"The child spreads the father's Dharma"

“It appears that these Four Bodhisattvas are the people who are the disciples of the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya since kalpas as many as the worlds touched or not by the dust particles of five hundred of tens of trillions of nayutas of assamkheyas of great trichiliocosms (gohyaku jinden go)  and who also, from their first arising of the Bodhi Mind, have not adhered to other Buddhas and who have not yet made an appearance in the Two Doctrines [of the Manifestations and the Original].  Tendai says, “He only sees the issuing of vows from the direction below [the Earth]”.  He also says, “These are My disciples; they should spread My Dharma” and so on.  Myoraku says, “The child spreads the father's Dharma."  Tao‑hsien says, “Since the Dharma is the Dharma of the One Who Attained Long Ago, therefore He assigns it to the people of the One Who Attained Long Ago."  It is the Five Characters  Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo  that He yields to these Four People.” (STN, v. 1, 783‑784)