佛祖統紀 3.53

3.53

信解品云。即遣旁人（如來為正。菩薩為旁。即是佛加被四菩薩說四十地。法慧菩薩說十住。功德林說十行。金剛幢說十向。金剛藏說十地）急追將還（直約大教擬宜小机。故曰急追。昔有大乘。故曰將還。又復性德本自有之。故曰將還）窮子驚愕（卒聞大教。乖心故驚。不識故愕）稱怨大喚（生死為苦。煩惱為怨。若聞生死即涅槃。煩惱即菩提。即苦痛稱怨大喚）使者執之逾急（為說怖畏。令其遠惡。即是急切）強牽將還（內既無機外逼大化）窮子自念。無罪而被囚執。此必定死（眾生罪故。入生死獄。菩薩亦同罪入獄。二乘無大悲心。令入生死。即是而被囚執。永失三乘慧命）轉更惶怖（思此等事）悶絕躄地（小智不解溺無明地）父遙見之（小知大遠故遙。是結緣子故見）而語使言（菩薩為使）不須此人（不須現尊妙身令二乘見）勿強將來（既無大機恐傷善根）使者語之。我今放汝（正明息化）窮子歡喜（不為大教所逼）往至貧里。以求衣食（於四諦中欲求道法。○以上注文並出文句）。此領何義。此為如來說圓頓教門。以大擬小。機生悶絕（妙玄十卷）。

The 'Belief and Understanding' chapter states: '[The father] then sent a servant (the Tathāgata is the principal; bodhisattvas are the servants; that is, the Buddha empowered four bodhisattvas to expound the forty grounds: Bodhisattva Dharmamati expounded the ten abodes, Guṇavṛkṣa expounded the ten practices, Vajradhvaja expounded the ten dedications, and Vajragarbha expounded the ten grounds) to chase swiftly after him and bring him back. (Directly applying the Great Teaching to test the small capacity is called "chase swiftly". Because the Mahāyāna existed formerly, it is called "bring him back". Furthermore, innate virtue is originally possessed of oneself, hence called "bring him back".) The poor son was terrified (hearing the Great Teaching abruptly, it conflicted with his mind, so he was terrified; failing to recognize it, he was startled) and screamed in distress, (taking birth and death as suffering, and afflictions as grievance; upon hearing that birth and death are nirvāṇa and afflictions are bodhi, he felt agonized, complained of injustice, and screamed loudly) but the messenger seized him all the more urgently (speaking of terror to make him stay away from evil is "urgent") and dragged him back by force. (Within, having no capacity; without, pressed by the great transformation.) The poor son thought to himself: "I am guiltless, yet held captive; I will certainly die here!" (Due to the sins of sentient beings, they enter the prison of birth and death; bodhisattvas also enter the prison on account of shared sins. The two vehicles lack great compassion; being made to enter birth and death is being "held captive", forever losing the wisdom-life of the three vehicles.) He became even more terrified (pondering these matters) and fell to the ground in a dead faint. (Small wisdom cannot understand, drowning in the ground of ignorance.) The father saw him from afar (small understanding is far from the great, hence "from afar"; because he is a son who had formed a past connection, he "saw" him) and said to the messenger: (bodhisattvas are the messengers) "We do not need this man. (No need to manifest the honorable and marvelous body for the two vehicles to see.) Do not force him to come." (Since there is no great capacity, fearing it will damage his roots of goodness.) The messenger said to him: "I release you now." (Clearly indicating the cessation of the conversion.) The poor son was overjoyed, (not being pressured by the Great Teaching) and went to a impoverished village seeking food and clothing.' (Seeking the methods of the Way within the Four Truths. All the above notes are from the *Wenju*.) What meaning does this convey? This is the Tathāgata expounding the approach of the Perfect and Sudden Teaching, testing the small with the great, which caused their capacities to faint and lose consciousness (*Miaoxuan*, fascicle 10).