大般涅槃經義記 4.48

4.48

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.