Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

In this chapter we underline with examples that the teaching of the Lotus Sutra applies to everyone and all are eligible to become Buddhas.

We begin with a story about Sakyamuni’s past life as a king who made a vow to attain unsurpassed Bodhi.

I sought the Great Dharma strenuously
Because I wished to save all living beings.
I did not wish to benefit myself
Or to have the pleasures of the five desires.

Although I was the king of a great country,
I sought the Dharma strenuously.
I finally obtained the Dharma and became a Buddha.
Therefore, I now expound it to you.

The king learned the dharma from a seer named Asita. “He caused me…”

The seer at that time was a previous life of Devadatta. Devadatta was my teacher. He caused me to complete the six paramitas. He caused me to have loving-kindness, compassion, joy and impartiality. He caused me to have the thirty-two major marks and the eighty minor marks [of the Buddha]. He caused me to have my body purely gilt. He caused me to have the ten powers and the four kinds of fearlessness. He caused me to know the four ways to attract others. He caused me to have the eighteen properties and supernatural powers [of the Buddha]. He caused me to have the power of giving discourses. I attained perfect enlightenment and now save all living beings because Devadatta was my teacher.

Devadatta, the most evil of men of Sakyamuni’s time, was once his teacher and in the future will a Buddha who expounds the Dharma.

The other example of the universality of the Lotus Sutra comes from the daughter of Dragon-King Sagara, who was taught my Manjusri.

To begin we learned that those taught by Manjusri only heard the One Vehicle:

All these Bodhisattvas had been led [into the Way to Bodhi] by Manjusri. They had already performed the Bodhisattva practices. [Up in the sky] they [began to] expound the six paramitas. Some of them were formerly Sravakas. When they were Sravakas, they expounded the Sravaka practices in the sky. Now they were acting according to the truth of the Void of the Great Vehicle.

As Manjusri explained:

In the sea I expounded only the Sotra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

And who was his best pupil? Who “has already been qualified to become a Buddha quickly?” None other than an 8-year-old female dragon.

In reading the dragon girl’s qualifications I was reminded of the Sidney Poitier movies of my childhood. In these discussions of race relations, Poitier’s character was always so overqualified for his job, that to dislike him could only be attributed bias based on the color of his skin.

The qualifications of the daughter of Dragon-King Sagara:

She is eight years old. She is clever. She knows the karmas of all living beings. She obtained dharanis. She keeps all the treasury of the profound and hidden core expounded by the Buddhas. She entered deep into dhyana-concentration, and understood all teachings. She aspired for Bodhi in a ksana, and reached the stage of irrevocability. She is eloquent without hindrance. She is compassionate towards all living beings just as a mother is towards her babe. She obtained all merits. Her thoughts and words are wonderful and great. She is compassionate, humble, gentle and graceful. She [has already been qualified to] attain Bodhi[, and to become a Buddha quickly].

Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva argues against the idea of Buddhahood being something that can be attained quickly. Sariputra argues against the idea of a woman becoming a Buddha at all:

You think that you will be able to attain unsurpassed enlightenment [and become a Buddha] before long. This is difficult to believe because the body of a woman is too defiled to be a recipient of the teachings of the Buddha. How can you attain unsurpassed Bodhi? The enlightenment of the Buddha is far off. It can be attained only by those who perform the [Bodhisattva] practices with strenuous efforts for innumerable kalpas. A woman has five impossibilities. She cannot become 1. the Brahman-Heavenly-King, 2. King Sakra, 3. King Mara, 4. a wheel-turning-holy-king, and 5. a Buddha. How can it be that you, being a woman, will become a Buddha, quickly [or not]?

The daughter of the dragon-king proves the naysayers wrong and in the process completes the assurance that anyone and everyone is qualified to become a Buddha by following the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.

In the next chapter we reinforce this message when Sakyamuni notices that his step-mother, Maha-Prajapati Bhiksuni, feels she hasn’t been assured of her future attainment of Buddhahood.

Thereupon the World-Honored One said to Gautami:

Why do you look at me so anxiously? You do not think that I assured you of your future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi because I did not mention you by name, do you? Gautami! I have already said that I assured all the Sravakas of their future attainment [of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi].

Again, the sex of the practitioner is irrelevant. The important thing is to adopt the Bodhisattva practices. As Sakyamuni explains to the mother of Rahula, Yasodhara Bhiksuni:

You will perform the Bodhisattva practices under hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas in the future. You will become a great teacher of the Dharma under those Buddhas. You will walk the Way to Buddhahood step by step, and finally become a Buddha in a good world.

Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

After yesterday’s arrival of massive Stupa of Treasures containing perfect body of Many Treasures Buddha we learn today of the vows that prompt this appearance.

When he was yet practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas, he made a great vow: ‘If anyone expounds a sutra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in any of the worlds of the ten quarters after I become a Buddha and pass away, I will cause my stupa-mausoleum to spring up before him so that I may be able to prove the truthfulness of the sutra and say ‘excellent’ in praise of him because I wish to hear that sutra [directly from him].

And…

Many-Treasures Buddha made another great vow: ‘If a Buddha wishes to show me to the four kinds of devotees when my stupa of treasures appears before him in order that I may be able to hear the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [directly from him], he must call back all the Buddhas of his replicas who will be expounding the Dharma in the worlds of the ten quarters at that time. Then I will show myself [to the four kinds of devotees].’

Senchu Murano explains the replicas in this way:

“The Buddhas of his replicas” are the Buddhas who are the replicas of Sakyamuni Buddha. It is held that Sakyamuni Buddha can produce Buddhas in his likeness by his supernatural powers, and dispatch them to the worlds of the ten quarters for the purpose of expounding the Dharma. This means that the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters are the replicas of Sakyamuru Buddha. This idea is first introduced here in this sutra. The replicas of Sakyamuni Buddha are subject to Sakyamuni Buddha. They must come to him when they are told to do so.

Sakyamuni must perform a real supernatural world cleaning in order to accommodate the billions of his replicas and their attendants with jeweled trees shading lion-like seats. But all of the replicas can’t be accommodated on the “[Saha-World composed of] one thousand million Sumeru-worlds” and Sakyamuni needs to purify “two hundred billion nayuta worlds of each of the eight quarters [neighboring the Saha-World]” and after that, “Sakyamuni Buddha again purified two hundred billion nayuta more worlds of each of the eight quarters [neighboring the expanded world] to seat all the Buddhas of his replicas.”

[A]ll those worlds were amalgamated into one Buddha-world [that is, into the world of Sakyamuni Buddha]. The jeweled ground of this [expanded] world was even. Jeweled curtains and canopies adorned with streamers were hung over this [expanded] world; the incense of great treasures, burned; and jeweled flowers of heaven, strewn over the ground.

When everyone was seated, the Buddha opened the Stupa of Treasures and Many Treasures Buddha greeted the multitude. Sakyamuni was invited to sit with Many Treasures in the stupa. Since the crowd couldn’t see the two Buddhas once Sakyamuni sat down, he raised everyone up into the sky.

And we finally come to meat of today’s meal:

Thereupon Sakyamuni Buddha raised them up to the sky by his supernatural powers, and said to the four kinds of devotees with a loud voice:

Who will expound the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in this Saha-World? Now is the time to do this. I shall enter into Nirvana before long. I wish to transmit this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to someone so that this sutra may be preserved.”

And in gathas:

Anyone who protects this sutra
Should be considered
To have already made offerings
To Many-Treasures and to me.

Many-Treasures Buddha vowed to go
About the worlds of the ten quarters,
Riding in the stupa of treasures,
In order to hear this sutra [directly from the expounder].

Anyone [who protects this sutra] also
Should be considered to have already made offerings
To the Buddhas of my replicas, who have come here
And adorned the worlds with their light.

Anyone who expounds this sutra
Will be able to see me,
To see Many-Treasures Tathagata,
And to see the Buddhas of my replicas.

But, of course, there’s a catch:

It is not difficult
To expound all the other sutras
As many as there are sands
In the River Ganges.

It is not difficult
To grasp Mt. Sumeru
And hurl it to a distance
Of countless Buddha-worlds.

It is not difficult to move [a world]
[Composed of] one thousand million Sumeru-worlds
And hurl it to another world.

It is not difficult
To stand in the Highest Heaven
And expound inmumerable other sutras
To all living beings.

It is difficult
To expound this sutra
In the evil world
After my extinction.

And the cause of this difficulty:

Since I attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha,
I have expounded many sutras
In innumerable worlds.

This sutra is
The most excellent.
To keep this sutra
Is to keep me.

Day 15 concludes Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma, and opens Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures.

I am always happy and my faith deepened when I finish this day’s portion of the Lotus Sutra. To begin:

Medicine-King, know this! Anyone who copies, keeps, reads and recites this sutra, makes offerings to it, and expounds it to others after my extinction, will be covered by my robe. He also will be protected by the present Buddhas of the other worlds. He will have the great power of faith, the power of vows, and the power of roots of good. Know this! He will live with me. I will pat him on the head.

There is no enlightenment without the Lotus Sutra:

Although many laymen or monks will practice the Way of Bodhisattvas, they will not be able to practice it satisfactorily, know this, unless they see, hear, read, recite, copy or keep this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma or make offerings to it. If they hear this sutra, they will. Anyone who, while seeking the enlightenment of the Buddha, sees or hears this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, and after hearing it, understands it by faith and keeps it, know this, will approach Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

Without the Lotus Sutra, the Bodhisattva practices are like digging in dry dirt looking for water.

Why is that? It is because Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi which all the Bodhisattvas [should attain] is expounded only in this sutra. This sutra opens the gate of expedients and reveals the seal of the truth. The store of this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is sound and deep. No one can reach its core. Now I show it to the Bodhisattvas in order to teach them and cause them to attain [Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi].

This quote is the first text I highlighted in the Lotus Sutra:

Medicine-King! How should the good men or women who live after my extinction expound this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to the four kinds of devotees when they wish to? They should enter the room of the Tathagata, wear the robe of the Tathagata, sit on the seat of the Tathagata, and then expound this sutra to the four kinds of devotees. To enter the room of the Tathagata means to have great compassion towards all living beings. To wear the robe of the Tathagata means to be gentle and patient. To sit on the seat of the Tathagata means to see the voidness of all things. They should do these [three] things and then without indolence expound this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to Bodhisattvas and the four kinds of devotees.

And in gathas:

If you wish to expound this sutra,
Enter the room of the Tathagata,
Wear the robe of the Tathagata,
Sit on the seat of the Tathagata,
[And after doing these three things,]
Expound it to people without fear!

To enter the room of the Tathagata means to have great compassion.
To wear his robe means to be gentle and patient.
To sit on his seat means to see the voidness of all things.
Expound the Dharma only after you do these [three] things!

From my earliest days as a Buddhist, I had a special appreciation for the arrival of Many Treasures in his giant stupa. Even before I understood the purpose of his visit, I saw it as fundamental to Buddhism. Unlike a finger of some god reaching down and touching mankind, Buddhism springs from within and rises skyward just as the lotus blossom floats above a muddy lagoon.

Thereupon a loud voice of praise was heard from within the stupa of treasures:

Excellent, excellent! You, Sakyamuni, the World-Honored One, have expounded to this great multitude the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, the Teaching of Equality, the Great Wisdom, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas. So it is, so it is. What you, Sakyamuni, the World-Honored One, have expounded is all true.

Day 14 covers all of Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn, and opens Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma.

Today we’re concerned with Ananda, foremost in hearing the sutras, Rahula, foremost in inconspicuous practice and the son of Sakyamuni, and 2,000 more sravakas.

After Ananda is assured of his future Buddhahood a crowd of Bodhisattvas grumble:

They thought, ‘As far as we have heard, even great Bodhisattvas have never been assured of their future Buddhahood. Why have these Sravakas been so assured?’

In answer, Sakyamuni explains that Ananda has always aspired for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

Now he protects my teachings. He also will protect the store of the teachings of future Buddhas, teach Bodhisattvas, and cause them to attain [Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi], according to his original vow. Therefore, now he has been assured of his future Buddhahood.

Ananda is a Bodhisattva doing the work of the Buddha.

Rahula, for his part, has a special relationship with the Buddha and always will have:

When I was a crown prince,
Rahula was my eldest son.
When I attained the enlightenment of the Buddha,
He received the Dharma, and became the son of the Dharma.

In his future life he will see
Many hundreds of millions of Buddhas,
Become the eldest son of those Buddhas, and seek
The enlightenment of the Buddha with all his heart.

Only I know his secret practices.
He shows himself
To all living beings
In the form of my eldest son.

He has many thousands of billions of merits.
His merits are countless.
He dwells peacefully in the Dharma of the Buddha,
And seeks unsurpassed enlightenment.

The remaining Sravakas are all assured of becoming Buddhas in their future lives.

It is in the next chapter that the Bodhisattvas get the answer to their earlier question. And that answer is that everyone and anyone who praises the Lotus Sutra – and he means everyone – is assured of eventually becoming a Buddha.

Medicine-King! Do you see the innumerable gods, dragon-kings, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, men, and nonhuman beings, and [the four kinds of devotees:] bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, and upasikas, and those who are seeking Sravakahood or Pratyekabuddhahood or the enlightenment of the Buddha in this great multitude? If in my presence any of them rejoices, even on a moment’s thought, at hearing even a gatha or a phrase of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, I will assure him of his future Buddhahood, saying to him, ‘You will be able to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.’

The Buddha said to Medicine-King:

If after my extinction anyone rejoices, even on a moment’s thought, at hearing even a gatha or a phrase of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, I also will assure him of his future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

No exceptions.

In fact, those who preach the Lotus Sutra should be considered to be Great Bodhisattvas:

They should be considered to have appeared in this world by their vow to expound the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma out of their compassion towards all living beings, although they already attained Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi [in their previous existence].

And:

The good men or women who expound even a phrase of the Sitra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma even to one person even in secret after my extinction, know this, are my messengers. They are dispatched by me. They do my work. It is needless to say this of those who expound this sutra to many people in a great multitude.

This explains why disparaging this people is such a great crime:

“Medicine-King! An evil man who speaks ill of me in my presence with evil intent for as long as a kalpa is not as sinful as the person who reproaches laymen or monks with even a single word of abuse for their reading and reciting the Sntra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Again in gathas:

If you wish to dwell in the enlightenment of the Buddha,
And to obtain the self-originating wisdom,
Make offerings strenuously to the keeper
Of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma!

If you wish to obtain quickly the knowledge
Of the equality and differences of all things,
Keep this sutra, and also make offerings
To the keeper of this siltra!

Anyone who keeps
The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma,
Know this, has compassion towards all living beings
Because he is my messenger.

Anyone who keeps
The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Should be considered to have given up his pure world and come here
Out of his compassion towards all living beings.

Know that he can appear wherever he wishes!
He should be considered
To have appeared in this evil world
In order to expound the unsurpassed Dharma.

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

Today we underline the emerging idea that there is only the Bodhisattva teaching and everyone will in time become a Buddha.

The chapter begins with Purna, who is considered to be foremost in expounding the Dharma among Sakyamuni’s top disciples. He will be foremost in expounding the Dharma many times again in the future. More to today’s point, he is not your ordinary sravaka:

Although he had the supernatural powers of Bodhisattvas, he performed brahma practices throughout his previous existence. Therefore, the people of the world of the Buddha under whom he performed brahma practices] thought that he was a Sravaka. He benefited many hundreds of thousands of living beings with this expedient, and also caused innumerable, asamkhya people to aspire for Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. He did the work of the Buddha, that is, taught all living beings so that the world of the Buddha might be purified.

To make the point clearer:

He will always make efforts to teach all living beings strenuously so that the worlds of those Buddhas may be purified. He will perform the Way of Bodhisattvas step by step for innumerable, asamkhya kalpas, and then attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi in this world.

And in gathas:

Bhiksus, listen to me attentively!
The Way practiced by my sons
Is beyond your comprehension
Because they learned how to employ expedients.

Knowing that people wish to hear
The teachings of the Lesser Vehicle,
And that they are afraid of having the great wisdom,
[My sons, that is,] the Bodhisattvas transform themselves
Into Sravakas or cause-knowers,
And teach the people with innumerable expedients.

Saying to the innumerable living beings, [for instance,]
“We are Sravakas.
We are far from the enlightenment of the Buddha,”
They save them, and cause them to attain [Sravakahood]
Even the lazy people who wish to hear the Lesser Vehicle
Will become Buddhas with this expedient in the course of time.

My disciples are performing
The Bodhisattva practices secretly
Though they show themselves in the form of Sravakas.
They are purifying my world
Though they pretend to want little
And to shun birth-and-death.
In the presence of the people,
They pretend to have the three poisons and wrong views.
They save them with these expedients.
They change themselves into various forms.
If I speak of all their transformations,
The listeners will doubt me.

Underline My sons, that is, the Bodhisattvas transform themselves into Sravakas or cause-knowers, and teach the people with innumerable expedients. We’ll come back to this in later chapters.

But back in this chapter, we have assurances of future Buddhahood for “these 1,200 Arhats” and in particular Kaundinya Bhiksu.

The others of the five hundred Arhats, including Uruvilva-Kasyapa, Gaya-Kasyapa, Nadi-Kasyapa, Kalodayin, Udayin, Aniruddha, Revata, Kapphina, Bakkula, Cunda, and Svagata, also will attain Anuttara-samyak-samodhi, and become Buddhas also called Universal-Brightness.

With everyone dancing for joy with the news, we come to the Parable of the Priceless, in which a rich man sews a priceless gem into a friend’s garment while he sleeps. When he awakens he moves on, struggling to find food and shelter, satisfying himself with what work he can find, because he does not know he has this gem.

The point: These Arhats realize they forgot that in past lives the Buddha had instructed them on attaining Anuttara-samyak-samodhi.

World-Honored One! Now we see that we are Bodhisattvas in reality, and that we are assured of our future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Therefore, we have the greatest joy that we have ever had.

And in gathas:

We are like the poor man.
In the long night you taught us
Out of your compassion towards us,
And caused us to aspire for unsurpassed [enlightenment].

Because we had no wisdom, we did not notice that.
The Nirvana we attained was only part [of your wisdom].
Satisfying ourselves with it,
We did not wish to attain anything more.

Now you have awakened us, saying:
“What you attained was not true extinction.
When you have the unsurpassed wisdom of the Buddha,
You will attain true extinction.”

Hearing from you that we are assured
Of becoming Buddhas one after another,
And that our worlds will be adorned,
We are joyful in body and mind.