佛祖統紀 34.38

34.38

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).