法華經義記 7.66

7.66

From “If this good man or good woman, after my extinction, is able to secretly speak for even one person…” below is the second, clarifying the Dharma masters after the Buddha’s extinction. Within this there are also two: first, the lower-grade Dharma master after the Buddha’s extinction; second, also drawing a comparison to bring out the upper-grade. Within the lower-grade Dharma master, there are naturally two stages: first, directly setting forth the marks of the lower-grade Dharma master; second, from the statement “You should know that this person is an envoy of the Tathāgata” below, clarifying the profound merit. “How much more so to speak broadly for people amidst a great assembly!”—this is the second statement clarifying the upper-grade Dharma master after the Buddha’s extinction; here there should be [mention of] merit and retribution, but there is none, appearing only when coming to the verse section.