法華義疏 3.363

3.363

「舍利弗」下，第四、勸信奉持門。所以有此文來者，凡有三義：一者：釋疑。疑云：初說三乘後說一乘則成妄語，云何可信？為釋此疑故勸信。二者、上示一乘真實、三乘方便及顯得失，今次明勸信，即令捨失從得信受奉持。三者、近接上生，若遇餘佛便得決了文生，終無有畢竟永住羅漢，必須聞《法華經》後當作佛，汝等大眾及今值佛復得聞經，早須信受也。

From "Śāriputra" below is the fourth section, the gate of encouraging belief and respectful practice. There are three reasons why this passage appears: First, to resolve doubts. The doubt is: "If you taught the triyāna first and now teach the ekayāna later, this constitutes false speech; how can it be trusted?" Belief is urged in order to resolve this doubt. Second, the preceding text demonstrated that the ekayāna is real and the triyāna is upāya, and revealed gain and loss; now, next, encouraging belief is explained, which causes them to abandon loss, pursue gain, and faithfully receive and practice it. Third, this immediately follows the preceding text: it arises from the text stating that if they meet another Buddha they will then attain resolution—there has never ultimately been an arhat who remains forever so; they must hear the Lotus Sūtra and afterwards become Buddhas. You in the great assembly, who now have met the Buddha and are again able to hear the sūtra, must believe and receive it promptly.