大乘起信論裂網疏 5.77

5.77

Question: There are sūtras which state that in the past Śāriputra had already realized the sixth stage of abiding mind, but because a brāhmaṇa begged for his eye, he regressed from the great aspiration and once again drifted through the five destinies. How can this be reconciled?

Answer: There are other sūtras which state that the great disciples such as Śāriputra were all great beings of deep rank in the dharmakāya who manifested as śrāvakas in order to lead beings to conversion; thus, their manifestation of falling was precisely to warn and spur on beginners. What reason is there to doubt this?

The second section, eliminating faults with reference to the provisional, is concluded.