“Flower-Virtue! This Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva protects all living beings in this Sahā-World. He transforms himself into one or another of these various living beings in this Sahā World and expounds Myōhō Renge Kyō to all living beings without reducing his supernatural powers, [his power of] transformation, and his wisdom. He illumines this Sahā World with the many [rays of light] of his wisdom, and causes all living beings to know what they should know.”
Tao-sheng: The Merits of the Bodhisattvas
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p167They never faltered in [seeking] Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. They had already obtained dharanis, turned the irrevocable wheel of the Dharma with eloquence according to the wishes [of all living beings], made offerings to many hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, and planted the roots of virtue under those Buddhas, by whom they had always been praised. They had already trained themselves out of their compassion towards others, entered the Way to the wisdom of the Buddha, obtained [penetrated] great wisdom, and reached the Other Shore so that their fame had already extended over innumerable worlds. They had already saved many hundreds of thousands of living beings.
This refers to the conduct that took place in the past [lives].
[The passage] following this phrase illustrates the merits of the bodhisattvas through three kinds of deeds (karman). Having sympathy for, and taking care of, the weak and the deprived is what is meant by “cultivating themselves through compassion.” The word body [of cultivating themselves or, literally, cultivating body] implies both mouth and mind as well.
This word (great wisdom) refers to what they have obtained for themselves. Penetration means “[reaching] to the substratum.”
[Having reached the Other Shore] refers to what they have reached at the ultimate end.
Whereas their virtues were established internally their fame spread outward. Their merit and fame having been established, the news spread outward.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Jan. 11, 2025
At that time the gods in the skies [of the worlds of the ten quarters] said loudly:
“There is a world called Sahā beyond a distance of many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of worlds. In that world lives a Buddha called Śākyamuni. He is now expounding to Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas a sūtra of the Great Vehicle, called the ‘Myōhō Renge Kyō, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas.’ Rejoice from the bottom of your hearts! Bow and make offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha!”
Tao-sheng: Bodhisattvas Embrace All Beings
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p166There were also eighty thousand Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas.
The voice hearers basically take the exhaustion of suffering as the aim [of life]; hence, it was said earlier that they had their bondages destroyed. In the path of bodhisattvas, in which a person sets himself to embrace all [beings] he does not stay [in the world] just to get rid of bonds of existence (chieh); he wishes only to acquire such ways to help save beings. [As such] they [i.e., the bodhisattvas] are the only people to be equipped with the magic charms (dhārāṇi) and the four kinds of [unhindered] powers. Hence, their wondrous techniques for wheeling and uplifting ̄̄̄[beings to salvation] are introduced first, being followed at the end by a discussion of the innumerable people to be saved.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Jan. 10, 2025
Some bhikṣus who live in a period in which no Buddha lives after my extinction may not believe the Dharma after they attain Arhatship because in that period it will be difficult to meet a person who keeps, reads, and recites Myōhō Renge Kyō, and understands the meanings of Myōhō Renge Kyō. They will be able to understand the Dharma when they meet another Buddha.
“Śāriputra and all of you present here! Understand the Dharma by faith with all your hearts! There is no vehicle other than the One Buddha-Vehicle.”
Tao-sheng: Mahāprajāpatī and Yaśodharā
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p166Maha-Prajapati Bhikṣunī was present with her six thousand attendants. Yasodhara Bhikṣunī, the mother of Rahula, was also present with her attendants.
Listed next are the group of mendicant nuns (bhiksunis). Mahāprajāpatī means, in Chinese, [the one who] loves the path (tao) greatly.
Rāhula’s mother Yaśodharā [Yaśodharā] means, in Chinese, “keeps hearing from afar.”
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Jan. 9, 2025
Anyone who understands why the Buddhas expound [many] sūtras,
Who knows the position of Myōhō Renge Kyō in the series of sūtras,
And who expounds Myōhō Renge Kyō after my extinction
According to Myōhō Renge Kyō‘s true meaning,
Will be able to eliminate the darkness
Of the living beings of the world where he walks about,
Just as the light of the sun and the moon
Eliminates all darkness.He will be able to cause innumerable Bodhisattvas
To dwell finally in the One Vehicle.
Tao-sheng: Hinayāna Identical to Bodhisattva Path
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p166They were great Arhats well known to the multitude.
All these voice hearers (Śrāvakas) had “their virtues firmly established within and their fame reported without.” [People] far and near admired them [wholeheartedly]; who did not know them? This is why their names are listed and their virtues praised.
Great [of great arhats] tells that the Dharma of the Lesser Vehicle (Hinayāna) is identical with the path of the bodhisattvas.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Jan. 8, 2025
The Bodhisattvas who have practiced the Way
For the past innumerable kalpas,
Will believe my longevity
When they hear of it.They will receive Myōhō Renge Kyō on their heads,
And wish:
“May we live long and save all living beings
Just as the World-Honored One of today,
Who is the King of the Śākyas, [saves them]
By expounding the Dharma without fear
At the place of enlightenment
With [a voice like] a lion’s roar!
When we sit at the place of enlightenment,
Respected by all living beings,
May we preach that we also shall live
As long [as the World-Honored One of today]!”
Tao-sheng: The Arhats By Name
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p164-166They included Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya, Mahā-Kāśyapa, Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, Gaya-Kāśyapa, Nadi- Kāśyapa, Śāriputra, Great Maudgalyāyana, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Aniruddha, Kapphina, Gavampati, Revata, Pilindavatsa, Bakkula, Maha-Kausthila, Nanda, Sundarananda, Pūrṇa who was the son of Maitrāyanī, Subhūti, Ananda, and Rahula.
- Ājñātakauṇḍinya
- Ājñā(ta) means, in Chinese, attaining the unlearned knowledge.” Kauṇḍinya is a surname. He was the first one who attained the Tao; hence, the name.
- Mahākāśyapa
- Mahā means “great.” Kāśyapa is a surname. Because he was an elder and virtuous, he was thus called by this name. Kāśyapa is a Brahman surname.
- Uruvilvākāśyapa
- It is the name of a papaya grove. As he stayed always in this grove, the place became his name.
- Gayākāśyapa
- Gayā is the name of a town. He stayed by the town; thus, it became his name.
- Nadīkāśyapa
- It is the name of a river. He was born at the bank of this river. Because of this, he got the name.
- Śāriputra
- Śāri refers to his mother’s name. His mother’s eyes were like those of the Śāri bird (stork); hence, this name. Putra means “son.” This Śāriputra’s mother was highly talented and skillful in debates. She was known all over the land. Therefore he came to have the name Śāri, after his mother.
- Mahāmaudgalyāyana
- His first name was Kolita. The surname came from a Brahman clan.
- Mahākātyāyana
- It was a surname of a Brahman (clan) of South India. So what originally used to be a surname became his name.
- Aniruddha
- In Chinese, it means non(a)extinction (nirodha) (i.e., unextinguishable).
- Kapphina
- It is a first name; it is untranslatable.
- Gavampati
- Gavam means cow (go); pati means foot (pad). When he was born, his feet were like cow’s feet; hence, his name, “cow feet.”
- Revata
- It is the name of a constellation. He was born when this constellation appeared in the sky; got the name.
- Pilindavatsa
- Pilinda is the first name: Vatsa is a surname.
- Bakkula
- The name [translated into Chinese] is Fei-ch’eng (“fertile and prosperous”).
- Maha-Kausthila
- The [Chinese] name is Ta-hsi (“great knee”).
- Nanda
- The [Chinese] name is Huan-hsi (“joy”) (Ānanda). He was the Buddha’s younger brother.
- Sundarananda
- The [Chinese] name is Jou-ju (“gentle and smooth”). It means “handsome” (suedara) and “joy” (Ānanda).
- Pūrṇa Maitrāyanīputra [who was the son of Maitrāyanī]
- Pūrṇa is a surname; Maitrāyanīputra is a first name. He is also called [in Chinese] Man-yüan (“fulfilled wish”). Maitrāyanī was his mother’s name. His mother’s talent for debate and great wisdom were known to many people. People honored his mother. Hence, the son’s name was taken from his mother’s surname.
- Subhūti
- The [Chinese] name is Shan-chi (“good and lucky”). It also means “empty birth” (su-bhū).
- Ānanda
- He had a handsome appearance. People were delighted to see him. He was born on the day of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Thus, he was called Huan-hsi (“joy”) (Ānanda).
- Rāhula
- In Chinese, it means “not letting go” (not released). He was in the womb for six years. He thus came to be called not letting go.