法華經義記 2.38

2.38

問者言：「何意不得先舉八子讚歎妙光德廣明彌勒應問，後舉八百弟子讚歎妙光道高明文殊應答耶？」解釋者言：「不得如此，所以出八百弟子。此八百弟子只是文殊昔日時弟子，但此昔日八百弟子中最懈怠下劣者只是今日彌勒，是故言彌勒應問文殊也。所以舉八子不得明彌勒應問者，此八王子自是日月燈明佛在俗之時王子，日月燈明佛既滅度之後，此八子皆諮稟妙光，是故文殊應答彌勒也。」

A questioner says: "Why could one not first bring up the eight sons to praise Varaprabha's breadth of virtue to clarify that Maitreya ought to question, and afterwards bring up the eight hundred disciples to praise Varaprabha's loftiness of way to clarify that Mañjuśrī ought to answer?" The commentator explains: "It cannot be so. The reason for adducing the eight hundred disciples is that these eight hundred disciples were merely Mañjuśrī's disciples in the past, yet the most indolent and inferior among these eight hundred disciples of the past is none other than Maitreya today. For this reason, it is said that Maitreya ought to question Mañjuśrī. The reason why bringing up the eight sons cannot clarify that Maitreya ought to question is that these eight princes were originally the princes when Candrasūryapradīpa Buddha was in secular life; after Candrasūryapradīpa Buddha had already passed into extinction, these eight sons all sought guidance from Varaprabha. For this reason, Mañjuśrī ought to answer Maitreya."