Arriving at the story of Never Despising Bodhisattva in Chapter 20, we enter the Lotus Sutra’s many lessons on how one who has faith in the sutra should act, beginning with the simplest practice: respect.

As Nichiren writes in “The ‘Emperor Sushun’ Letter”:

“A wise man named Confucius of China is said to have thought over what he intended to say nine times before he uttered a word. It is also said that Tan, the Duke of Chou, interrupted washing his hair, or having a meal, three times in order to see visitors without keeping them waiting. How much more you who have faith in Buddhism should take these examples to heart! Otherwise you will regret it later. Please do not bear a grudge against me. This is the teaching of the Buddha. The essence of Buddhism is the Lotus Sūtra, and the gist of practicing the Lotus Sūtra is shown in the “Never-Despising Bodhisattva” chapter. Contemplate why the Never-Despising Bodhisattva stood on the street to bow to passersby. The true purpose of Śākyamuni Buddha appearing in this world was to teach us how to behave ourselves on a daily basis.

Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4,
Page 124

In The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, Gene Reeves underscores the importance of showing respect in our daily practice:

“Over and over again in the Dharma Flower Sutra we are encouraged to ‘receive, embrace, read, recite, copy, teach, and practice’ the Dharma Flower Sutra. Thus, the fact that Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva did not read or recite sutras is quite interesting. I think it is an expression of the general idea in the Dharma Flower Sutra that, while various practices are very important, what is even more important is how one lives one’s life in relation to others. The references to bodhisattvas who do not follow normal monastic practices, including reading and recitation of sutras, but still become fully awakened buddhas indicates that putting the Dharma into one’s daily life by respecting others, and in this way embodying the Dharma, is more important than formal practices such as reading and recitation.”

This practice can have real-world beneficial effects, as Thich Nhat Hanh explains in Peaceful Action, Open Heart:

“This bodhisattva removes the feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem in people. “How can I become a Buddha? How can I attain enlightenment? There is nothing in me except suffering, and I don’t know how to get free of my own suffering, much less help others. I am worthless.” Many people have these kinds of feelings, and they suffer because of them. Never Disparaging Bodhisattva works to encourage and empower people who feel this way, to remind them that they too have Buddha nature, they too are a wonder of life, and they too can achieve what a Buddha achieves. This is a great message of hope and confidence. This is the practice of a bodhisattva in the action dimension. This is the practice of the Lotus Sutra.”

Before I leave Chapter 19 and the purification of the six sense organs of the teacher of the dharma, I want to linger over the mental transformation that comes from our progression in faith.

In “Dannotsu Bō Gohenji, Response to a Follower,” Nichiren writes:

“Please remember that the service to your lord itself is practicing the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Interpreting the scriptural statement in the Lotus Sūtra (“The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma” chapter), Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, therefore, states in his Great Concentration and Insight, “All the activities and daily work of the people in the secular world do not contradict the truth preached by the Buddha.” Please contemplate the spirit of this scriptural statement again and again.”

Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 131

This is the transformation of the mind of faith. As explained in the Introduction to the Lotus Sutra:

“[Among] the teachings of the purification of the six sense-organs, especially important are the words in the section on purification of the mind: ‘When they expound the scriptures of non-Buddhists, or give advice to the government, or teach ways to earn a livelihood, they will always be in accord with the right teachings of the Buddha.’ ‘To give advice to the government’ means to enter into the realm of politics and administration. ‘To teach ways to earn a livelihood’ refers to the realms of industry, economics, and our daily work. Theories of politics and economics belong to the ever-changing secular world. Buddhism, on the other hand, belongs to the eternal world, which lies beneath the transitory. Buddhist teachings and the common law (social rules) are distinct. … However, in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, the Dharma cannot ignore the rules of society. On the contrary, the Dharma (truth) is the basis for social rules. Human society cannot function properly, even in politics or economics, unless it is in accord with the basic law of the universe. This law is what is meant by Dharma.”

Or as Thich Nhat Hanh offers in Peaceful Action, Open Heart:

“Having received this great merit, with our mind faculty transformed, any thought we have, any concept we entertain – all have the flavor of the Buddhadharma. Even though we may not yet have realized perfect wisdom or put an end to all our mental afflictions, with a purified mind faculty every thought, every calculation, every deduction, every word we speak is in accord with the Buddhadharma. There is nothing we teach that is not the truth, and the value of what we teach is equivalent to that of the Dharma taught by all the Buddhas in the sutras. The far-reaching merit of the Lotus Sutra transforms all those who hear it, understand it, accept it in faith, and practice it into teachers of Dharma who share their insight and joy with others in order to help them realize the truth of the ultimate dimension and cross to the shore of freedom.”