大般涅槃經疏 22.18

22.18

The opening of the fascicle clarifies the seventh merit. Kāishàn took these next two merits as the second cycle: because of drawing close to good spiritual friends and initially hearing the correct Dharma, in terms of stage this is shallow; below, taking the nine matters as the substance of the eighth merit, he analyzes the liberation of mind and wisdom, explaining the meaning to be exceedingly profound. Now I say this is not so. All of these are merits obtained when first realizing what one had not heard and hearing it. The Buddha gave the seventh and eighth rounds of exposition to clarify the penetrating understanding of the dharmas that are the proximate causes of nirvāṇa, enabling one to serve as a good spiritual friend for sentient beings. How could one cast aside their inner virtue and the function of transforming others, and adopt an interpretation of externally seeking teachers and exemplary models for one's own practice? Even if one seeks good spiritual friends for oneself, this is also expressing principle through external phenomena. For instance, when Vimalakīrti was mindful of the Buddha, Siṃhaghosa and others all came to expound the Dharma, and departed after speaking. When one hears the Dharma, contemplates it, and cultivates it through such spiritual friends, how could it be shallow?