Now in my humble opinion, there are many differences between those scriptures preached by the Buddha during the first forty years or so and the Lotus Sūtra, which was preached during the last eight years. However, what scholars consider to be most important, with which I certainly agree, are the concepts of nijō-sabutsu (obtaining Buddhahood by the Two Vehicles) and kuon-jitsujō (attaining Enlightenment in the eternal past.)
First, as for nijō-sabutsu, it is revealed in the Lotus Sūtra that
Śāripūtra is the future Flower Light Buddha (in chapter 3) while Kāśyapa will be Light Buddha in the future; Subhūti, Beautiful Form Buddha; Kātyāyana, Jāmbūnada Golden Light Buddha; Maudgalyāyana, Tamālapatracandana Fragrance Buddha (chapter 6); Pūrṇa, Law Brightness Buddha (chapter 8); Ananda, Mountain Sea Wisdom Buddha; Rāhula, Stepping On Seven Treasure Flower Buddha; two groups of arhats, 500 and 700 in number respectively, Universal Brightness Buddhas; 2,000 of those who have obtained arhatship and those who have not, Treasure Form Buddhas (chapter 9); and female disciples of Mahā-Prajāpatī and Yaśodharā will be Gladly Seen by All Buddha and Emitting Ten Million Ray Buddha respectively in the future (chapter 13).These people of the Two Vehicles appear to be respected as future Buddhas in the Lotus Sūtra, but are often disappointing in scriptures preached before it, where it is considered that they are unable to ever obtain Buddhahood.
Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 36-37
Daily Dharma for October 6, 2026
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Conceptual Summary
The illustration captures the profound moment in Chapter Twenty-Six of the Lotus Sutra where the Medicine-King Bodhisattva (Yakuō Bosatsu) vows to Śākyamuni Buddha to protect the expounder of the Dharma with sacred dhāraṇī-spells. The composition is rooted in traditional Japanese Buddhist art, evoking the spiritual atmosphere of the Heian or Kamakura periods using aged silk textures, mineral pigments, and subtle gold leaf. Śākyamuni Buddha sits serenely on a multi-tiered lotus throne under the Bodhi tree, his hand raised in the fear-dispelling abhaya mudrā, symbolizing receptivity to the Bodhisattva's devotion. Opposite him, Medicine-King Bodhisattva bows gracefully, offering the sacred teachings represented by an open scroll. From this scripture, ethereal golden swirls and sacred, abstract script ascend into the clouds—visually representing the invisible, nonverbal power of the dhāraṇīs that transcend logical understanding. Attendant Bodhisattvas observe from the celestial mists, reinforcing the communal and cosmic protective force of these unspoken teachings. By avoiding iconic visual associations with other Buddhas, the narrative focuses entirely on this pivotal, intimate exchange, utilizing natural, weathered tones and traditional iconography to ground the scene in sacred Buddhist history.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
Śākyamuni Buddha (釈迦如来, Shaka Nyorai): Seated on the right atop a multi-tiered lotus throne under the Bodhi tree, holding an alms bowl and gesturing in the abhaya mudrā (fearlessness).
Medicine-King Bodhisattva (薬王菩薩, Yakuō Bosatsu): Standing on the left upon a lotus pedestal, adorned in elaborate robes, jewelry, and a crown, offering the dhāraṇī (sacred spells) via a hand-held sutra scroll.
Celestial Attendant Bodhisattvas (菩薩): Faint, reverent figures visible within the swirling clouds in the background, witnessing and supporting the sacred vow.
Item 2: Text Translations:
双子座 (Signature, bottom left): Gemini (lit. "The Twins" / "Gemini" in Kanji).
ジェミニ (Red Square Seal/Hanko, bottom left): Gemini (written in Japanese Katakana).
Thereupon Medicine-King Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One! Now I will give dhāraṇī-spells to the expounder of the Dharma in order to protect him.”
This promise to the Buddha from Medicine-King Bodhisattva comes in Chapter Twenty-Six of the Lotus Sutra. The dhāraṇīs are given in a language that nobody understands any more. But this does not reduce their effectiveness. In the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha declared that his wisdom cannot be reached by understanding alone. There is another, nonverbal aspect of his teaching that we must comprehend. The dhāraṇīs not only give us reassurance that beings we cannot comprehend are helping us to become enlightened, they also remind us to look for the unspoken teachings that are part of the Buddha Dharma.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Women and the the Lotus Sūtra
When I read all the Buddhist scriptures other than the Lotus Sūtra, they leave me without the slightest desire to become a woman. A certain sūtra declares that the woman is a messenger of hell, another sūtra preaches that she is a poisonous snake, one sūtra says that she is like a curved tree, while another sūtra preaches that her seed of Buddhahood has been scorched.
Degrading women is not only found in Buddhist scriptures but also in non-Buddhist scriptures. A man named Yung Ch’i-ch’i in ancient China celebrated the three comforts of life, listing not having been born female in heaven and earth as one of the three.
Moreover, it is said in China the source of misfortune lies with three women (who corrupted the three rulers of ancient China). However, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, “A woman who upholds this sūtra is not only superior to all other women but surpasses all men.”
A woman should be satisfied when the man she loves feels compassion for her, even if others slander her. Likewise, it matters little if people despise you, so long as Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, as well as the Buddhas of manifestation in the worlds throughout the universe, the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, Sun Deity and Moon Deity look after you, how could you be in pain! As long as the Lotus Sūtra praises you, there is no reason to feel ashamed!
Shijō Kingo-dono Nyōbō Gohenji, A Reply to the Wife of Lord Shijō Kingo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7,
Followers II, Pages 121
Daily Dharma for October 5, 2026
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Conceptual Summary
This illustration interprets Nichiren's metaphor from the Senji-shō, visualizing the exponential growth of faith in the Lotus Sutra. The composition uses a 1:1 square ratio and a traditional Japanese ink-on-silk aesthetic with subtle gold dust on the mountain peaks. It illustrates the source text’s central concept: small, persistent actions accumulating into vast spiritual realities. The solitary figure at the beginning represents the "particle of dust" or "drop of water"—Nichiren's initial faith. The winding procession of chanting monks symbolizes the transmission of the sutra to "a million and a billion people." This path culminates in two distinct, immense visual goalposts defined by the text: the glittering Mt. Sumeru of perfect enlightenment and the encompassing great ocean of Nirvāṇa. The image successfully adheres to all negative constraints regarding iconography.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
Nichiren Daishonin: Represented by the primary, solitary monk in the lower left, initiating the chant and the entire process.
The Chanting Multitude: The collective body of monks traversing the path, representing the propagation and shared faith of "two, three, ten, a million and a billion people."
Shakamuni Buddha (Shakyamuni): The central Buddha figure seated on the highest golden lotus on the cloud, representing the eternal Buddha and the teacher of the Lotus Sutra.
Prabhutaratna Buddha (Many Treasures): The Buddha seated to the left (viewer's left) of Shakamuni, appearing in his treasure tower to validate the sutra’s teaching.
A generic Bodhisattva: The figure to the right (viewer's right) of Shakamuni, completing the triad and representing the compassionate activity of spreading the Law. (While often specific Bodhisattvas like Monju or Fugen are used, this figure represents the generic Bodhisattva ideal common to such triads).
Rivers come together to form an ocean. Particles of dust accumulate to become Mt. Sumeru. When I, Nichiren, began having faith in the Lotus Sutra, it was like a drop of water or a particle of dust in Japan. However, when the sutra is chanted and transmitted to two, three, ten, a million and a billion people, it will grow to be a Mt. Sumeru of perfect enlightenment or the great ocean of Nirvāṇa. There is no way other than this to reach Buddhahood.
Nichiren wrote this passage in his essay on Selecting the Right Time (Senji-shō). In our quest for enlightenment, we may become discouraged by the enormity of our task. When we sweep away one delusion, another appears. When we benefit one being, the needs of millions more become clear. Nichiren reminds us persevering though these difficulties and strengthening our faith in the Buddha’s wisdom are more important than any outcome we seek.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Fathoming the Doctrine of the Essential Section
[W]hen the Buddha preached the essential section of the Lotus Sūtra, He displayed omens far superior to the omens presented when the pre-Lotus sūtras and the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra were preached. The severe quakes of the earth when the Stupa of Treasures sprang out of the earth (in the “Beholding the Stupa of Treasures” chapter) and the numerous bodhisattva disciples of the Original Buddha that emerged from the earth simultaneously (“Emergence of Bodhisattvas from the Earth” chapter) created waves as high as mountains that tossed sailing boats around in a stormy ocean as if they were tiny reed leaves.
Therefore, while Bodhisattva Maitreya asked Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to explain the omens shown in the “Introductory” chapter, he asked his question to the Buddha directly regarding the great omens shown in the “Emergence of the Bodhisattvas from the Earth” chapter. Grand Master Miao-lê explains this in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 3, “As for the theoretical section, Mañjuśrī could be trusted, but the essential section is too profound for anyone to conjecture. Therefore, Bodhisattva Maitreya had no one but the Buddha to direct his questions.” Thus, Mañjuśrī had a general understanding regarding the teaching of the theoretical section though the Buddha did not preach it. However, even Mañjuśrī could not fathom the doctrine of the essential section. And yet great omens such as these occurred during the lifetime of the Buddha.
Zuisō Gosho, Writing on Omens, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Pages 124-125
Daily Dharma for October 4, 2026
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Conceptual Summary
This 1:1 square composition, rendered in the traditional Japanese nihonga style with subtle gold leaf, visualizes the moment of transmission from Chapter Two of the Lotus Sutra. The illustration interprets Śākyamuni Buddha's declaration of fearlessness by depicting him performing the Abhaya Mudra (the gesture of reassurance), centered beneath the Bodhi tree. This serene presence embodies a state where greed and jealousy have been eliminated, leading to total fearlessness as described in the source text. He addresses his disciple Śāriputra, who kneels in reverence, looking up with complete reliance and belief. The composition emphasizes the contrast between worldly competition—hinted at by the vast and complex landscape below—and the calm, spiritual satisfaction offered by the Buddha's teachings. By utilizing mineral pigments on a silk texture, the image captures the historical and theological weight of this foundational Buddhist encounter, presenting Śākyamuni not merely as a historical figure but as a realized source of universal benefit.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured: Śākyamuni Buddha (historical Buddha) is seated on the lotus throne, and his disciple Śāriputra is kneeling before him.
Item 2: Text Translations: The Kanji '双子座' in the bottom-left corner translates to "Gemini." The red square seal below contains the Katakana 'ジェミニ', which also translates to "Gemini."
I do not deceive
Those who believe me and rely on me.
I am not greedy or jealous
Because I have eliminated all evils.
Therefore, in the worlds of the ten quarters,
I am fearless.
The Buddha proclaims these verses to his disciple Śāriputra in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sutra. In this world of conflict, people believe that they must constantly strive to show that they are better than everyone else. Acquiring more material goods or a higher rank or position supposedly proves superiority. And if there is an encounter with someone who is better, that person must be brought down. What people do not realize that the source of greed and jealousy is fear. Like the Buddha, we too can eliminate our fears when we are satisfied with what we have and regard superior beings as a source of benefit.
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Believers and Nonbelievers at Same Time.
QUESTION: How can a man with faith be a nonbeliever?
ANSWER: Certain people put faith in the doctrine of the universal existence of the Buddha-nature upon hearing it while still attaching themselves to the pre-Lotus sūtras (in which attainment of Buddhahood by all is not preached). Such people are infatuated with sūtras that do not preach the existence of the Buddha-nature in all people while believing the universal existence of the Buddha-nature. Thus, they are believers and nonbelievers at the same time.
Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarification of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin,
Doctrine 3, Pages 124-125
Daily Dharma for October 3, 2026
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Conceptual Summary
This 1:1 square composition on silk visually interprets the severe warnings and hierarchical distinctions made by Nichiren in his "Response to My Lady the Nun." The central focus is Shaka Nyorai (Sakyamuni Buddha), who embodies the Buddha's highest teaching by holding the Lotus Sutra scroll, from which a vast, radiant light emanates. This light illuminates the path of merit for his assembled disciples and lay followers, including the Nun (Myoho-Renge-Kyo). In stark contrast, the image illustrates the "crime of slandering the True Dharma" by placing other, inferior sutras on par with the Lotus Sutra. Below and to the side, monks and their followers who follow these inferior teachings are shown plummeting "as speedily as a flying arrow" into the fierce, stylized torments of hell. The image excludes Amida and Dainichi Nyorai to focus on Nichiren's emphasis on Shaka Nyorai and the unique status of the Lotus Sutra, avoiding syncretic iconography to highlight this theological absolute.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
The primary central deity is Shaka Nyorai (Sakyamuni Buddha), distinguished by his blue-black spiral curls and simple monastic robes, holding the Lotus Sutra. He is surrounded by attending Bodhisattvas (such as Monju and Fugen, often accompanying Shakyamuni), numerous celestial figures, disciples (monks), and a group of lay followers, including a female figure representing My Lady the Nun (Ama Gozen). Below them are falling figures (both monks and laity) descending into hell.
Item 2: Text Translations:
Kanji signature: 双子座 (Futagoza) - Translation: "Gemini"
Seal text (katakana): ジェミニ (Jemini) - Translation: "Gemini"
(Additional Text present in image): Small text '謗法' (Hōbō) - Translation: "Slandering the Dharma" / "Slander of the Law"
If a person born a commoner states that he is equal to a samurai, he is bound to be punished. If he states that he is equal to or superior to the king, it is not only he himself but also his parents, wife, and children who are bound to be punished. If those who believe that some other sutra is the same as or superior to the Lotus Sutra according to what they believe without knowing the comparative superiority of the sutras, they are happy because their sutras are being praised. However, it will be a crime of slandering the True Dharma, for which priests and their disciples, as well as their lay followers, will all go to hell as speedily as a flying arrow. On the contrary, to say that the Lotus Sutra is superior to all other sutras is no crime at all. Instead it will be an act of great merit because it is so stated in the sutras.
Nichiren wrote this passage in his Response to My Lady the Nun, Mother of Lord Ueno (Ueno-dono Haha-ama Gozen Gohenji). In other writings, Nichiren explains that the superiority of the Lotus Sutra is not due to some inherent magical power it has to get us what we want. The superiority of the Lotus Sutra comes from its embodiment of the Buddha’s highest teaching, the revelation of his Ever-Present existence, and the ability of the Lotus Sūtra to lead all beings to enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Deprived of the Delicacy of the True Dharma
[A]s the world degenerated and the understanding of the people deteriorated, the fine theology of T’ien-t’ai was no longer studied. As other sects grew stronger in devotion, the Tendai Sect was reduced gradually by the six sects of Nara and Shingon until it was no longer equal even to them. … [T]he farms and fiefs of the six Nara sects as well as those of the Tendai and Shingon Sects were all destroyed and the True Dharma of the Lotus disappeared. Not having tasted the delicacy of the True Dharma, such great righteous guardian deities as Goddess Amaterasu, Shōhachiman and Sannō left the land, leaving room for demons to grow in power, and this country was about to crumble.
Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 36
Daily Dharma for October 2, 2026
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Conceptual Summary
The illustration is a visual translation of the 23rd chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, detailing the previous life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. The composition is divided into vertical registers to represent different temporal and spiritual planes. The upper right features Śākyamuni Buddha preaching to an assembly, illustrating the context of the teaching being given to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva. The central figure is Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, consuming his own body in a radiant, golden fire as the supreme offering to the Buddha, a dramatic representation of giving up one's body. Below, in contrast, is the "Sahā-World" full of suffering and conflict. Within this troubled realm, the Bodhisattva is also shown calmly walking among the people, embodying the Sūtra's statement that he does not mind walking about this world to benefit all beings. The transition from the self-immolation above to the compassionate action below visualizes the transformation of self-sacrifice into the developed capacity for active service in the world of conflict.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
Śākyamuni Buddha (Shaka Nyorai): Seated in the upper right, presiding over the assembly.
Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva (Medicine-King Bodhisattva's previous life): The central, larger figure enveloped in flames and light, offering his body.
Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva: Likely depicted among the listening assembly near Śākyamuni Buddha.
Bodhisattva in the Sahā-World: The figure of the Bodhisattva shown walking among the people in the lower section, illustrating his engagement with the world of suffering.
The Assembly: The multitude of monks, bodhisattvas, and celestial beings listening to the Buddha's teaching.
Suffering Beings: The crowd of ordinary people depicted in the lower section, representing the inhabitants of the Sahā-World.
Item 2: Text Translations:
Kanji Signature: '双子座' translated as 'Gemini'.
Red Square Seal (Hanko): 'ジェミニ' translated as 'Gemini'.
What do you think of this? Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva was no one but Medicine-King Bodhisattva of today. He gave up his body in this way, offered it [to the Buddha], and repeated this offering many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of times [in his previous existence]. [He knows that he can practice any austerity in this Sahā-World. Therefore, he does not mind walking about this world.]
The Buddha gives this explanation to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. The story of the previous life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva shows us the capacities we have already developed and are not aware of. When we see ourselves as choosing to come into this world of conflict to benefit all beings, rather than stuck where we do not want to be and just making the best of it, then it is much easier to let go of our delusions.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com