法華文句記 10.33

10.33

「南師從此為流通」者，意以四信信解功德，亦屬流通，不須必到滅後五品。「文殊」等者，如迹門後文殊入海教化通經，豈必在於佛滅後耶？故進退二途並可承用。準此文意，三周之後文殊方始入海教化，義亦未失。但菩薩事迹不可思議，勿以凡情而商度之，已如前說。況準迹門，無領記後猶屬正者，故依南方初品果者，且以五品對於相似，一往說耳，分果遠果仍須指後。「如上說」者指授記文。

Regarding 'The southern masters take this as the transmission': the meaning is that the merit of faith and understanding of the four faiths also belongs to transmission, and one need not require reaching the five grades after extinction. Regarding 'Mañjuśrī' and so forth: as after the trace section Mañjuśrī entered the ocean to instruct and propagate the sūtra, how could it necessarily be after the Buddha's extinction? Therefore, both paths of forward and backward may be adopted. According to the meaning of this text, only after the three cycles did Mañjuśrī begin to enter the ocean to teach, so the meaning is also not lost. However, the bodhisattva's traces of action are inconceivable; one must not deliberate on them with ordinary sentiment, as was already stated before. Furthermore, according to the trace section, even after conferring prophecies without expressions of understanding, it still belongs to the main body; therefore, relying on the fruit of the first grade of the southern [masters], it is only a general statement to correlate the five grades with the stage of resemblance; the partial fruit and distant fruit must still be pointed to what follows. 'As explained above' points to the text on conferral of prophecy.