大般涅槃經義記 4.277

4.277

喻中五句：一造過流轉喻、二「在一」下依教生善喻、三「聞其」下懷善歸本喻、四「中路」下逢苦不退喻、五「命終」下賞善得果喻。初中，「如女」喻三罪人，能生善子故說為女，內有道機名曰「懷妊」，道心將發故言「垂產」，如來藏性是所依處說以為「國」，造過迷覆名「國荒亂」，流轉生死名「逃他土」。第二句中，「天廟」喻於《大涅槃經》，依經發心名在天廟即便生產。第三句中，聞說佛性常樂我淨名「聞舊邦安隱豐熟」，懷善趣向名「將其子欲還本土」。第四句中，修時逢苦名「路值河」，苦切陵人名「水暴急」，持善不失名「負是兒」，行修之始未能免苦名「不得度」，賞善至死故云「自念我今寧與一處并命，終不獨度」，人喪道廢故言「念已母子俱沒」。第五句中，「命終生天」喻得菩提，「以慈念子欲令得度」明果由因，「而是」下結。

In the analogy there are five clauses: first, the analogy of committing faults and transmigrating; second, from "In a..." below, the analogy of generating goodness relying on the teaching; third, from "Hearing that..." below, the analogy of harboring goodness and returning to the source; fourth, from "Midway..." below, the analogy of encountering suffering without retreating; fifth, from "At the end of life..." below, the analogy of rewarding goodness and attaining the fruit. In the first part, "Like a woman" compares to the three sinners; because she can give birth to a good son, she is called a woman; having the internal capacity for the Way is called "being pregnant"; the resolve for the Way being on the verge of arising is why it says "on the verge of giving birth"; the nature of the tathāgatagarbha is the locus of reliance, described as the "country"; committing faults and being confused and obscured is called "the country was in turmoil"; transmigrating in birth and death is called "fleeing to another land." In the second clause, the "deva temple" compares to the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra; giving rise to the resolve relying on the sūtra is called being in the deva temple and then giving birth. In the third clause, hearing that the buddha-nature is permanent, joyful, self, and pure is called "hearing that her old homeland was peaceful and abundant"; harboring goodness and heading toward it is called "taking her child, wishing to return to her native land." In the fourth clause, encountering suffering while practicing is called "encountering a river on the road"; suffering intensely oppressing a person is called "the water was violent and swift"; maintaining goodness without losing it is called "carrying this child"; at the beginning of cultivating practice being unable yet to escape suffering is called "unable to cross"; treasuring goodness even unto death is why it says "thought to herself: I would rather perish together with him in one place than cross over alone"; when the person perishes, the Way is abandoned, which is why it says "having so thought, mother and child both sank." In the fifth clause, "at the end of life being born in heaven" compares to attaining bodhi; "because of loving thoughts for the child, wishing to enable him to cross over" explains that the fruit stems from the cause; from "and this..." below is the conclusion.