止觀輔行傳弘決 2.40.4

2.40.4

If she had remained an ordinary person forever, she could not have realized the dharma-gate of detachment from desire. Hence we know that Aṅgulimāla is discussed provisionally from his traces. If discussed from the source, it is also because in the past he was able to escape from evil deeds such as killing; therefore, in his traces, he also took killing as a dharma-gate for benefiting others. Furthermore, whenever “manifesting” is spoken of, it is manifested as actual practice to cause immeasurable people to no longer commit evil. Speaking in terms of actual practice does no harm to the principle. Worldly people are often confused about the meaning of provisional traces, dismissing all superior practices as merely provisional. If it were like this, all the practices of the bodhisattvas would be equivalent to empty fabrication. It is precisely because those who do actual evil fall, while those who reform evil ascend, that the sages manifest ascending and falling, in order to make those of actual practice turn from evil to good. Therefore the text says, “Although practicing the various hindrances, one is able to achieve sagehood.” When it says “does not obstruct,” it means that evil can be changed, and it encourages one to cultivate calming and contemplation in the presence of evil; one must not indulge in evil and remain an ordinary person forever. It does not mean that retaining evil is called being unobstructive. Below, “Furthermore, the path does not obstruct evil,” explains that although one has attained the path, there is still residual evil. Regarding “stream-enterer (srotāpanna)”: the eleventh fascicle of the Avadāna Sūtra (Chuyao jing) says: “Formerly there was an attainer of the first fruit whose mind was focused on female form even to the point of dreaming of it. His wife was greatly distressed by this. Encountering a monk who was a relative and an acquaintance, the woman said: ‘I wish to confide my feelings; may I do so?’ The monk answered: ‘There is no problem. Secret matters should be kept covered.’ The woman said: ‘My husband has so much lust that he leaves no room to eat or rest; because of this he has fallen ill, and I fear his life will not be preserved.’ The monk said: ‘When your husband approaches you, you should say to him: “Is this how a stream-enterer is supposed to act?”’ Later she acted as instructed. Hearing this, the husband felt ashamed, attained the third fruit, and no longer engaged in affairs with women. The woman asked her husband: ‘Why have you stopped forever?’ The husband said: ‘I have seen you thoroughly; why would I go to you again?’ The woman said: ‘What fault do I have, that you say you have seen me thoroughly?’ She then gathered their relatives and said: ‘My husband has become estranged from me and cast me aside, ending our intimacy forever.’ The husband said: ‘I will adduce proof to make it clear myself.’ He then took a painted vase, filled it with feces, covered its mouth, and told her to play with it. Seeing that she had finished playing with it, he struck and broke it with a stick, and the filth flowed out. [He asked:] ‘Can you still play with this vase now?’ The woman said: ‘I would rather embrace a corpse, enter a fire pit or deep water, or throw myself from a high mountain; I could never approach it.’ The husband said: ‘I view your body as worse even than this.’ He then spoke a verse: