止觀輔行傳弘決 2.59.4

2.59.4

The third is like one who, upon hearing of the impermanence of his own relatives, is immediately able to arouse revulsion. The fourth is like one who is only able to arouse revulsion upon experiencing the pain of illness in his own body." In fascicle sixteen of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, in explaining the tamer [of humans], the four horses are also used as a metaphor for hearing of birth, old age, sickness, and death; thus we know that both sūtras use this metaphor to convey the meaning in the Tripiṭaka [teaching]. Now, borrowing this metaphor to correlate with the four teachings, the swift horse is the capacity of the perfect teaching, for greed and desire are themselves the path. If one takes the meaning aberrantly and recklessly engages in greed and desire, then one is not counted among these four at all. If one's capacity is shallow, then next one employs the distinctive teaching, down to the shared and Tripiṭaka teachings, like the remaining three horses; yet even within the capacity for the perfect teaching, one must still match the capacity in deciding whether good or evil is appropriate. From "If there are" downward, it refers to the capacity for good. From "The Buddha is fully possessed of both teachings" downward, this concludes with a rebuke. "Public" (gong) means not private. "Blatant" (zhuo) means clear. Openly resisting the Buddha, he misses the capacities of beings. From "Furthermore" downward, it adduces the right time to conclude his fault. The first passage raises the appropriateness of the time for practising calming and contemplation amid evil. Next, from "You now" downward, it cites metaphors and historical facts. Third, from "Destruction" downward, it concludes with his fault. If it were not a time of difficulty, evil should not be used; why does he use it exclusively? He cites sūtras to explain by analogy. Only when driven by unavoidable circumstances does one cultivate amid evil; you do not examine capacities and exclusively instruct people to use evil, just like all the non-Buddhists who exclusively use perverse permanence. Thus the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: "For example, the old physician exclusively used milk medicines," just as those non-Buddhists exclusively preach perverse permanence. "The visiting physician, the Tathāgata, first prohibited milk," just as impermanence is preached to refute perverse permanence; and once impermanence is established, true permanence is again used to refute impermanence. Although the two milks, new and old, share the same name of milk, their perverse and right meanings are distinct, and advancing and retreating are suited to the times, unlike the non-Buddhists who exclusively use perverse permanence and poison the wisdom-life of others. Here too it is like this: since its application is not appropriate, it damages the wisdom-life of others. From "Therefore the Āgama" downward, it cites events in the sūtras to verify the meaning of suiting the times and concluding his fault. Fascicle forty-six of the Ekottarikāgama says: "The Buddha was at Anāthapiṇḍada's park, and addressed the monks: 'If a cowherd is endowed with eleven factors, his herd of cattle will flourish.'" Summarised in verse, it says: