大般涅槃經義記 4.169

4.169

下辨人中，句別有四：一明前比丘乃至外道為經益者真是菩薩；二「何以」下釋，先徵、後解，以得聞經及能念知如來常故。「聞經」即是向前見使，「念常」即是向前見醫；三「暫得聞」下舉始況終，暫得聞經尚得如是，念如來常，何況書等；四「除闡提」下彰其分齊，除一闡提，餘皆菩薩，善趣已前通名闡提。下明不能益一闡提中，先喻次合，「何以」下釋。

Below, in distinguishing the person, there are four distinct phrases: first, it explains that the aforementioned monks down to non-Buddhists who are benefited by the sūtra are true bodhisattvas; second, from "why" below is the explanation, first querying and then explaining, because they get to hear the sūtra and are able to mindfully know the Tathāgata is eternal. "Hearing the sūtra" is seeing the messenger from before; "mindfully knowing eternity" is seeing the physician from before. Third, from "temporarily getting to hear" below, it brings up the beginning to illustrate the end: if merely getting to hear the sūtra temporarily still yields such [results] as mindfully knowing the Tathāgata is eternal, how much more so copying it, and so forth? Fourth, from "excepting icchantikas" below, it reveals the boundary: excepting the icchantikas, all the rest are bodhisattvas; those prior to the good destinies are all generally called icchantikas. Below, in explaining the inability to benefit icchantikas, it first gives the simile, next applies it, and from "why" below, explains it.