妙法蓮華經玄贊 2.102

2.102

Just as when about to preach the Prajñā[-pāramitā] he also first entered meditative absorption—the Vajracchedikā-sūtra says: “With upright body and correct aspiration, he dwelt in facing mindfulness, and after that preached the sūtra”—so it is here: he first enters the anantanirdeśa-samādhi and later preaches the Lotus of the Dharma, because the substance of the Lotus of the Dharma is precisely immeasurable meanings. The Lotus Samādhi is precisely the anantanirdeśa-samādhi; the Anantanirdeśa-sūtra was preached for bodhisattvas, and the Lotus Sūtra is preached for śrāvakas; immeasurable meanings speaks of the substance, giving birth to immeasurable meanings, while the Lotus of the Dharma speaks of the function, being able to bring forth [beings from] the two vehicles; although substance and function are distinct, they are in fact not two; therefore, about to preach the Lotus of the Dharma, he first entered the anantanirdeśa-samādhi. Below, there is also the realization of the Lotus Samādhi without mentioning the realization of the anantanirdeśa-samādhi, but this is simply the vital point of responding to capacities to save beings, appropriately following the skillful application of fashioning sentient beings; though there are two names, their substances are truly not different. Moreover, it is because teaching, principle, practice, and fruition are distinct, as stated before. Furthermore, he first contemplates the dharma-substance of tathatā, and later preaches the Lotus of the Dharma of causal and fruitional functions.