Day 26 concludes Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, includes Chapter 22, Transmission, and introduces Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.

Having last month completed the task of transmitting the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to the Bodhisattvas who sprang up from underground, it’s time to discuss The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.

Thereupon Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva said to the Buddha:

World-Honored One! Why does Medicine-King Bodhisattva walk about this Saha-World? World-Honored One! This Medicine­King Bodhisattva will have to practice hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of austerities in this world. World-Honored One! Tell me why! Not only the gods, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kirnnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings but also the Bodhisattvas who have come from the other worlds and the Sravakas present here will be glad to hear the reason.

Before proceeding I want to underscore the purpose in discussing Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva austerities, I want to over this overview from Rev. Ryusho Jeffus’ Lecture on the Lotus Sutra:

In Chapter 23, the Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, the Buddha tells Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva that there is no suffering that cannot be overcome through the practice of the Lotus Sutra. Just as a man who is thirsty is able to quench that thirst when he reaches a pond, so too can we overcome any tribulation. It is here that the Buddha talks about a torch dispelling darkness as well as eliminating the sufferings from diseases and breaking the bonds of birth and death.

When I am working in the hospital as a chaplain I carry an amulet that I dedicated solely for the purpose of healing for all the sick patients I visit. On that amulet I have the phrase “this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma saves all living beings from all sufferings, from all diseases.” It is my ongoing prayer for the health of all the people I visit in the hospital as well as the physicians and nurses who administer care to those patients.
Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.

Having last month introduced Powerful­-Voice-King Buddha, we meet Never-Despising Bodhisattva.

There lived arrogant bhisus in the age of the counterfeit of the right teachings of the first Powerful-Voice-King Tathagata, that is, after the end of the age of his right teachings which had come immediately after his extinction. [Those arrogant bhiksus] were powerful. At that time there lived a Bodhisattva called Never­Despising. He took the form of a bhiksu.

Great-Power-Obtainer! Why was this bhiksu called Never­Despising? It was because, every time he saw bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas or upasikas, he bowed to them and praised them, saying, ‘I respect you deeply. I do not despise you. Why is that? lt is because you will be able to practice the Way of Bodhisattvas and become Buddhas.’

He did not read or recite sutras. He only bowed to the four kinds of devotees. When he saw them in the distance, he went to them on purpose, bowed to them, and praised them, saying, ‘I do not despise you because you can become Buddhas.’

A quote from Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1, underlines the importance of Never-Despising Bodhisattva, who took the form of a bhiksu:

The Buddha, in a previous life as Never-Despising Bodhisattva, is frequently used as an inspiration for how we honor the lives of all beings, bowing to the Buddha in each life. Yet, this Bodhisattva also is an inspiration for the courage to practice in less than ideal circumstances.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1

Day 24 concludes Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma and closes the Sixth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Having covered the merits of the body, we come to the merits of the mind.

Furthermore, Constant-Endeavor! The good men or women who keep, read, recite expound or copy this sutra after my extinction, will be able to obtain twelve hundred merits of the mind. When they hear even a gatha or a phrase [of this sutra] with their pure minds, the will be able to understand the innumerable meanings [of this sutra]. When they understand the meanings [of this sutra] and expound even a phrase or a gatha [of this sutra] for a month, four months, or a year, their teachings will be consistent with the meanings [of this sutra], and not against the reality of all things. When they expound the scriptures of non-Buddhist schools, or give advice to the government, or teach the way to earn a livelihood, they will be able to be in accord with the right teachings of the Buddha. They will be able to know all the thoughts, deeds, and words, however meaningless, of the living beings of the on thousand million Sumeru-worlds each of which is composed of the six regions. Although they have not yet obtained the wisdom-without-asravas, they will be able to have their minds purified as previously stated. Whatever they think, measure or say will be all true, and consistent not only with my teachjngs but also with the teachings that the past Buddhas have already expounded in their sutras.

The Daily Dharma from Nov. 3, 2016, offers this:

When they expound the scriptures of non-Buddhist schools, or give advice to the government, or teach the way to earn a livelihood, they will be able to be in accord with the right teachings of the Buddha.

Next month the final gathas.

Day 23 covers all of Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, and opens Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma.

Having last month begun the discussion of the merits of the 50th person who rejoices at hearing the Lotus Sutra, we now continue listing those merits.

“Ajita! The merits of the fiftieth person who rejoices at hearing this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma are immeasurable, limitless, asamkhya. Needless to say, so are the merit of the first person who rejoices at hearing [this Sutra] in the congregation. His merits are immeasurable, limitless, asamkhya and incomparable.

“Furthermore, Ajita! Anyone who goes to a monastery in order to hear this Sutra and hears it even for a moment while he is sitting or standing, in his next life will be able to go up to the palace of heaven, riding in a beautiful and wonderful elephant-cart or horsecart or in a palanquin of wonderful treasure by his merits. Anyone who, while sitting in the place of the expounding of the Dharma, persuades another person to sit down or shares his seat with him to hear [the Dharma] when he sees him coming to the place, in his next life by his merits, will be able to obtain the seat of King Sakra, of the Brahman Heavenly-King or of a wheel-turning­holy-king.

“Ajita! Anyone who[, while he is staying outside the place of the expounding of the Dharma,] says to another person, ‘Let us go and hear the sutra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma which is being expounded [in that place],’ and causes him to hear it even for a moment, in his next life by his merits, will be able to live with the Bodhisattvas who obtain dharanis. He will be clever and wise. He will not be dumb throughout thousands of millions of his future existences. His breath will not be foul. He will have no disease of the tongue or the mouth. His teeth will not be defiled, black, yellow, few, fallen out, uneven or crooked. His lips will not be pendulous, shrunk, chapped, cracked, broken, distorted, thick, large, yellow-black or loathsome. His nose will not be flat or awry. His face will not be black, long, distorted or displeasing. His lips, tongue and teeth will be well-shaped; his nose, long, high and straight. His face will be full; his eyebrows, thick and long; and his forehead, broad and even. In a word, he will have all the good features of a man. He will be able to see the Buddhas, hear the Dharma from them, and receive their teachings by faith throughout his future existences.

“Ajita, look! The merits of the person who causes even a single man to go and hear the Dharma are so many. It is needless to speak of the merits of the person who hears [this sutra] with all his heart, reads it, recites it, expounds it to the great multitude, and acts according to its teachings.

The Daily Dharma from Nov. 7, 2015, offers this:

Ajita, look! The merits of the person who causes even a single man to go and hear the Dharma are so many. It is needless to speak of the merits of the person who hears [this sūtra] with all his heart, reads it, recites it, expounds it to the great multitude, and acts according to its teachings.