說無垢稱經疏 3.298

3.298

贊曰：此顯大小由來懸別。此有四喻，古有二喻。大乘如日遍照群生，小乘如螢自照不足。大乘法如海深廣無邊，小根如牛跡㘭塘淺小。大乘如山王巍巍逈出，小根如芥子褊促卑物。大乘如師子吼決定無畏，小乘如野干鳴為人驚怪。一喻益大、二喻深廣、三喻高顯故、四喻無畏，故為四也。或初及第四喻大勝小，有大機者勿授小法；第二第三喻大勝小，有小機者勿授大法。應契其機而授法也。

Commentary: This shows how the Great and Lesser have always been far apart. Here there are four similes, whereas the ancient version had two similes. The Mahāyāna is like the sun illuminating all living beings everywhere; the Hīnayāna is like a firefly, insufficient even to illuminate itself. The Mahāyāna teaching is like an ocean, deep, vast, and boundless; the lesser faculties are like a water-filled ox footprint, shallow and small. The Mahāyāna is like the king of mountains (Meru), towering and lofty; the lesser faculties are like a mustard seed, cramped and lowly. The Mahāyāna is like a lion's roar, decisive and fearless; the Hīnayāna is like the howl of a jackal, startling people. The first simile is great benefit; the second is depth and vastness; the third is height and prominence; the fourth is fearlessness—hence there are four. Alternatively, the first and fourth similes show the great surpassing the small, meaning that to those with great capacity one must not confer lesser teachings; the second and third similes show the great surpassing the small, meaning that to those with small capacity one must not confer great teachings. One should confer teachings in accordance with their capacities.