大般涅槃經義記 3.80

3.80

就下請問弘護人中，「誰能聽等」正問其人，「唯願」已下請佛宣說，「令菩薩」下明說利益。准依《地持》，此以護法為增上緣，故得不退菩提之心。下佛答之，先嘆、後辨。人別有十，前九在於善趣已上乃至法雲，後一是其善趣已前初發心人。以善趣上於佛滅後交能護法，是以先論；初發心者久乃方堪，故迴後說。就前九中，初五是其善趣菩薩，後四是其四依之人。

In the passage below requesting to know about the persons who propagate and protect: "who can hear and so forth" directly asks about the persons; from "I only pray" downward requests the Buddha to expound it; from "so that bodhisattvas" downward explains the benefit of expounding it. In accordance with the Bodhisattvabhūmi, this uses protecting the Dharma as a predominant condition, and therefore they attain non-retrogression of the mind of bodhi. Below, the Buddha answers him, first praising and then distinguishing [the persons]. There are ten distinct persons: the first nine are at or above the good destinies up to the Dharma Cloud [ground]; the last one is a person of initial aspiration prior to the good destinies. Because those at or above the good destinies are fully able to protect the Dharma after the Buddha's extinction, they are discussed first; those of initial aspiration become capable only after a long time, and so are deferred to the end. Among the first nine, the first five are bodhisattvas of the good destinies, and the latter four are persons of the four reliances.