大般涅槃經義記 5.287

5.287

問曰：無明及與愛、取俱是煩惱，何故過去偏說無明，現彰愛取？理實齊等，為分世別，隱顯異論，等為分世，非無所以。解有兩義：一本末別，無明是本故先論之，愛、取是末故在現說；二強弱分別，迷其本際，建集生死，無明力強，是以先說，牽生當果，愛取力強，是以後辯。

Question: Ignorance along with craving and grasping are all afflictions; why is ignorance exclusively spoken of in the past, while craving and grasping are displayed in the present? In principle they are actually equal; to distinguish the lifetimes, they are discussed differently in terms of hidden and manifest. Although equal, dividing the lifetimes is not without reason. The explanation has two meanings: First, the distinction between root and branch: ignorance is the root and therefore discussed first; craving and grasping are the branches and therefore stated in the present. Second, the distinction between strong and weak: in confusing the primal boundary and establishing the accumulation of birth-and-death, the power of ignorance is strong, and hence it is spoken of first; in dragging forth and generating future fruit, the power of craving and grasping is strong, and hence they are analyzed later.