Day 32 covers Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, closing the Eighth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Having last month covered the promise Sakyamuni makes to those who keep Universal Sage’s name, we now get the promise Sakyamuni makes to those who keep, read and recite the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Universal-Sage! Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dhanna, memorizes it correctly, studies it, practices it, and copies it, should be considered to see me, and hear this sutra from my mouth. He should be considered to be making offerings to me. He should be considered to be praised by me with the word ‘Excellent!’ He should be considered to be caressed by me on the head. He should be considered to be covered with my robe. He will not be attached to worldly pleasures. He will not like to read heretical scriptures or any other writings of heretics. He will not be intimate with heretics, slaughterers, boar-breeders, sheep-breeders, fowl-breeders, dog-­breeders, hunters, prostitutes, or any other evil people. He will be upright. He will have correct memory and the powers of merits and virtues. He will not be troubled by the three poisons. He will not be troubled by jealousy, arrogance from selfishness, arrogance from self-assumed attainment of enlightenment, or arrogance from self-assumed acquisition of virtues. He will want little, know contentment, and practice just as you do.

The Daily Dharma from Jan. 5, 2017, offers this:

He will have correct memory and the powers of merits and virtues. He will not be troubled by the three poisons. He will not be troubled by jealousy, arrogance from selfishness, arrogance from self-assumed attainment of enlightenment, or arrogance from self-assumed acquisition of virtues. He will want little, know contentment, and practice just as you do.

Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Having last month reviewed the father’s reaction to the wonders performed by his two sons, we come to the preparations prior to going to see Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha.

The mother said [to her two sons], ‘I allow you to renounce the world because it is difficult to see a Buddha.’

Thereupon the [father came to them. The] two sons said to their parents, ‘Excellent, Father and Mother! Go to Cloud-Thunderpeal­Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha, see him, and make offerings to him because to see a Buddha is as difficult as to see an udumbara ­flower or as for a one-eyed tortoise to find a hole in a floating piece of wood! We accumulated so many merits in our previous existence that we are now able to meet the teachings of the Buddha in this life of ours. Allow us to renounce the world because it is difficult to see a Buddha, and also because it is difficult to have such a good opportunity as this to see him.’

Thereupon the eighty-four thousand people in th harem of King Wonderful-Adornment became able to keep the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Pure-Eyes Bodhisattva had already practiced the samadhi for the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma for a long time. Pure-Store Bodhisattva had already practiced the samadhi for the release from evil regions in order to release all living beings from evil regions for many hundreds of thousand of billions of kalpas.

Now the queen practiced the samadhi for the assembly of Buddhas, and understood the treasury of their hidden core. The two sons led their father by these expedients and caused him to understand the teachings of the Buddha by faith and to wish [to act according to those teachings].

Recently I’ve been reading “Readings of the Lotus Sutra,” a book of essays on the Lotus Sutra edited by Stephen F. Teiser and Jacqueline I. Stone. One essay, Gender and Hierarchy in the Lotus Sutra, uses the parables of the sutra to conclude that the sutra focuses on children who are clearly inferior to their father in wisdom and realization. And, if you only read the parables of the Burning House, the Rich Man and His Poor Son and the Skillful Physician and His Sick Children that’s a reasonable conclusion. And yet clearly that is not true in Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

Having last month heard Medicine-King Bodhisattva’s dharani spells, we come to Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva.

Thereupon Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva said to the Buddha:

World-Honored One! I also will utter dharanis in order to protect the person who reads, recites and keeps the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. If he keeps these dharanis, this teacher of the Dharma will not have his weak points taken advantage of by any yaksa, raksasa, putana, krtya, kumbhanda or hungry spirit.

Then he uttered spells before the Buddha:

Zarei, makazarei, ukki, mokki, arei, arahatei, netsureitei, netsureitahatei), ichini, ichini, shichini, netsureichini, netsurichihachi.

[He said to the Buddha:]

World-Honored One! These dharanis, these divine spells, have already been uttered by as many Buddhas as there are sands in the River Ganges. Those Buddhas uttered them with joy. Those who attack and abuse this teacher of the Dharma should be considered to have attacked and abused those Buddhas.

And now I have a chance again to play this jazz version of the dharanis.

Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

Having last month enumerated some of the supernatural powers of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva-­mahasattva, we come to my personal favorite promise of the Lotus Sutra:

Those who have much lust will be saved from lust if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much anger will be saved from anger if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much stupidity will be saved from stupidity if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Endless-Intent! World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva has these great supernatural powers. He gives many benefits to all living beings. Therefore, they should constantly think of him.

Among all of my many failings, lust, anger and stupidity have been with me constantly and of all my many benefits from this practice the lessening of those failings, especially anger, has been most pronounced.

The Daily Dharma from Sept. 25, 2016, offers this:

The Buddha gives this description of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Kannon, Kanzeon, Avalokitesvara) to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra. World-Voice-Perceiver is the embodiment of compassion for all beings, the wish that all beings be freed from suffering and realize the enlightenment of the Buddha. This compassion is the antidote to the three poisons of lust, anger and stupidity. By aspiring to the example of World-Voice-Perceiver and awakening our own compassion, we can overcome these poisons and bring benefits to all beings.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com