法華文句記 8.45

8.45

「但於今佛」等者，釋出其意。「亦如今人」等者，非文正意，對退大等一往言之，具足應如「從今現在」已下文是。言「今現在」等者，指佛未開權前也。故知末代一時得聞，聞而生信，事須宿種。「如涅槃中意」者，即十仙等至法華中化道已足，故於涅槃顯露教中取小果者，皆知真實。「大經三文」者，然此三文其言小別其意大同，若至菩提心，必至菩提涅槃，初一是因、後二是果，果中既是智斷二德，故初發心菩薩可指初住分得智斷。然經三文皆云八六四二，豈可因果同經爾許時耶？此且一往故菩提涅槃並通因果，若教仍權但至初住，縱至極果其教亦權，豈必八六等方至極果耶？則與一生八地生身得忍為妨。

Regarding "Only in the presence of the present Buddha" and so forth: this explains the meaning. Regarding "Also like people today" and so forth: this is not the primary meaning of the text, but is stated tentatively in contrast to those who backslide from the Mahāyāna; in full, it should be as in the text below from "From the present onwards." Regarding "The present time" and so forth: this refers to before the Buddha opened the provisional. Thus we know that in the final age, to hear it all at once and, upon hearing, give rise to faith, necessarily requires past seeds. Regarding "Like the intent in the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra]": that is, up to the Lotus Sūtra, the teaching and transformation of the ten ṛṣis and others was already complete; therefore, in the manifest teaching of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, those who attain the lesser fruition all know the real truth. Regarding "The three passages in the Great Scripture": however, while the words of these three passages differ slightly, their intent is largely the same. If one reaches the bodhi-mind, one will certainly reach bodhi and nirvāṇa. The first is the cause, and the latter two are the fruition. In the fruition, there are both the virtue of wisdom and the virtue of severance; therefore, a bodhisattva of initial aspiration can refer to one at the initial abodal stage who partially attains wisdom and severance. However, the three passages of the sūtra all speak of eight, six, four, and two [kalpas]; how could cause and fruition both take that same amount of time? This is merely a tentative statement; hence, bodhi and nirvāṇa apply to both cause and fruition. If the teaching remains provisional, it only reaches the initial abodal stage; even if it reaches the ultimate fruition, its teaching is still provisional. Why must it take eight, six, and so forth before reaching the ultimate fruition? For that would contradict attaining forbearance in a physical body in one lifetime at the eighth ground.