大般涅槃經義記 2.22

2.22

In the second request, first an analogy is established: "Just as a person possessed by a ghost", the bhikṣus compare themselves to being bound by ignorance; "encounters an excellent spell-master whose mantra power removes the illness and cures it", an analogy for the Buddha's ability to save; here, "the person attaining peace and joy" is missing [in the phrasing]. Below, drawing on this, they beseech the Buddha: "The Tathāgata is also like this" corresponds to the excellent spell-master; "For the sake of the śrāvakas" and so forth beseeches the Buddha, just like the aforementioned mantra power, to expel the ghost; from "so that they attain peace" onward corresponds to the sick person attaining peace and joy. This mentions prajñā and liberation as equal to the dharmakāya. Just as the worldly letter 'i' serves as an analogy for distinct dharmas, the three elements of the Mahāyāna are like the worldly letter 'i', whereas the three elements of the Hīnayāna are either vertical, parallel, or separate, not resembling the letter 'i'. Now saying that it is like the letter 'i' shows that it is not like the three elements of the Hīnayāna.