法華文句記 1.55

1.55

次「復次」下，今日種未來熟未來脫。此四節者且取大概，本因本果訖至中間近世今日，竪深橫廣何但四節，乃至未來永永不絕。若不爾者，現果無因現因無果，還同灰斷化無始終，故知節節重重無極，而終以佛乘三段為本，而以人天三教助顯。

Next, from 'Furthermore' onward, there is planting today, ripening in the future, and liberation in the future. These four clauses merely capture the broad outlines: from the original cause and original fruit down to the intermediate period, the recent age, and today, their vertical depth and horizontal breadth are not limited to four clauses, and extend forever into the future without end. Were it not so, the present fruit would have no cause and the present cause would have no fruit, which would revert to being like the extinction of ashes, where transformation has neither beginning nor end. Thus we know that step by step and layer upon layer they are limitless, and ultimately take the three divisions of the Buddha Vehicle as their root, while using the three teachings of humans, devas, and [the vehicles] to assist in revealing them.