四明尊者教行錄 3.56

3.56

Answer: The Great Master explains that in the shared teaching there are two kinds of residual traces: the residual traces of the affliction obstacle and those of the phenomena obstacle. The phenomena obstacle is precisely the dust-and-sand within the realms. If one speaks of retaining residual traces to moisten rebirth, this refers precisely to the residual traces of afflictions. This is because afflictions are defiled unknowing, taking fundamental ignorance as their essence, and they can produce birth and death. Dust-and-sand is undefiled unknowing, taking inferior wisdom as its essence, and does not produce birth and death. One should say: in order to moisten rebirth, a bodhisattva must retain the residual traces of affliction; in order to transform beings, he must break through the residual traces of dust-and-sand. Thus one knows that the essences of these two residual traces are somewhat different.