大般涅槃經義記 4.199

4.199

第三段中，先喻後合。喻中有四：一妄加己情喻、二「詣市」已下妄說授人喻、三「取還家」下薄淡無味喻、四「雖復無」下校量顯勝喻。初中，有其四重加水，人說種種，今且約就一斗論之。初加二升，後三亦然。「初牧牛女」喻其正法垂末眾生；「餘牧牛女」喻彼像法初時眾生；「近城女」者喻彼像法垂末眾生，近於末法故曰近城；「城中女」者喻末法時傳法眾生，巧偽多故未必專定，大況麁爾。

In the third section, first is the simile, and then the matching. Within the simile there are four parts: first, the simile of falsely adding one's own feelings; second, from "Went to the market..." downward, the simile of falsely expounding and transmitting to others; third, from "Took it and returned home..." downward, the simile of being thin, diluted, and tasteless; fourth, from "Although it has none..." downward, the simile of comparing and revealing its superiority. In the first part, there are four tiers of adding water; people explain this in various ways, but for now we shall discuss it based on one dǒu. First two shēng are added, and the latter three are also like this. "The first cowherd woman" illustrates sentient beings near the end of the true Dharma; "the other cowherd women" illustrate sentient beings at the beginning of the semblance Dharma; "the woman near the city" illustrates sentient beings near the end of the semblance Dharma—being near the final Dharma, she is called 'near the city'; "the woman in the city" illustrates sentient beings transmitting the Dharma in the final Dharma age; because there is much deceit and artifice, it is not necessarily strictly fixed, but this is the general rough outline.