法華玄論 7.101

7.101

二種者，有八種二。初明通別二。所言通記者，如〈法師品〉說「若佛在世及滅度後，聞《法華經》一偈一句，一念隨喜皆與授記。」所以然者，唯有一乘無有餘乘，故無異路必得作佛。二者別記，謂於佛前別授劫數之記，如三周說法三根人得授記也。第二二種者，一正因門授記、二緣因門授記。正因門授記者，如常不輕菩薩說，四眾皆當作佛。然此四眾未有信一乘心，但身中有佛性必當作佛。《法華論》釋〈常不輕品〉「一切眾生實有佛性，故當作佛」也。明緣因授記者，如〈法師品〉以信《法華》即是緣因。所以但明此二，佛性者然果，得生唯有二種：一正因、二緣因。如乳有酪性，要具二因：乳為正因、燸等法為緣因。眾生有佛性亦具二因：一者眾生是正因、二者假信解等法以為緣因。是以《法華》但明二因也。《攝大乘論》詺緣因為引出因，即是了因也。緣正二因授記廣狹者，正因則廣，善惡等一切眾生皆有佛性，故正因義廣也；緣因但取有信解心方乃得佛記，故狹也。

Regarding the two kinds, there are eight varieties of twofold [prophecies]. First, explaining the twofold of general and specific. That which is called the general prophecy is as the "Chapter on the Dharma Master" says: "Whether during the Buddha's presence in the world or after his extinction, if one hears a single verse or a single line of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra and rejoices with a single thought, I bestow prophecy upon them all." Why is this so? Because there is only the one vehicle and no other vehicle; therefore, having no different path, they will definitely attain Buddhahood. Second is the specific prophecy, which refers to specifically bestowing a prophecy of kalpa numbers before the Buddha, just as people of the three faculties obtain prophecies in the three cycles of expounding the Dharma. The second [variety of] two kinds: first, bestowing prophecy through the approach of the direct cause; second, bestowing prophecy through the approach of the conditioning cause. Bestowing prophecy through the approach of the direct cause is as Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta said, that the fourfold assembly will all become Buddhas. However, this fourfold assembly did not yet have the mind of faith in the one vehicle; merely because they have Buddha-nature within their bodies, they will definitely become Buddhas. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīkopadeśa explains the "Chapter on Sadāparibhūta": "All sentient beings truly have Buddha-nature, and therefore will become Buddhas." Explaining bestowing prophecy through the conditioning cause: as in the "Chapter on the Dharma Master", having faith in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka is precisely the conditioning cause. Why are only these two explained? Because Buddha-nature is indeed the fruit, and its ability to be generated has only two kinds: first, the direct cause; second, the conditioning cause. Just as milk has the nature of curd, it must possess two causes: milk is the direct cause, and factors such as warmth are conditioning causes. Sentient beings having Buddha-nature also possess two causes: first, sentient beings are the direct cause; second, relying on dharmas such as faith and understanding serves as the conditioning cause. Therefore the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka only explains these two causes. The Mahāyānasaṃgraha-śāstra calls the conditioning cause the eliciting cause (yin-chu-yin), which is precisely the revealing cause. As for the breadth and narrowness of the prophecies of the conditioning and direct causes: the direct cause is broad, as all sentient beings—good, evil, and so forth—all have Buddha-nature, and therefore the meaning of the direct cause is broad; the conditioning cause takes only having a mind of faith and understanding before one then attains the Buddha's prophecy, and therefore it is narrow.