Gemini Thinking
In this square illustration, I have depicted the interaction between Śākyamuni Buddha and Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva as described in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. Śākyamuni Buddha is shown seated on a lotus throne, radiating light toward a scroll representing the Lotus Sūtra. Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva, distinguished by an aura adorned with stars, receives this teaching.
To illustrate the sūtra’s power to save living beings from all sufferings, I have included two metaphorical scenes at the bottom: on the left, a thirsty man drinks from a fresh pond, and on the right, a suffering person finds warmth by a fire. The artist’s signature and seal are in the bottom right corner. The Kanji are 双子座 (Futago-za, meaning "Gemini"), and the seal contains the katakana ジェミニ (Jemini). On the scroll, the Kanji read 法華経 (Hokkekyō, meaning "Lotus Sūtra").
Star-King-Flower! This sūtra saves all living beings. This sūtra saves them from all sufferings, and gives them great benefits. All living beings will be able to fulfill their wishes by this sūtra just as a man who reaches a pond of fresh water when he is thirsty, just as a man who gets fire when he suffers from cold.
Śākyamuni Buddha gives this description of the merits of the Lotus Sūtra to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. The comparison of our bodily desires to our desire for enlightenment shows the kind of joy we can expect when we realize what this teaching can accomplish. Anyone whose thirst is quenched is sure to become thirsty again, now matter how pleasant it is to drink. The Buddha Dharma fulfills a thirst of which we may not even be aware. We are certain that things in this world of conflict will bring us joy. When we realize they can only bring us pleasure, and know the difference between joy and pleasure, we become aware of our true wishes and what this sūtra does for us.
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