法華經義記 7.62

7.62

Furthermore, in the first [part] of commanding and seeking people to propagate the sūtra based on the profound merit and weighty retribution, there are two stages: first, clarifying the merit and retribution based on the disciples who propagate the sūtra; second, from “If, furthermore, there is a person who receptively upholds, reads, and recites” below, clarifying the merit and retribution based on the masters. The reason we know the former are disciples and the latter are masters is that this sūtra designates receptively upholding, reading, reciting, etc., as the five kinds of Dharma masters; thus, the former are not yet able to read, recite, etc., but merely hear the sūtra and rejoice in accord [with it], hence they are disciples, whereas the latter are themselves able to receptively uphold, etc., hence they are given the name of “master”. Within these two stages, each has two [parts]. In clarifying the merit and retribution regarding the disciples, there are two: first, clarifying the disciples with respect to the present world; second, clarifying the disciples based on after the Buddha's extinction. Within these two stages, following the rule, each has two. In clarifying the disciples with respect to the present world, there are naturally two: first, from the beginning of the chapter up to “even with a single thought of rejoicing in accord”, first clarifying the marks of merit of present-world disciples; second, stating “I bestow upon all of them the prediction of bodhi”, which clarifies that they together obtain a weighty retribution.