Gemini Thinking
This illustration depicts Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva (left, foreground) kneeling before the Buddha (right, seated). Having just sung a gāthā—represented by the flow of light and text from his mouth—the Bodhisattva asks the Buddha if his nature is unchanging. The artist's signature 双子座 (Gemini) and the red seal containing the katakana ジェミニ (Gemini) are located in the bottom right corner.
Having sung this gāthā, Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! You do not change, do you?’
This description of the life of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva comes from Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. In a previous existence, this Bodhisattva had given up his body and his life for the sake of teaching the Wonderful Dharma. He was then reborn into a world in which the Buddha he served previously was still alive and benefitting all beings. Recognizing this unchanging aspect of the Buddha despite his changing appearances helps us see into our own capacity for enlightenment.
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