Because of the promise of the Buddha we can approach our difficulties with joy knowing that through our faith and our practice in the Lotus Sutra we are certain to accomplish the necessary changes to enable us to become Buddhas. With the joy of the certainty of becoming Buddhas we can live our lives free of fear and worry. With the burden of fear and worry lifted we can experience the true joy of Buddhas deep down in the core of our life.

It is the ordinary day-to-day practice that each of us performs that is actually the great secret practice of Rahula. It isn’t fame or acquiring a big name that is required to attain enlightenment. It isn’t being famous that will lead others to practice the Lotus Sutra. It is our practice of the Lotus Sutra in our everyday lives that will enable countless others just like us to ultimately take faith in the Lotus Sutra. We should not be discouraged, instead we can look at Rahula who will become Walking-On-Flowers-Of-Seven-Treasures Buddha and we too can walk on the flowers of the seven treasures of Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

Eventually as our practice matures and we have many experiences in faith overcoming obstacles and making changes at the core of our life, our faith becomes more unshakable and it becomes more difficult to become discouraged. I say more difficult but we should never become complacent, as it is always possible to become sidetracked or discouraged. In fact if we take our faith and practice for granted it is most certain to happen. But indeed, over time our doubts do decrease as we accumulate a variety of experiences in our faith and practice. It is our intention to eventually create the kind of firm foundation of faith and practice of the Dharma that removes all of our doubts.

Frequently in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha encourages us to remove our doubts and have strong faith. I need to emphasize that this faith is not a blind faith based upon merely taking someone’s word for something. It is critical that each of us base our faith on our practice and our study. Proving the validity of the teachings in the Lotus Sutra is very important to having no doubts.

All of this is based upon the Dharma as taught by the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra. This is our intention to fully embrace and experience with our own lives the truth and actuality of the teaching of the Lotus Sutra for ourselves.

One of the four things required in order to obtain the Lotus Sutra is firmness of faith. Firmness of faith here is referring to the kind of faith and practice that is steady and always growing. This is a faith that is a manifestation of the confidence in the truth of the Lotus Sutra. This steadiness of faith is not stagnant but is constantly expanding. You might think of it as entering a positive feedback loop, where faith begins to actually be a motivating force in practice. Initially as we begin to practice we might not have absolute faith in the Lotus Sutra and what we are doing or even if it works. So our practice at first is about building faith based upon changing theory into actual lived experiences. The more we practice the stronger our faith becomes. As our faith grows it becomes the motivation for practice and is no longer the aim of practice.

Chapter II of the Lotus Sutra encourages us to approach the sutra based upon faith, and Chapter XVI opens with the Buddha saying that understanding is by faith. Frequently when the word faith is used there is a subtext present when some people hear it that informs them there should be absolute belief without question in order for faith to be present. It is important to understand that faith in Buddhism is about questioning and exploring. Faith and questioning are not incompatible or exclusive of each other. Our questions are not indicators of doubt and should not be viewed with suspicion or fear.

Faith and practice in the Lotus Sutra are often presented in similar manner. I believe this is because faith is an actual practice for us. Faith is not simply the absolute belief in the teaching but is an experience of the truth of the teaching. Faith takes root in and grows from our daily practice and study. And yet, faith while growing from practice also nurtures that very same practice. In this way, faith and practice are not two separate activities but one constantly evolving cycle of activity.

When we choose to live our lives with the firm belief that we are the most qualified to become Buddhas, that we don’t need anything else other than our faith in the Lotus Sutra to qualify us, and when we devout ourselves to practice with faith, and when we strive to save others, then we will actually manifest the characteristics of those Bodhisattvas who arose from beneath the ground. We cannot just call ourselves that and end the day. We actually have to do the things required to fulfill our vows as those Bodhisattvas.

As people take faith in the Lotus Sutra initially there is limited capacity for understanding. As time goes on and our capacity for understanding and incorporating the teachings in our lives increases, then we are able to see even deeper into the Dharma.