妙法蓮華經文句 8.18

8.18

總與千二百記，二人已同上流，今更索別記耳。阿難是學人，羅雲弟子位，故入學無學章耳。二千請記但有默念、引例，二意同故言如阿難願耳。無發言者，無重無勝等事也。授記復二：一、先記二人，後記二千。阿難記中復五：一、長行，二、偈頌，三、八千菩薩生疑，四、如來發迹釋疑，五、阿難顯本述歎。疑者，通疑聲聞今日發心即蒙佛記國淨若此，昔方等中記諸菩薩，無量劫行乃得佛記，佛即發迹釋疑，昔日與我同發大心即是同學，由我精進前超得佛，由彼多聞猶故持經，迹為侍者本地如此，今授妙記何足可疑。餘記悉如文。

When prophecy was collectively given to the one thousand two hundred, the two were already included in the higher stream; now they are merely seeking a separate prophecy. Ānanda is a person in training, and Rāhula is in the rank of a disciple; hence they are included in the section on those in training and beyond training. The two thousand requesting prophecy have only silent contemplation and citing precedent; because their two thoughts were identical, it says 'like Ānanda's wish.' The absence of speaking out is because they did not have matters such as being respected or preeminent. Bestowing prophecy also has two parts: first, prophesying for the two people first; afterwards, prophesying for the two thousand. Within Ānanda's prophecy there are again five parts: first, the prose; second, the verse; third, eight thousand bodhisattvas giving rise to doubt; fourth, the Tathāgata revealing the traces to resolve the doubt; fifth, Ānanda manifesting the origin to state his praise. Those who doubted generally doubted that the śrāvakas, having only given rise to the mind today, immediately received the Buddha's prophecy and their lands would be pure like this, whereas formerly in the Vaipulya [sūtras], prophecies were given to various bodhisattvas only after countless kalpas of practice. The Buddha then revealed the traces to resolve the doubt: in former times he had given rise to the great mind together with me, so he was a fellow student; because of my vigorous effort, I advanced ahead and attained buddhahood, while because of his extensive learning, he still preserves the sūtras. In the traces he is an attendant, but his original state is like this; so now that he is bestowed a wondrous prophecy, what is there to doubt? The rest of the prophecies are all as in the text.