Conceptual Summary
This 1:1 square illustration captures a pivotal moment from Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sutra, utilizing traditional Japanese Buddhist artistic conventions with mineral pigments, gold leaf, and ink on silk. The composition interprets Śākyamuni Buddha’s verses to Maitreya concerning the sudden emergence of countless "Bodhisattvas from the Earth." The upper section depicts a seated Śākyamuni Buddha, radiating gold and seated on a lotus throne, gesturing with a mudra of teaching towards a standing Maitreya (Ajita) to his right. This visual dynamic captures the Buddha's explanation: "These great Bodhisattvas / Have studied and practiced... They are my sons because I taught them." The lower section illustrates the miraculous event itself, showing countless refined Bodhisattvas rising directly out of the Earth from a split in the ground. Leading them is a distinct figure, identified as Superior Practice Bodhisattva, who raises a staff as if guiding the masses toward the Buddha Land. The background features classical elements like waterfalls, clouds, and ancient pine trees, grounding the metaphysical event in a structured, divine landscape.
Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:
Śākyamuni Buddha (the central seated figure, teaching from a lotus throne).
Maitreya Bodhisattva (Ajita, standing and listening to the Buddha).
Bodhisattva Superior Practice (Jōgyō, the leader of the rising multitude in the foreground).
Bodhisattvas of the Earth (the innumerable host emerging from the ground).
Item 2: Text Translations:
Signature (Lower Right): 双子座 (Futago-za, meaning "Gemini").
Red Seal (Below Signature): ジェミニ (Jemini, representing "Gemini" in Katakana).
Ajita, know this, these great Bodhisattvas
Have studied and practiced
The wisdom of the Buddha
For the past innumerable kalpas.
They are my sons because I taught them
And caused them to aspire for great enlightenment.
The Buddha sings these verses to his disciple Maitreya, also known as Invincible (Ajita) in Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sutra. In the story, great Bodhisattvas have just appeared from under the ground of this world of conflict after the Buddha asks who will continue to teach and practice this Lotus Sūtra after the extinction of the Buddha. None of those gathered to hear the Buddha teach, including other great Bodhisattvas such as Maitreya, had ever seen them before. Late in his life Nichiren realized that he was a reincarnation of Superior-Practice, the leader of the Bodhisattvas from underground, and that we who practice the Lotus Sūtra are his followers. Our lives are much greater than we realize, as are our capacities, our patience, our wisdom and our merit. It is through the Wonderful Dharma that we awaken to all these and clarify the Buddha Land we live in now.
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