Day 2 completes Chapter 1, Introductory

What everyone is seeing – a Buddha’s light illuminating what is happening at this time in many worlds to the east – is what Mañjuśrī saw in a previous existence:

Thereupon Mañjuśrī said to Maitreya Bodhisattva-mahasāttva and the other great men:

Good men! I think that the Buddha, the World-Honored One, wishes to expound a great teaching, to send the rain of a great teaching, to blow the conch-shell horn of a great teaching, to beat the drum of a great teaching, and to explain the meaning of a great teaching.

“Good men! I met many Buddhas in my previous existence. At that time I saw the same good omen as this. Those Buddhas emitted the same ray of light as this, and then expounded a great teaching. Therefore, know this! I think that this Buddha also is emitting this ray of light, and showing this good omen, wishing to cause all living beings to hear and understand the most difficult teaching in the world to believe.

What the Buddha’s light shows is happening now in the east, what happened in the past life of Mañjuśrī – is setting the stage for what’s to come.

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

And around and around we go. If only past lives could as easily be remembered.

As the Lotus Sutra opens we are presented with a list of attendees that includes Arhats, Śrāvakas, Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, gods and heavenly kings, dragon kings, kimnara kings, gandharva kings, asura kings, garuda kings, King Ajātaśatru, and countless others.

Recently I listened to a Dharma talk given by Myokei Caine Barrett following a Jodo-E service marking the Buddha’s enlightenment. Part of the service involved reciting the start of Introductory Chapter and its list of attendees. The point of this list, Rev. Myokei said, was to show that this sutra is applicable to all sentient beings.

During this portion of the Introductory Chapter, Śākyamuni entered into the samādhi during which he emitted a ray of light that illumined “all the corners of eighteen thousand worlds in the east, down to the Avīci Hell of each world, and up to the Akaniṣṭha Heaven of each world.”

Maitreya describes what he sees:

I see from this world
The living beings of the six regions
Extending down to the Avīci Hell,
And up to the Highest Heaven
Of each of those worlds.
I see the region to which each living being is to go,
The good or evil karmas he is doing,
And the rewards or retributions he is going to have.

I also see the Buddhas,
The Saintly Masters, the Lion-like Ones,
Who are expounding
The most wonderful sūtra
With their pure and gentle voices,
And teaching
Many billions of Bodhisattvas.
The brahma voices of the Buddhas
Are deep and wonderful,
Causing people to wish to hear them.

I also see the Buddha of each of those worlds
Expounding his right teachings to all living beings
In order to cause them to attain enlightenment.
He explains his teachings
With stories of previous lives,
And with innumerable parables and similes.

To those who are confronted with sufferings,
And tired of old age, disease, and death,
The Buddha expounds the teaching of Nirvāṇa,
And causes them to eliminate these sufferings.

To those who have merits,
Who have already made offerings to the past Buddhas,
And who are now seeking a more excellent teaching,
The Buddha expounds [the Way of] cause-knowers.

To the Buddha’s sons
Who are performing various practices,
And who are seeking unsurpassed wisdom,
The Buddha expounds the Pure Way.

He goes on to say he sees “some Bodhisattvas offering their flesh or their limbs” and “kings coming to a Buddha, and asking him about unsurpassed enlightenment” and “some sons of the Buddha Enduring abuse Or blows with sticks Inflicted by arrogant people In order to attain The enlightenment of the Buddha.”

The “Introductory” view of the lands in the east presages what’s to come in the Lotus Sutra.

Son of the Buddha, answer me!
Remove our doubts and cause us to rejoice!
For what purpose is the Buddha
Emitting this ray of light?

Day 32 covers Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, the final chapter in the 8th volume of the Lotus Sutra.

Coming from a world many worlds to the east, Universal-Sage Bodhisattva asked:

“World-Honored One! Tell me how the good men or women who live after your extinction will be able to obtain this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma!”

The Buddha said to Universal-Sage Bodhisattva: “The good men or women will be able to obtain this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma after my extinction if they do the following four things: 1. secure the protection of the Buddhas, 2. plant the roots of virtue, 3. reach the stage of steadiness [in proceeding to enlightenment], and 4. resolve to save all living beings. The good men or women will be able to obtain this sūtra after my extinction if they do these four things.”

Those heavy footsteps thundering through the brush and the loud trumpeting you hear are Universal-Sage Bodhisattva:

If anyone keeps, reads and recites this sūtra 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 Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. If he sits and thinks over this sūtra, I also will mount a kingly white elephant and appear before him. If he forgets a phrase or a gāthā of the Sūtra 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 Sūtra 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.

And in addition:

Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this sūtra, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it, know this, does the same practices that I do. He should be considered to have already planted deeply the roots of good under innumerable Buddhas [in his previous existence]. He will be caressed on the head by the hands of the Tathāgatas.

To which Śākyamuni responds:

Universal-Sage! Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, memorizes it correctly, studies it, practices it, and copies it, should be considered to see me, and hear this sūtra 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.

[Here ends] the Eighth Volume of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

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

This is a tale of teachers and how we benefit from their efforts. In this case, two sons – Pure Store and Pure Eyes – who “had already practices the Way which Bodhisattvas should practice” and their father, King Wonderful-Adornment.

They also had already obtained [the four states of mind towards all living beings:] compassion, loving-kindness, joy and impartiality.

At the urging of their mother, the sons put on a demonstration for their father.

By displaying these various wonders, they purified the mind of their father, that is, of the king, and caused him to understand the Dharma by faith.

The two sons “did the work of the Buddha” for the sake of their father.

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].

Note that the benefit the king received was to understand by faith and to wist to act according to the teachings. Instructed by the Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha, the king practiced the Lotus Sutra “constantly and strenuously for eighty-four thousand years.” The king said to the Buddha:

World-Honored One! These two sons of mine did the work of the Buddha. They converted me from wrong views by displaying wonders. They caused me to dwell peacefully in your teachings. They caused me to see you. These two sons of mine are my teachers. They appeared in my family in order to benefit me. They inspired the roots of good which I had planted in my previous existence.

“So it is, so it is,” replied the Buddha:

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-saṃbodhi. 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-saṃbodhi.