天台八教大意 1.48

1.48

The ninth fascicle of the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* states: 'Sentient beings are like [the milk of] a cow newly calved, where blood and milk are not yet distinct. Śrāvakas are like milk; pratyekabuddhas are like curd; bodhisattvas are like fresh and clarified butter; and buddhas are like ghee.' This metaphor corresponds to the five flavors of the distinct teaching. Bodhisattvas of the ten faiths, [wavering like] light feathers, are like milk mixed with blood. Prior to the ninth abode, severing the shared [afflictions of] views and deliberations is called milk, compared to śrāvakas. The tenth abode being somewhat deeper is compared to pratyekabuddhas as curd. The ten practices and ten dedications are like fresh and clarified butter. Because one at the inception of the ten stages is already called a buddha, they are like ghee.