妙法蓮華經玄贊 4.232

4.232

贊曰：得果已思，佛成道已樹下經行，觀樹喜自道圓，經行思惟利物。又觀樹心凝妙理，經行想化群生。又觀樹想蔭四生，經行思施福慧。諸經說佛成道已後說法時節各各不同，此云三七日，《彌沙塞律》三昧七日，與《十地經》同，七日不說法，顯示自受法樂故，為令眾生增愛敬故。律及薩婆多傳過六七四十二日方說法，梵天來請，憍陳如等根方熟故。又有說云，夏安居後方度五人。《十二由經》成道後二年方度五人。《智度論》說五十箇七日不說法。此皆諸部宜見不同，未可和會。然今解者，大乘以《法華》為正，此說通行四諦法輪故三七日。若唯說大乘法輪，《十地》為正，第二七日說十地故。

The Commentary says: On reflecting after having attained the fruit: after the Buddha attained awakening, he walked in meditation under the tree, observing the tree and rejoicing that his own path was complete, walking in meditation and contemplating how to benefit beings. Again, observing the tree, his mind was concentrated on the wondrous principle; walking in meditation, he thought of converting the multitude of living beings. Again, observing the tree, he thought of sheltering the four kinds of born beings; walking in meditation, he considered bestowing merit and wisdom. The various sūtras describe the time period after the Buddha attained awakening before he taught the Dharma differently from one another: here it says three weeks (twenty-one days); the Mahīśāsaka Vinaya says seven days in samādhi, the same as the Daśabhūmika-sūtra, where for seven days he did not teach the Dharma, in order to display that he himself enjoyed the bliss of the Dharma and to cause sentient beings to increase their love and reverence. The Vinaya and Sarvāstivāda traditions say that it was only after six times seven, forty-two days, that he taught the Dharma, because Brahmā came to entreat him and the faculties of Ājñātakauṇḍinya and the others were only then ripe. There is also a tradition that he only delivered the five men after the summer retreat. The Twelve-Year Sūtra says he delivered the five men only two years after attaining awakening. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says he did not teach the Dharma for fifty times seven days. These are all differing traditions according to what was appropriate for the various schools, and they cannot be harmonized. However, the present interpretation is that the Mahāyāna takes the Lotus Sūtra as standard; this refers to the common turning of the wheel of the Four Noble Truths, hence three weeks. If it were solely the turning of the Mahāyāna wheel of Dharma, the Daśabhūmika is standard, because in the second week he taught the ten stages.