法華經義記 5.53

5.53

問者言：「若佛更復教化他方眾生，於後復起煩惱失解者，此則是父自離子，何關子捨父也？若是眾生遠佛，然後起煩惱者，乃可是子離父；父自往他方，眾生自失解，故是父離子義也。」解釋者言：「取事即然，理則不然。何以知之？若是眾生有機感佛，佛則住世，可化之機亦盡，故佛捨此化彼，正由眾生感機盡故佛去，不得言佛去故感機盡。既是眾生感機先盡，此即是子離父義也。」

The questioner asks: 'If the Buddha further transformed sentient beings in other regions, and sentient beings subsequently gave rise to afflictions and lost understanding, then this was the father himself departing from the son; what does it have to do with the son abandoning the father? If sentient beings had moved far away from the Buddha and only then given rise to afflictions, then it could be that the son departed from the father. But the father went to other regions of himself, and sentient beings lost understanding of themselves; therefore it has the meaning of the father departing from the son.' The commentator explains: 'Phenomenally speaking, it is so; but in principle, it is not. How is this known? If sentient beings have the capacity to affect the Buddha, the Buddha remains in the world; when the capacity for being transformed is exhausted, the Buddha leaves this [place] to transform that [place]. It is precisely because sentient beings' affected capacity was exhausted that the Buddha left; one cannot say that because the Buddha left, their affected capacity was exhausted. Since sentient beings' affected capacity was exhausted first, this is indeed the meaning of the son departing from the father.'