大般涅槃經義記 2.24

2.24

In the fourth request, an analogy is also first established, and next, drawing upon it, they reveal themselves. From "How could..." onward, they inquire and request the Buddha to remain. In the analogy, the initial statement "Just as a person suffering from malaria" is an analogy for the buddhas and bodhisattvas originally being bound by defilements, where subtle defilements reside in the mind and, before flaring up, are like malaria; "encountering an excellent physician, the suffering is removed" is an analogy for the buddhas and bodhisattvas encountering past buddhas and hearing the Dharma to remove hindrances. Next, drawing upon it to reveal themselves, "I am also like this, with many afflictions" and so forth clarifies that they are like the sick person mentioned before, with the residual bonds of the four entrenchments plaguing body and mind, which is called "many afflictions and sufferings"; views are wrong livelihood, and craving is a febrile disease. From "Although having encountered" onward shows that they are not yet equal to the one whose suffering was removed. "Although having encountered the Tathāgata, the illness is not yet healed" means that unwholesome dharmas have not yet been abandoned, supreme tranquility and constant bliss have not yet been attained, and pure virtues are not yet completed. From "How could..." onward, they inquire and request the Buddha to remain.