妙法蓮華經文句 3.27

3.27

「時有菩薩」下，第五、授記同者，昔授德藏菩薩記，今經授聲聞記，豈得是同？昔事已成故言授菩薩記，然正是會三歸一，聲聞得記也。若說昔授聲聞記者，佛從定起，更何所論？文殊巧譚故不發迹耳。若說授菩薩記，諸經皆爾，執教者未驚也（云云）。

From "At that time there was a bodhisattva" onward, fifthly, as for the correspondence of conferral of prophecy: in the past he conferred prophecy on the Bodhisattva Guṇagupta, while in the present sūtra prophecy is conferred on śrāvakas—how can this be correspondent? Because the past event had already been completed, it says prophecy was conferred on a bodhisattva; however, it was precisely the converging of the three into the one, with śrāvakas obtaining prophecy. If he spoke of having conferred prophecy on śrāvakas in the past, when the Buddha arose from samādhi, what more would there be to discuss? It was Mañjuśrī's skillful discussion, and so he did not disclose the traces. If he spoke of conferring prophecy on bodhisattvas, this is so in all sūtras, so those who cling to the teachings would not be startled (and so forth).