Day 28

Day 28 covers all of Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, and concludes the Seventh Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Having last month considered what happened when Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom Buddha and Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattvawere illumined by a ray of light emitted by Śākyamuni, Wonderful-Voice announces his plan to visit the Sahā-World.

Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva said to the Buddha “World-Honored One! I can go to the Sahā-World by your powers, by your supernatural powers of traveling, and by your merits and wisdom which adorn me.”

Thereupon Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva entered into a samadhi. He did not rise from his seat or make any other movement. By the power of this samadhi, he caused eighty-four thousand lotus flowers of treasures to appear in a place not far from the seat of the Dharma situated on Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa. Those flowers had stalks of jambunada gold, leaves of silver, stamens of diamond, and calyxes of kimsuka treasures.

Thereupon Mañjuśrī, the Son of the King of the Dharma, having seen these lotus-flowers, said to Śākyamuni Buddha:

“World-Honored One! What does this omen mean? Tens of millions of lotus-flowers have appeared. They have stalks of jambunada gold, leaves of silver, stamens of diamond, and calyxes of kimsuka treasures.”

Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha said to Mañjuśrī:

“This means that Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, surrounded by eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas, is coming from the World of Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom Buddha to this Sahā World in order to make offerings to me, attend on me, bow to me, make offerings to the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, and hear it.”

The Introduction to the Lotus Sutra offers this:

In Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, the Pure Land of Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva is described as existing in the east. According to the Lotus Sutra, however, the Pure Land should not be anywhere else than right here in our Sahā-world. This idea was presented in Chapter Sixteen, the “Duration of the Life of the Tathagata.” It is a principal theme of the Lotus Sutra, which always emphasizes practice in our real world. It concludes that “the Sahā-world itself is the Pure Land.

However, many Buddhists, who do not have a thorough understanding of the Lotus Sutra, still think of the Pure Land as being somewhere else, away from the Sahā-world. The Lotus Sutra accommodates this popular belief and differentiates between the eastern Pure Land, the western Pure Land, and the defiled land. This chapter of Wonderful-Voice-Bodhisattva shows us that this World of Endurance is pivotal, however, no matter how inferior it may seem when compared to the pure lands of the east and west. It is here that people live and die. It is here that they conceive of pure lands existing either to their east or west. It is here that the Eternal Original Buddha reveals himself. It is here that the other Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to pay homage. Thus Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom Buddha warns Wonderful-Voice not to denigrate the World of Endurance. Its crucial importance belies its miserable outward appearance.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra