法華義疏 8.140

8.140

第三能授記人門者，此經授記人有二：一者、佛授記；二、常不輕菩薩授記。此二不同者，佛具授通、別兩記。言別記者，如來具三達智，知此人未來成佛久近，故與其劫數之記，如授三根人記等，故名別記。言通記者，如〈法師品〉云「聞《法華經》一念隨喜皆與授記」，而不說其劫數久近，以去佛道長遠義故但與通記。常不輕菩薩迹居因位、三達未圓，故但得與通記不得授別記也。

Third, regarding the gate of persons capable of conferring prophecy: in this sūtra, there are two persons who confer prophecy: first, the Buddha confers prophecy; second, Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta confers prophecy. The difference between these two is that the Buddha confers both general and specific prophecies in full. As for specific prophecy: the Tathāgata possesses the threefold clear knowledge and knows whether this person will attain Buddhahood in the near or distant future; therefore, he gives them a prophecy of the number of kalpas, as in conferring prophecy on persons of the three faculties, and so it is called a specific prophecy. As for general prophecy: as the "Dharma Master Chapter" says, "Those who hear the *Lotus Sūtra* and rejoice in accord for a single thought-moment are all conferred with prophecy," yet it does not specify the length or brevity of their kalpas; because it is far distant from the Buddha Path, he gives only a general prophecy. Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta traces his position to the causal stage and his threefold clear knowledge is not yet complete, so he can only give general prophecies and cannot confer specific prophecies.