大般涅槃經義記 4.48

4.48

初中「是牛食草因緣，血則變白」從因生果，牛喻眾生，心納惑緣名為噉草，起無明支喻況如血，無明起行名血變白。「草血滅已，福力成乳」因謝果興，亦得名為緣力生果，為彰因果前後別異故說滅已，犢子福力變血成乳，故言眾生福力成乳。是義云何？牸牛喻於無明眾生，造業眾生從前而起說為犢子，以此眾生宿業熏習轉前無明而起後行，如彼犢子福力成乳。

In the first part, 'due to the condition of this cow eating grass, blood turns white' describes the effect arising from the cause. The cow analogises sentient beings; the mind receiving conditions of defilement is called 'eating grass'; giving rise to the link of ignorance is analogised to the blood; and ignorance giving rise to volitional formations is called the blood turning white. 'After the grass and blood have ceased, by the power of merit it becomes milk' describes the exhaustion of the cause and the emergence of the effect, which can also be called the power of conditions producing the effect; to illustrate that cause and effect are distinct before and after, it is said that they have ceased. It is by the power of the calf's merit that blood is transformed into milk; hence it says that by the power of sentient beings' merit it becomes milk. What is the meaning of this? The cow analogises sentient beings of ignorance; sentient beings creating karma arise from what precedes them and are spoken of as the calf. By the perfuming of these sentient beings' past karma, the preceding ignorance is transformed and subsequent volitional formations are arisen, just as that calf's power of merit turns [blood] into milk.