Day 13 covers all of Chapter 8, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples.

The chapter opens with Purna expressing his appreciation for what he has just learned.

Thereupon Purna, the son of Maitrayani having heard from the Buddha the Dharma expounded with expedients by the wisdom [of the Buddha] according to the capacities of all living beings, and having heard that [the Buddha] had assured the great disciples of their future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, and also having heard of the previous life of the Buddha, and also having heard of the great, unhindered, supernatural powers of the Buddhas, had the greatest joy that he had ever had, became pure in heart, and felt like dancing [with joy]. He rose from his seat, came to the Buddha, and worshipped him at his feet with his head. Then he retired to one side of the place, looked up at the honorable face with unblenching eyes, and thought:

The World-Honored One is extraordinary. What he does is exceptional. He expounds the Dharma with expedients by his insight according to the various natures of all living beings of the world, and saves them from various attachments. The merits of the Buddha are beyond the expression of our words. Only the Buddha, only the World-Honored One, knows the wishes we have deep in our minds.

The Daily Dharma from April 6, 2016, has an interesting take on this:

The merits of the Buddha are beyond the expression of our words. Only the Buddha, only the World-Honored One, knows the wishes we have deep in our minds.

Day 12 concludes Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, and completes the Third Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Last month I discussed the initial turning of the wheel of the Dharma by Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathagata and the plea of the 16 princes to go beyond the teaching for Sravakas and to expound the teaching of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi!

The Buddha assented to the appeal of the sramaneras, but it was twenty thousand kalpas afterwards that he expounded to the four kinds of devotees the sutra of the Great Vehicle called the ‘Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas.’

When the Buddha completed the expounding of this sutra, the sixteen sramaneras kept, recited and understood this sutra in order to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. The sixteen sramaneras, [ who were] Bodhisattvas, received this sutra by faith. Some Sravakas understood it by faith, but the other Sravakas and other living beings, thousands of billions in number, doubted it.

It took the Buddha eight thousand kalpas to complete the expounding of this sutra. During that time he did not take a rest. Having completed the expounding of this sutra, the Buddha entered a quiet room and practiced dhyana-concentration for eighty-four thousand kalpas. Seeing him practicing dhyana­concentration quietly in the room, the sixteen Bodhisattva­sramaneras each sat on a seat of the Dharma, expounded the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to the four kinds of devotees for eighty-four thousand kalpas, and saved six hundred billion nayutas of living beings, that is, as many living beings as there are sands in the River Ganges. They showed them the Way, taught them, benefited them, caused them to rejoice and to aspire for Anuttara-samyak-sarµbodhi.

Bodhisattvas practice the Six Perfections or pāramitās. One of those is patience.

It took the Buddha 20,000 kalpas before he started expounding the Lotus Sutra and it took another 8,000 kalpas to complete.

But more to the point is this quote from the Lecture on the Lotus Sutra:

Our practice includes the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the Twelve-Link Chain of Causation, the Six Paramitas, and it is all contained in the Lotus Sutra and the Odaimoku of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. When we strive to live according to the fundamental truths of Buddhism and follow the teachings in the Lotus Sutra by chanting the sutra and the Odaimoku, we create a life that manifests our inherent Buddha potential and allows us to live a life of indestructible happiness.
Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

Day 11 continues Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City

This middle section of Chapter 7 is all about the light emitted when Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

More than 12 times through this section my appreciation grows. Light as a metaphor for wisdom and freedom from illusion occurs throughout the Lotus Sutra. Perhaps at some future time I’ll devote each month to a different recurring concept. Beyond the light of a Buddha, I’m fascinated by the children who teach adults.

For today, I imagine what it would be light to find the world suddenly illumined with the light of a Buddha.

When Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, five hundred billion Buddha-worlds in each of the ten quarters quaked in the six ways, and all those worlds, including those intercepted from the brilliant rays of light of the sun and the moon by the neighboring worlds, were illumined [by great rays of light], and the living beings of those worlds were able to see each other for the first time. They said to each other, ‘How did you appear so suddenly?’ The palaces of the gods of those worlds, including the palace of Brahmans, also quaked in the six ways. The great rays of light which illumined all those worlds were brighter than the rays of light emitted by those gods.

Let there be light.

Day 10 concludes Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, and opens Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City.

The first half of today’s reading involves promises of future Buddhahood for “the great disciples.” In the past, when I’ve focused on this section, I’ve puzzled over why it is that Subhuti, Great Katyayana and Great Maudgalyayana must spend billions of lifetimes serving Buddhas before they finally attain enlightenment.

After all, it is common to read encouragement like this:

[T]he Lotus Sutra opens the seed of Buddhahood or potential enlightenment that each and everyone of us possess, and with the continued chanting of the Odaimoku, it gives that seed the nourishment it needs to sprout, grow and mature into a real living Buddha, transforming lives into that of an enlightened being, blessed with all the same wonderful and varied qualities, virtues and merits that Shakyamuni Buddha himself attained.
Odaimoku: The Significance Of Chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

Recently, however, I’ve come to look at this from a different perspective. I suppose I could call it the Bodhisattva perspective.

Sakyamuni says to Subhuti:

In his future life, this Subhuti will see three hundred billion nayutas of Buddhas, make offerings to them, respect them, honor them, praise them, perform brahma practices, complete the Way of Bodhisattvas, and become a Buddha on the final stage of his physical existence.

Underline complete the Way of Bodhisattvas and become a Buddha on the final stage of his physical existence.

Again, for Great Katyayana:

On the final stage of his physical existence,
He will obtain the wisdom of the Buddha
And attain perfect enlightenment.

And Great Maudgalyayana:

He will finally complete
The Way of Bodhisattvas,
And become a Buddha
Called Tamala [ pattralcandana-Fragrance In a world called
Mind-Happiness.

Each day, morning and evening, I recite The Four Great Vows, beginning with the greatest vow:

Sentient begins are innumberable: I vow to save them all.

In the book Lotus Seeds, Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick explains:

A bodhisattva is a person who has reached a high level of spiritual maturity and has realized that his or her awakening depends upon the awakening of others. Seeing the suffering of others, a bodhisattva works to assist them to free themselves from suffering and then attain awakening. This intention is expressed in the “Four Bodhisattva Vows.”
Lotus Seeds

When I first heard the Four Great Vows I immediately saw the Catch-22: I can’t become a Buddha until I’ve saved everyone else.

And yet it was only recently that I saw the billions of lifetimes of service from Subhuti, Great Katyayana and Great Maudgalyayana as fulfillment of that Bodhisattva vow to save all sentient beings.

Let me help you onto the boat before I join you on this trip to the other side of the river.