法華玄論 7.142

7.142

次明諸四句。有前發心後得記；後發心前得記；前發心前得記；後發心後得記。又前發心後成佛、後發心前成佛，如釋迦、彌勒等易解也。次《法華》中大小四句交絡：一者小乘無勝劣、大乘有勝劣。如五百人皆羅漢，故小無勝劣；五百人轉次授記成佛，前後大有勝劣也。二者小有勝劣、大無勝劣，如二千學無學人是也。二千有學及無學故有勝劣，同時成佛故無勝劣也。三者小劣大勝。如阿難得初果而先成佛者，小勝大劣，如羅雲得羅漢後成佛。此四釋五百弟子及學無學授記品盡也。又四句：一者同是無學，得記有前後，如三根羅漢等。二者同是無學，同時得記，如五百羅漢。三者學無學不同，而同時得記，如二千人。四者有學無學不同，得記前後亦不同，如阿難、羅雲等。此四句總攝三周也。

Next, the various fourfold propositions are clarified. There are: generating the thought [of awakening] earlier and receiving prediction later; generating the thought later and receiving prediction earlier; generating the thought earlier and receiving prediction earlier; generating the thought later and receiving prediction later. Furthermore, generating the thought earlier and attaining Buddhahood later, or generating the thought later and attaining Buddhahood earlier, are easily understood, as in the cases of Śākyamuni, Maitreya, and so forth. Next, in the Lotus Sūtra, the fourfold propositions intertwining the Hinayāna and Mahāyāna are: First, the Hinayāna has no superiority or inferiority, whereas the Mahāyāna has superiority and inferiority. For instance, the five hundred disciples are all arhats, so in the Hinayāna there is neither superior nor inferior; yet the five hundred sequentially receive prediction of attaining Buddhahood, so earlier and later in the Mahāyāna have superiority and inferiority. Second, the Hinayāna has superiority and inferiority, whereas the Mahāyāna has no superiority or inferiority, as in the case of the two thousand trainees and non-trainees. Because among the two thousand there are both trainees and non-trainees, there is superiority and inferiority, but because they attain Buddhahood simultaneously, there is neither superior nor inferior. Third, the Hinayāna is inferior while the Mahāyāna is superior. For instance, Ānanda attained the first fruit [of the stream-enterer] and attains Buddhahood first; the Hinayāna is superior while the Mahāyāna is inferior, as Rāhula attains arhatship and attains Buddhahood later. These four fully explain the "Prediction of the Five Hundred Disciples" and the "Prediction of Trainees and Non-Trainees" chapters. Further, another four propositions: First, they are equally non-trainees, but receive prediction earlier and later, as with the arhats of the three capacities, and so forth. Second, they are equally non-trainees and receive prediction simultaneously, as with the five hundred arhats. Third, they differ as trainees and non-trainees, yet receive prediction simultaneously, as with the two thousand disciples. Fourth, they differ as trainees and non-trainees, and their receipt of prediction also differs in earlier and later, as with Ānanda, Rāhula, and so forth. These four propositions comprehensively encompass the three cycles [of preaching].