Question: Various sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra adapt their doctrines and merits to the caliber of particular types of beings such as bodhisattvas, gods, and śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha. For whom is the Lotus Sūtra preached?
Answer: The Lotus Sūtra is difficult to understand for anyone except those to whom the dharma is transmitted. This Lotus Sūtra was expounded for all living beings in the Ten Realms including both wicked and virtuous men, the wise and the unwise, those who keep precepts and those who do not, male and female, four kinds of Buddhist devotees (monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen), and the eight kinds of supernatural beings (gods, dragons, yakṣa: devils, gandharava: heavenly musicians, asura, garuda: golden-winged bird, kimnara: heavenly musician, and mahoraga: boas).
The so-called wicked people refer to such people as Devadatta, Wonderful Adornment King and Ajātaśatru King; virtuous people refer to such gods and men as Queen Vaidehi. A wise man is Śāriputra while an unwise man is Cūdapanthaka. Those who keep the precepts refer to śrāvaka and bodhisattvas while those who do not are dragons and other animals. The female means a dragon girl. In general, living beings of the Ten Realms all perceive the teaching of the One Buddha Vehicle expounded in the Perfect teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Scholars who do not understand this say, “The Lotus Sūtra is not the teaching for us ordinary people.” This is indeed awful and against the true intent of the Buddha.
Ichidai Shōgyō Tai-I, Outline of All the Holy Teachings of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin,
Doctrine 3, Page 75-76
Daily Dharma for September 15, 2026
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Conceptual Summary
This 1:1 square illustration captures a pivotal moment from Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sutra, utilizing traditional Japanese Buddhist artistic conventions with mineral pigments, gold leaf, and ink on silk. The composition interprets Śākyamuni Buddha’s verses to Maitreya concerning the sudden emergence of countless "Bodhisattvas from the Earth." The upper section depicts a seated Śākyamuni Buddha, radiating gold and seated on a lotus throne, gesturing with a mudra of teaching towards a standing Maitreya (Ajita) to his right. This visual dynamic captures the Buddha's explanation: "These great Bodhisattvas / Have studied and practiced... They are my sons because I taught them." The lower section illustrates the miraculous event itself, showing countless refined Bodhisattvas rising directly out of the Earth from a split in the ground. Leading them is a distinct figure, identified as Superior Practice Bodhisattva, who raises a staff as if guiding the masses toward the Buddha Land. The background features classical elements like waterfalls, clouds, and ancient pine trees, grounding the metaphysical event in a structured, divine landscape.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
Śākyamuni Buddha (the central seated figure, teaching from a lotus throne).
Maitreya Bodhisattva (Ajita, standing and listening to the Buddha).
Bodhisattva Superior Practice (Jōgyō, the leader of the rising multitude in the foreground).
Bodhisattvas of the Earth (the innumerable host emerging from the ground).
Item 2: Text Translations:
Signature (Lower Right): 双子座 (Futago-za, meaning "Gemini").
Red Seal (Below Signature): ジェミニ (Jemini, representing "Gemini" in Katakana).
Ajita, know this, these great Bodhisattvas
Have studied and practiced
The wisdom of the Buddha
For the past innumerable kalpas.
They are my sons because I taught them
And caused them to aspire for great enlightenment.
The Buddha sings these verses to his disciple Maitreya, also known as Invincible (Ajita) in Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sutra. In the story, great Bodhisattvas have just appeared from under the ground of this world of conflict after the Buddha asks who will continue to teach and practice this Lotus Sūtra after the extinction of the Buddha. None of those gathered to hear the Buddha teach, including other great Bodhisattvas such as Maitreya, had ever seen them before. Late in his life Nichiren realized that he was a reincarnation of Superior-Practice, the leader of the Bodhisattvas from underground, and that we who practice the Lotus Sūtra are his followers. Our lives are much greater than we realize, as are our capacities, our patience, our wisdom and our merit. It is through the Wonderful Dharma that we awaken to all these and clarify the Buddha Land we live in now.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Crossing Sea of Life and Death
Śākyamuni Buddha is the supreme leader and excellent eyes for all the people. He is the bridge that enables them to cross the river of evil passions; He is the skipper who guides them over the sea of life and death; and He is the fertile field in which they plant the seed of merits. The so-called Four Sages of Confucianism and Three Hermits of Brahmanism, despite their worthy names, are actually unenlightened ordinary men unable to rid themselves of the Three Delusions (all delusions and evil passions). Although their names suggest that they are wise men, in reality they are as ignorant as infants, who know nothing of the principle of cause and effect. How can we cross the sea of life and death aboard a ship steered by such men? How can we pass through the winding street in the Six Realms over to the world of Nirvana by means of a bridge constructed by such men? Our Śākyamuni has already crossed the sea of life and death for arhats, not to speak of that for the unenlightened. He has already extinguished fundamental ignorance, not to speak of delusions in view and thought arising from it.
Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 32
Daily Dharma for September 14, 2026
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Conceptual Summary
This illustration visually interprets the passage from the Lotus Sūtra by focusing on the resolve of doubt through the Buddha's teaching. Center stage is Śākyamuni Buddha, the primary teacher of the sutra, depicted in the gesture of teaching (Vitarka Mudra) under the Bodhi tree on Vulture Peak. To visualize the source text's core theme, the "Three Vehicles" are represented by a diverse assembly of listeners. These include tonsured monks (representing the Śrāvaka Vehicle), a solitary practitioner figure with a staff (the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle), and Mahayana Bodhisattvas (the Bodhisattva Vehicle). Their upward gaze and respectful stance indicate a moment of inquiry and receptive listening. Crucially, Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, who declares the foundational verses in the text, is positioned to the Buddha’s left on a lion, holding a sword to cut through ignorance and a sutra scroll representing the source of the answers. The overall composition signifies an open, successful dialogue between sincere questioning and perfectly resolved dharma teaching.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
Śākyamuni Buddha (釈迦如来, historical Buddha)
Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva (文殊菩薩, atop a lion)
A Group representing the Śrāvakas (Disciple-hearers; monks in robes)
A figure representing a Pratyekabuddha (Lone Realizer)
A Group representing Mahayana Bodhisattvas (bejeweled celestial figures)
Item 2: Text Translations:
The Kanji signature ‘双子座’: Gemini / Gemini Constellation
The Red Seal (hanko) text ‘ジェミニ’: Gemini (written in Katakana)
The Buddha will remove
Any doubt of those who seek
The teaching of the Three Vehicles.
No question will be left unresolved.
Mañjuśrī declares these verses at the end of Chapter One of the Lotus Sūtra. They remind us how important questions are to what the Buddha teaches. Questions come up throughout the book, and they lead to many important aspects of this Wonderful Dharma. It is important for us to ask questions respectfully whenever we hear a teaching, knowing that we will find an answer.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Merit of Upholding Even One Verse of the Lotus Sūtra
According to the scriptural statement and its interpretations by T’ien-t’ai and Miao-lê, the merit of upholding or protecting even one verse of the Lotus Sūtra is superior to that of giving offerings to all living beings, arhats, or all Buddhas with the seven treasures that spill over all the worlds in the universe. The “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter states, “The merit of upholding a stanza or a verse of the Lotus Sūtra is the greatest, to which none can compare.” T’ien-t’ai declares, “A man is light while the Dharma is heavy,” and Miao-lê, “The four stages of birth, rearing, growth and prosperity are different from one another, but they are all based on the Dharma.” Comparing all the living beings in the nine realms against Buddhas (in the realm of Buddhas), the merit of all the living beings is as light as a strand of hair while that of Buddhas is as heavy as a great mountain. Comparing Buddhas against the Lotus Sūtra, on the other hand, the merit of Buddhas is as light as the Brahma King’s robe while one character of the Lotus Sūtra is as heavy as the great earth. When T’ien-t’ai said that a man was light and the Dharma was heavy, he called a Buddha a man and the Lotus Sūtra the Dharma. The sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra and commentaries on them all praise the merit of Buddhas. These writings are like Buddhas. The Lotus Sūtra, on the contrary, extols the merit of the sūtra; it is like the parents of the Buddha, the parents who gave birth to those Buddhas.
Hōkyō Hōjū Ji, The Dharma Is More Precious Than Treasures, Wooden Statues or Portraits, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 100
Daily Dharma for September 13, 2026
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Conceptual Summary
This 1:1 square composition on aged silk interprets the Lotus Sūtra's teaching on skillful means through a two-tiered narrative structure, adhering to the stylistic requirements of classical Japanese Buddhist art. The upper, celestial realm depicts Śākyamuni Buddha (carefully distinguished from Amida or Dainichi) presiding over a grand assembly of Bodhisattvas and Arhats, symbolizing the source of the "Wonderful Dharma." A divine light connects this heavenly realm to the earthly scene below. In the lower section, a practitioner, unsuccessful in sharing the formal sūtra (right side), pivots to use "Expedient Teachings" (left side)—labeled as '方便' (hōben)—to teach a diverse group of laypeople, causing them to rejoice. This narrative flow precisely captures the source text’s instruction to use other profound teachings when faith is lacking, ultimately showing how this compassionate action repays the Buddha’s favors.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
Śākyamuni Buddha (Seated on a lotus throne beneath a canopy).
Major Bodhisattvas (Including, by implication, Avalokiteśvara and Samantabhadra, flanking Śākyamuni).
The Great Assembly (A multitude of Bodhisattvas and Arhats on clouds).
The Sūtra Practitioner (Monk in blue and gold robes).
The Unreceptive Listener (Monk with scroll, turning away).
The Skillful Teacher (Monk presenting the Expedient Teachings).
A Group of Laypeople/Seekers (Varied clothing, receiving the alternative teachings with interest and joy).
Item 2: Text Translations:
Inscriptions: '講授 報佛恩 妙法' (Preaching the Wonderful Dharma to repay the Buddha's favors).
Left Narrative Text: '方便' (Expedient Means / Skillful Means).
Right Narrative Text: '方便' (Expedient Means) and '重法' (Venerable Dharma / Profound Teachings).
Signature (Lower Right Corner): '双子座' (Gemini).
Hanko Seal: 'ジェミニ' (Jemini).
When you see anyone who does not receive [this sūtra] by faith, you should show him some other profound teachings of mine, teach him, benefit him, and cause him to rejoice. When you do all this, you will be able to repay the favors given to you by the Buddhas.
The Buddha gives these instructions in Chapter Twenty-Two of the Lotus Sūtra. They remind us to be patient with those whom we work to benefit. Even though they may not be ready to hear the Wonderful Dharma, we can use the Expedient Teachings to prepare them for the Buddha’s highest teaching. When we are assured that countless beings are helping us all to become enlightened, we are less likely to be disappointed in the progress that we see.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Revealing Truth and Merging Provisional
As no Mahāyāna sūtras except one preach on the basis of the doctrine of “revealing the truth and merging all the provisional,” neither the doctrine of obtaining Buddhahood for the Two Vehicles nor that of attainment of Buddhahood by Śākyamuni Buddha in the eternal past is preached in them. The Lotus Sūtra on the other hand, is expounded on the basis of the “revealing the truth and merging all the provisional” doctrine, thus both doctrines of attaining Buddhahood by the Two Vehicles and the attainment of Buddhahood by Śākyamuni Buddha in the eternal past are revealed in it. Accordingly, it would be the sin of slandering the dharma for followers of those Mahāyāna sūtras to criticize the Lotus Sūtra, but criticism of those Mahāyāna sūtras by believers of the Lotus Sūtra does not constitute slander of the dharma.
Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarification of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 122-123
Daily Dharma for September 12, 2026
Show Gemini's thinking
Conceptual Summary
This 1:1 square composition on silk visually translates the 21st chapter of the Lotus Sūtra by focusing on the active transformation of the Bodhisattva through the transmission of the Dharma. The image center features Śākyamuni Buddha (Shaka Nyorai) instructing Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo). This transmission is symbolized by the elegant, dynamic visual metaphor of calligraphic characters and golden light swirling upward into boundless, open sky. This motion interprets the core promise of the source text: that the eloquence of one who keeps the sūtra will be as unhindered as the wind. This powerful, upward wind of the Dharma breaks through static traditional boundaries (implied in the composition), illustrating the shift from isolated attachment to active engagement for the benefit of all beings. The palette of mineral pigments and soft golds evokes the sacred depth of the 'Wonderful Dharma,' depicting a moment where internal realization breaks forth into compassionate speech.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
Śākyamuni Buddha (Shaka Nyorai, central seated figure)
Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo Bosatsu, kneeling figure receiving the teaching)
Retinue of unnamed Bodhisattvas (appearing in the background and surrounding the main interaction)
Item 2: Text Translations:
Kanji signature (bottom right): 双子座 (Gemini)
Red seal inscription (bottom right): ジェミニ (Gemini)
Anyone who keeps this sūtra
Will be able to expound
The meanings of the teachings,
And the names and words [of this sūtra].
Their eloquence will be as boundless
And as unhindered as the wind in the sky.
The Buddha sings these verses to Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo, Viśiṣṭacārītra) in Chapter Twenty-One of the Lotus Sūtra. This teaching transforms us from beings who exist for our own comfort and awakens our true nature as Bodhisattvas: beings who exist for the benefit of all beings. This transition requires that we engage with these other beings and break out of the isolation of our own attachments. The first step is simply to listen, to be present and accept whatever the world has to offer. But at some point we need to speak. It can be difficult to know what to say. But with this Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra, we find that because it embodies the Buddha’s highest wisdom, so long as we transmit what it has taught us, we will always have ways to use it to benefit other beings and bring this teaching to life in our world.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Preparing the Way to Buddhism
[T]he most important thing for non-Buddhist teachings is, like Confucianism, to prepare the way to Buddhism. This is why some non-Buddhists maintain that the Buddha will be born 1,000 years later, while others insist on 100 years later. It is said, therefore, in the Nirvana Sūtra that what is written in all the non-Buddhist scriptures is nothing but the teaching of the Buddha. Again, it is said in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter eight, “Assurance of Future Buddhahood,” that disciples of the Buddha sometimes pretend to be contaminated with the Three Poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance or show the heretic view denying the law of cause and effect as an expedient means to save the people.
Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 32
Daily Dharma for September 11, 2026
Show Gemini's thinking
Conceptual Summary
The illustration is a direct visual translation of the Lotus Sūtra excerpt describing the vast and varied nature of those seeking enlightenment. Centered under the Bodhi tree, Śākyamuni Buddha is depicted in the Vitarka Mudra, representing the teaching and discussion of the Dharma. Surrounding him is a diverse multitude—including monks, warriors, farmers, children, and even non-human beings—which visually confirms that the path to enlightenment is open to all, as emphasized in the provided text. The traditional 1:1 composition, the muted mineral pigments on a textured silk background, and the subtle use of gold leaf create a sacred and historical atmosphere suitable for classical Buddhist iconography, illustrating the universal vow of the Bodhisattva to benefit every being across time (kalpas).
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
The illustration features a central representation of Śākyamuni Buddha seated in meditation under the Bodhi tree. He is surrounded by a large, heterogeneous assembly including members of the monastic community (bhikkhus), lay men and women from various walks of life (such as a samurai warrior, farmers carrying tools, and a mother with a child), children, and non-human entities resembling spirits or yōkai, representing the "all beings" to whom the Bodhisattva vow is addressed.
Item 2: Text Translations:
Kanji Signature: 双子座 (Futagoza) – Translated as "Gemini."
Hanko Seal: ジェミニ (Jemini) – Translated as "Gemini" (rendered in katakana).
Those who seek the enlightenment of the Buddha
Are as various as previously stated.
A kalpa will not be long enough
To describe the variety of them.
The Buddha speaks these verses in Chapter Three of the Lotus Sūtra. We may believe that only some kinds of people will hear the teaching of the Buddha. In this passage the Buddha reminds us that we cannot predict who will be able to join us in our practice and who will not. This is why it is so important to maintain our vow as Bodhisattvas to benefit all beings.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com