving rise to evil and inviting suffering that oppresses one's own body is called "the arrival of bitter cold"; additionally, having evil friends harm wholesome dharmas is called "being bitten by poisonous insects"; encountering the Hīnayāna midway is called "crossing the Ganges River"; cherishing understanding and seeking escape is called "carrying the child across"; Hīnayāna sentient beings mutually pressing and urging is called "the current floating swiftly"; guarding understanding without complying is called "not letting go"; even to the point of being killed by those of the Hīnayāna, with the person perishing and the Way ruined, this is called "mother and son both drowning." It may not necessarily be so; this is merely a hypothetical extreme statement; even if it were so, one must still hold firm. In the sixth clause, "such a woman was born in the Brahmā Heaven" is a simile for the bodhisattvas who cherish the merit of understanding and ultimately attain bodhi.