In the concluding chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Universal Sage Bodhisattva promises to appear before, protect, and encourage anyone who keeps and practices the Lotus Sutra, and he will have that person aspire to the Way to Buddhahood, as described in the The Introduction to the Lotus Sutra.
The emphasis in this chapter, as well as in the following Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva, is on the need to put the Lotus Sutra into practice. As Gene Reeves explains in The Stories of the Lotus Sutra:
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p309“It is not enough to study and gain wisdom, not enough to feel compassion. One must also embrace the Sutra by embodying it in one’s life. Faith is not faith if it is only believed, or only felt; it must be lived. One must strive to become a buddha by being a bodhisattva for others, which means nothing more and nothing less than embodying Buddha Dharma by helping others in whatever ways are appropriate and in whatever ways one can. Among those ways is giving encouragement and strength to others, being Universal Sage Bodhisattva for them.”
But before we can be a Bodhisattva for others we must be one for ourselves. Thich Nhat Hanh explains in Peaceful Action, Open Heart that this starts when we bow before the Buddha.
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p227-228“We often show our respect to the Buddha and bodhisattvas by bowing, but it is important to understand that this action is not a kind of propitiation, in which a devotee pays respect to a powerful divine being in order to gain favor. The Buddha does not need us to pay respect to him; it is we who benefit from this practice. When you pay respect to the Buddha, you begin to see the path. You start to walk in the direction of goodness. You know that you are a Buddha-to-be – you have the capacity to become enlightened, awakened. You recognize that you have the capacity to love, to accept, to feel joy and to bring joy to others.
“When you bow to the Buddha you are really acknowledging your own capacity for Buddhahood. In acknowledging the Buddha, you acknowledge the Buddha nature inherent within you. … When understood and practiced in this way, paying respect to the Buddha is not merely a devotional ritual but is also a wisdom practice.”
We need to manifest faith in ourselves and faith in others with our practice and when we accomplish that we can realize the Buddha’s promise:
“Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, memorizes it correctly, studies it, practices it, and copies it, should be considered to see me, and hear this sūtra from my mouth. He should be considered to be making offerings to me. He should be considered to be praised by me with the word ‘Excellent!’ He should be considered to be caressed by me on the head. He should be considered to be covered with my robe.”
Table of Contents Next Essay
