弘明集 8.55

8.55

The explanation says: The sage is in truth tranquil, yet his traces manifest in response. When the Crown Prince took a consort while heir apparent, it was to show that the way of human relations was complete, and that he could then abandon this great treasure and dismiss those bonds of affection. As for the devas descending at night and the white steed flying over the city, the principle of the Ten Epithets was present there—how could he have had a wife and children? Moreover, in this world, wives and children are the heaviest burden: cold and hunger give rise to theft, while satiety and warmth bring forth arrogance and extravagance. For this reason, when a leprous woman gives birth at night, she urgently calls for a lamp, fearing only that the child will resemble herself and likewise become leprous. The lineage of ordinary mortals is just like the leprous birth. The sutra says: 'All sentient beings possess Buddha-nature.' If we revere and seek this purport, this is the Buddha lineage: leaving home to follow the Dao, abandoning leprosy to approach the Buddha. For joy and for benefit, what could surpass this? You are deluded by worldly ways and mired in heavy ignorance; in this dream within a dream, when will you ever awaken?