大般涅槃經義記 4.37

4.37

In the third section, raising objections to refute self-origination clarifies non-existence; raising objections to refute origination from another establishes the initial origination from milk, revealing non-nonexistence. In refuting origination from another, "If it arises from another" raises the differing theory; this terms water and so forth as "another," and the refutation against it can be known. Next, refuting origination from self: "If it arises from itself" raises another differing theory, which proclaims that there is already the nature of curd in the milk beforehand that generates the subsequent curd, termed self-origination; hence it is cited now. Below, in refuting and dispelling it: "It should not arise in resemblance and continuity": using curd arising from itself, it refutes origination from milk. If curd arises from curd and not from milk, this milk should not generate subsequent curd in resemblance and continuity. Milk resembles curd, hence "resemblance"; curd arising succeeding milk is called "continuity." Speaking of their resemblance clarifies milk as the cause of curd; speaking of continuity clarifies curd as the fruit of milk. "If it arises in continuity, then they are not simultaneous": using origination from milk, it refutes the self-origination of curd. Because it arises as curd in continuity from the preceding milk, one clearly knows that the self-nature of curd did not exist beforehand, arising simultaneously with the milk to produce the subsequent curd. "If they do not arise simultaneously, the five flavors are not at the same time": analogizing the subsequent by the initial, if there is no nature of curd arising simultaneously with the milk to produce the subsequent curd, then there is also no fresh butter up to clarified butter in the milk; therefore the five flavors cannot occur at the same time. Below "Although they are not at the same [time]", it explains and establishes the first proposition, clarifying origination from milk: "although they cannot be at the same time" sets aside the preceding self-origination; "it certainly does not come from elsewhere either" sets aside the preceding origination from another, meaning that it does not come from the other water and grass. "One should know that within milk there are beforehand the marks of curd" directly clarifies origination from milk. Milk possesses the nature of curd, and the nature of curd is a mark belonging to the fruit of curd, just as heat is the mark of fire; it is not that the entity of curd exists [in milk]. "Because sweet flavor is abundant, it cannot transform on its own" clarifies that it arises dependent on conditions; these words serve to ward off an external objection. What is the thrust of the objection? If milk possesses curd, why depend on conditions? Because it arises dependent on conditions, one clearly knows that there is no nature of curd beforehand in milk; since there is no nature of curd, it does not originate from milk. Hence it is explained now: because the sweet flavor in milk is genuinely abundant, it cannot transform on its own, so it relies on the condition of sourness before it can finally be produced.