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.

Last month, I covered the opening of the chapter and Sakyamuni’s explanation of the four things one must do to obtain the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

What comes next is Universal-Sage Bodhisattva’s great vow:

Thereupon Universal-Sage Bodhisattva said to the Buddha:

World-Honored One! If anyone keeps this sutra in the defiled world in the later five hundred years after [your extinction], I will protect him so that he may be free from any trouble, that he may be peaceful, and that no one may take advantage [of his weak points]. Mara, his sons, his daughters, his subjects, his attendant , yaksas, raksasas, kumbhandas, pisacakas, krtyas, putanas, vetadas or other living beings who trouble men shall not take advantage [of his weak points]. If anyone keeps, reads and recites this sutra while he walks or stands, I will mount a kingly white elephant with six tusks, go to him together with great Bodhisattvas, show myself to him, make offerings to him, protect him, and comfort him, because I wish to make offerings to the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. If he sits and thinks over this sutra, I also will mount a kingly white elephant and appear before him. If he forgets a phrase or a gatha of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, I will remind him of it, and read and recite it with him so that he may be able to understand it. Anyone who keeps, reads and recites the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [after your extinction], will be able to see me with such joy that he will make more efforts. Because he sees me, he will he able to obtain samadhis and a set of dharanis. The set of dharanis will be the dharanis by which he can memorize repetitions of teachings, the dharanis by which he can memorize hundreds of thousands of billions of repetitions of teachings, and the dharanis by which he can understand the expediency of the voice of the Dharma.

Someday I’ll illustrate a great bodhisattva riding a kingly white elephant with six tusks. Each day when I recite the Lotus Sutra in Shindoku in the morning and again in the evening when I recite it in English I remember the promise of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva to ride to my rescue when I stumble and help me understand.

Next month: Captivating women.

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

This is one of my favorite chapters. In the two previous months I covered the most important aspects of this chapter – the role of the children as teachers and the outcome of their effort.

An aspect of this chapter that I haven’t commented on before is the ongoing nature of everything. This is not limited to this chapter. It recurs throughout the Lotus Sutra. What was done before sets the stage for today. And today shapes tomorrow.

At the start we learn:

Innumerable, inconceivable, asamkhya kalpas ago, there lived a Buddha called Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom, the Tathagata, the Arhat, the Samyak-sambuddha. His world was called Light-Adornment; the kalpa in which he lived, Gladly-Seen. Under that Buddha lived a king called Wonderful-Adornment. His wife was called Pure-Virtue. They had two sons, Pure-Store and Pure­Eyes by name. The two sons had great supernatural powers, merits, virtues and wisdom. A long time ago, they had already practiced the Way which Bodhisattva should practice.

In the middle we see:

Thereupon Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha said to King Wonderful-Adornment, ‘So it is, so it is. It is just as you say. The good men or women who plant the roots of good will obtain teachers in their successive lives. The teachers will do the work of the Buddha, show the Way [to them], teach them, benefit them, cause them to rejoice, and cause them to enter into the Way to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Great King, know this! A teacher is a great cause [of your enlightenment] because he leads you, and causes you to see a Buddha and aspire for Anuttara­-samyak-sambodhi. Great King! Do you see these two sons of yours, or not? They made offerings to six trillion and five hundred thousand billion Buddhas, that is, as many Buddhas as there are sands in the River Ganges, in their previous existence. They attended on those Buddhas respectfully. They kept the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma under those Buddhas, and caused the people of wrong views to have right views out of their compassion towards them.’

And at the end it is revealed:

The Buddha said to the great multitude:

What do you think of this? King Wonderful-Adornment was no one but Flower-Virtue Bodhisattva of today. Queen Pure-Virtue was no one but the Light-Adornment-Appearance Bodhisattva who is now before me. She appeared in that world out of her compassion towards King Wonderful-Adornment and his attendants. The two sons were Medicine-King Bodhisattva and Medicine-Superior Bodhisattva of today. Medicine-King Bodhisattva and Medicine-Superior Bodhisattva have already obtained those great merits. Because they planted the roots of virtue under many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas [in their previous existence], they obtained those inconceivable merits. All gods and men in the world should bow to those who know the names of these two Bodhisattvas.

Yesterday, today and tomorrow: Neverending.

Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

After discussing the merits to be “given to the good men or women who keep, read, recite, understand or copy the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma,” I discussed those offering dharani spells who were singled out to receive merit for their efforts by the Buddha.

But the Dharanis are not given for the purpose of gaining merit. They will protect the teacher of the Dharma.

Thereupon Medicine-King Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One! Now I will give dharani-spells to the expounder of the Dharma’ in order to protect him.”

Then he uttered spells:

“Ani, mani, manei, mamanei, shirei, sharitei, shamya, shabi-tai, sentei, mokutei, mokutabi, shabi, aishabi, obi, shabi, shaei, ashaei, agini, sentei, shabi, darani, arokya-basai-hahabi-shani, neibitei, abentaraneibitei, atantahareishudai, ukurei, mukurei, ararei, hararei, shukyashi, asammasambi, botsudabikirijittei, darumaharishitei, sogyanekkushanei, bashabashashudai, mantara , mantarashayata, urntaurota, kyosharya, ashara, ashayataya, abaro, amanyanataya”

[He said to the Buddha:]

“World-Honored One! These dharanis, these divine spells, have already been uttered by six thousand and two hundred million Buddhas, that is, as many Buddhas as there are sands in the River Ganges. Those who attack and abuse this teacher of the Dharma should be considered to have attacked and abused those Buddhas.”

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

Yesterday I discussed the transformations of Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva as he expounds the Lotus Sutra in the Saha World. Today, I’ll do the same for Wonderful-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

Endless-Intent Bodhisattva said to the Buddha:

World-Honored One! How does World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva go about this Saha-World? How does he expound the Dharma to the living beings? What expedients does he employ?

The Buddha said to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva:

Good man! In a certain world, World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva takes the shape of a Buddha and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Buddha. He takes the shape of a Pratyekabuddha and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Pratyekabuddha. He takes the shape of a Sravaka and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Sravaka. He takes the shape of King Brahman and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by King Brahman. He takes the shape of King Sakra and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by King Sakra. He takes the shape of Freedom God and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by Freedom God. He takes the shape of Great-Freedom God and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by Great-Freedom God. He takes the shape of a great general in heaven and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a great general in heaven. He takes the shape of Vaisravana and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by Vaisravana. He takes the shape of the king of a small country and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by the king of a small country. He takes the shape of a rich man and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a rich man. He takes the shape of a householder and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a householder. He takes the shape of a prime minister and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a prime rninister. He takes the shape of a brahmana and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a brahmana. He takes the shape of a bhiksu, a bhiksuni, an upasaka or an upasika and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a bhiksu, a bhiksuni, an upasaka or an upasika. He takes the shape of a wife and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by the wife of a rich man, of a householder, of a prime minister, or of a brahmana. He takes the shape of a boy or a girl and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a boy or a girl. He takes the shape of a god, a dragon, a yaksa, a gandharva, an asura, a garuda, a kimnara, a mahoraga, a human being or a nonhuman being and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by one or another of these living beings. He takes the shape of Vajra-Holding God and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by Vajra­Holding God.

Endless-Intent! This World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva does these meritorious deeds. He takes various shapes, walks about many worlds, and saves the living beings [of those worlds]. Make offerings to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva with all your hearts! This World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva-mahasattva gives fearlessness [to those who are] in fearful emergencies. Therefore, he is called the “Giver of Fearlessness” in this Saha-World.