法華玄論 7.125

7.125

答：就《法華》明亦具四也。常不輕授四眾記，謂未發心而授也，以四眾未發菩提心故。又〈化城品〉云「我滅度後復有弟子不聞是經，於自功德生滅度想入於涅槃，我於餘土作佛為說是經，故發心作佛。」是名未發心授記，即用此文。又是不現前授記也。發心授記者，約迹言之，三根聲聞並發菩提心信解一乘，故與授記。現前授記者，第四卷云「是千二百羅漢我今現前次第與授記」也。

Answer: In terms of the Lotus Sūtra, all four are also fully present. Sadāparibhūta's bestowing prophecies upon the four assemblies refers to bestowing them before they have generated the aspiration, because the four assemblies had not yet generated the bodhicitta. Furthermore, the 'Chapter on the Conjured City' states: 'After my extinction, there will be other disciples who do not hear this sūtra; giving rise to the notion of extinction regarding their own merits, they will enter nirvāṇa. I will become a buddha in other lands and preach this sūtra for them, so they will generate the aspiration to become buddhas.' This is called a prophecy before generating the aspiration; it draws on this passage. It is also a prophecy not face-to-face. As for the prophecy upon generating the aspiration, speaking in terms of the traces, the śrāvakas of the three capacities all generated the bodhicitta and faithfully understood the one vehicle, so they were given prophecies. As for the prophecy face-to-face, the fourth fascicle states: 'These one thousand two hundred arhats—I now bestow prophecies upon them face-to-face in sequence.'