佛祖統紀 34.38

34.38

四十六年第五法華涅槃時。開前一頓三漸會入非頓非漸。以不同聾瘂故非頓。不約三時故非漸。諸部圓教並不須開。但是部內兼但對帶。故不及法華淳一無雜。約時則日輪當午罄無側影。約味則從熟酥出醍醐（法華八年）。

The forty-sixth year: the fifth, the Lotus and Nirvāṇa period. Opening the previous one sudden and three gradual teachings, converging them into the neither sudden nor gradual. Because it is unlike [the state of] the deaf-mutes, it is not sudden; because it is not divided into three periods, it is not gradual. The perfect teachings across all sections need not be opened at all; however, within those sections, [the perfect] was combined with, solely accompanied by, set against, or carried alongside [other teachings], so they were not equal to the pure, unmixed nature of the Lotus. In terms of time, the solar disk is directly at noon with not a single slant shadow. In terms of flavor, it corresponds to drawing ghee from clarified butter (eight years of the Lotus).