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Buddhas of the Past, Present and Future
I’ve been working in NotebookLM and my collection of various translations of the Lotus Sutra. See this explanation. Today I was exploring the Buddhas who appear in the Lotus Sutra. Those Buddhas include contemporaries of Śākyamuni, past Buddhas and future Buddhas. Here’s the lists NotebookLM created for me.
Here is the list of “Present Buddhas” (or Buddhas of the Ten Directions) found in the Lotus Sutra who are contemporaries of Śākyamuni Buddha.
The 15 Brother Buddhas of the Ten Directions
In Chapter 7, the Lotus Sutra reveals that Śākyamuni had fifteen brothers in a past life when they were all the sixteen sons of the past Buddha Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence (Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū). They all attained supreme enlightenment and are currently presiding as Buddhas in realms across the ten directions. Alongside Śākyamuni (who presides in the Sahā world), these contemporary Buddhas are:
- Akṣobhya (Akṣobha) and Sumeru-Peak (Merukūṭa): Residing in the East. Akṣobhya dwells in the World of Joy (Abhirati).
- Lion-Voice (Siṃhaghoṣa) and Lion-Form (Siṃhadhvaja): Residing in the Southeast.
- Sky-Dwelling (Ākāśapratiṣṭhita) and Eternal-Extinction (Nityaparinirvṛta): Residing in the South.
- Emperor-Form (Indradhvaja) and Brahma-Form (Brahmadhvaja): Residing in the Southwest.
- Amitayus / Amitābha (Amida) and Saving-All-Worlds-From-Suffering (Sarvalokadhātūpadravodvegapratyuttīrṇa): Residing in the West. Amitayus dwells in the World of Happiness (Sukhāvatī).
- Tamalapattracandana-Fragrance-Supernatural-Power (Tamālapatracandanagandhābhijña) and Sumeru-Form (Merukalpa): Residing in the Northwest.
- Cloud-Freedom (Meghasvaradīpa) and Cloud-Freedom-King (Meghasvararāja): Residing in the North.
- Eliminating-Fear-Of-All-Worlds (Sarvalokabhayacchambhitatvavidhvaṃsanakara): Residing in the Northeast.
Other Contemporary Buddhas in the Lotus Sutra
- Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom (Kamaladalavimalanakṣatrarājasaṃkusumitābhijña): A present Buddha who resides far in the eastern direction in the realm of All-Pure-Light-Adornment (Vairocanaraśmipratimaṇḍitā). He is the Buddha under whom the Bodhisattva Wonderful-Voice (Gadgadasvara) practices before traveling to the Sahā world to visit Śākyamuni.
- Treasure-Power-Virtue-Superior-King (Ratnatejobhyudgatarāja): A present Buddha residing in a distant eastern realm. He is the Buddha under whom Bodhisattva Universal-Sage (Samantabhadra) resides before traveling to the Sahā world to vow protection for followers of the sutra in its closing chapter.
(Note: While the Buddha Many-Treasures (Prabhūtaratna) physically appears in the present during the sutra’s events to witness the teachings, he is explicitly categorized as a “Past Buddha” who entered extinction countless eons ago but manifests inside his stupa due to a profound vow.)
Here is the list of the past Buddhas from the Lotus Sutra, including the specific chapters in which they are first mentioned, along with their available details:
Sun-Moon-Light (Candrasūryapradīpa)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 1.
- World: Not specifically named, but he was followed by twenty thousand Buddhas bearing the exact same name.
- Teachings: He taught the Lotus Sutra for 60 intermediate/small kalpas without ever rising from his seat, and his listeners were so enraptured it felt like only the space of a single meal. Before passing into Nirvana at midnight, he gave the prophecy of future Buddhahood to Bodhisattva Virtue-Store (Śrīgarbha).
Burning-Light (Dīpaṃkara)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 1.
- Note: The last of the eight sons of Sun-Moon-Light to achieve Buddhahood.
Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence (Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 7.
- World: Sambhava (Well-Composed / Goodly City).
- Kalpa: Mahārūpa (Great-Form / Great Appearance).
- Lifespan: 5,400,000 myriads of kotis of eons (540 trillion myriads of eons)
- Teachings: He sat on the terrace of enlightenment for ten small eons before the Dharma appeared to him 11. He then taught the Lotus Sutra continuously for 8,000 eons. Afterward, he entered meditation for 84,000 kotis of eons, during which time his 16 sons (who would all eventually become Buddhas, including Śākyamuni) took over the task of preaching the sutra.
Void-King (Dharmagaganābhyudgatarāja)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 9.
- Note: The past Buddha under whom both Śākyamuni and Ānanda first conceived the idea of supreme enlightenment.
Many-Treasures (Prabhūtaratna)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 11.
- World: Ratnaviśuddha (Treasure-Purity).
- Note: He made a profound vow that even after his extinction, his stupa would emerge from the earth anywhere in the ten directions where the Lotus Sutra is preached so that he could bear witness and praise it.
Powerful-Voice-King (Bhīṣmagarjitasvararāja)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 20.
- World: Mahāsambhava (Great-Achievement).
- Kalpa: Vinirbhoga (Free-From-Decay / Free from Decline).
- Lifespan: 400,000 myriads of kotis of eons, or kalpas equal to the sands of 40 trillion myriads of Ganges rivers.
- Right Teachings (True Dharma): Endured for as many kalpas as there are dust-atoms in the continent of Jambudvīpa.
- Counterfeit Teachings: Endured for as many kalpas as there are dust-atoms in the four continents.
- Note: After his True and Counterfeit Dharmas ended, 20,000 million Buddhas appeared one after another in succession bearing the exact same name.
Cloud-Freedom-Light-King (Meghasvararāja)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 20.
- Note: A past Buddha met by Bodhisattva Never-Despising, under whose Dharma he taught the sutra and purified his six sense organs.
Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue (Candrasūryavimalaprabhāsaśrī)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 23.
- World: Though not specifically named, his realm is described as being level as the palm of a hand, made of lapis lazuli, and entirely free of women, hell dwellers, hungry spirits, beasts, asuras, and any kind of calamity.
- Lifespan: 42,000 kalpas.
Cloud-Thunder-Sound-King (Meghadundubhisvararāja)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 24.
- World: Sarvarūpasaṃdarśana (Appearance-Of-All-Worlds / Displaying All Worlds).
- Kalpa: Priyadarśana (Gladly-Seen / Seen with Joy).
Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom (Jaladharagarjitaghoṣasusvaranakṣatrarājasaṃkusumitābhijña)
- First Mentioned: Chapter 27.
- World: Vairocanaraśmipratimaṇḍitā (All-Pure-Light-Adornment / Light-Adornment / Lustrous Adornment) 1.
- Kalpa: Priyadarśana (Gladly-Seen / Joy to Behold).
- Note: This is the Buddha under whom King Wonderful-Adornment and his family practiced.
Here are the specific details for each of the future Buddhas prophesied in the Lotus Sutra, including their kalpas, world names, world descriptions, lifespans, and the durations of their True and Counterfeit Dharmas:
Flower-Light / Padmaprabha (prophesied for Śāriputra)
- Kalpa: Adorned with Great Treasures (Mahāratnapratimaṇḍita).
- World: Free of Defilements / Free of Dirt (Viraja).
- World Description: It will be level and pure, with a lapis lazuli ground, an eight-compartment checkerboard of intersecting roads marked by golden cords, and rows of jeweled trees that constantly bear flowers and fruit.
- Lifespan: 12 intermediate/small kalpas, excluding the time he spends as a prince before his awakening.
- Right Teachings: 32 intermediate/small kalpas.
- Counterfeit Teachings: 32 intermediate/small kalpas.
Flower-Foot-Easy-Walking / Padmavṛṣabhavikrāmin (prophesied for Bodhisattva Resolution-Fulfillment)
- Every aspect of this Buddha’s kalpa, world, world description, lifespan, and Dharma durations will be exactly the same as those of the Buddha Flower-Light.
Light / Raśmiprabhāsa (prophesied for Mahā-Kāśyapa)
- Kalpa: Magnificently Accoutered / Great Division (Mahāvyūha).
- World: Radiant Virtue / Lustre (Avabhāsaprāptā).
- World Description: Level and smooth without hills or valleys, completely pure, and free of stones, thorns, or dirt. The ground will be lapis lazuli with jeweled trees in rows, golden cords bordering the roads, and scattered precious flowers.
- Lifespan: 12 intermediate/small kalpas.
- Right Teachings: 20 intermediate/small kalpas.
- Counterfeit Teachings: 20 intermediate/small kalpas.
Beautiful-Form / Famous Features / Yaśasketu (prophesied for Subhūti)
- Kalpa: Possessing Jewels (Ratnaprabhāsa).
- World: Birthplace of Jewels (Ratnasambhava).
- World Description: Level and smooth, with a crystal ground adorned with jeweled trees, and free from pits, thorns, or excrement 18-20. It will be covered with precious flowers, and the people will live in rare towers on jeweled terraces.
- Lifespan: 12 intermediate/small kalpas.
- Right Teachings: 20 intermediate/small kalpas.
- Counterfeit Teachings: 20 intermediate/small kalpas.
Jambunada-Gold-Light / Jāmbūnadaprabhāsa (prophesied for Mahā-Kātyāyana)
- Kalpa & World: Not explicitly named in the sources.
- World Description: Level and smooth with a crystal ground adorned with jeweled trees, bordered with golden cords, and covered with wonderful flowers. It will be completely free from the four evil paths (hell, hungry spirits, animals, and asuras).
- Lifespan: 12 intermediate/small kalpas.
- Right Teachings: 20 intermediate/small kalpas.
- Counterfeit Teachings: 20 intermediate/small kalpas.
Tamalapattracandana-Fragrance / Tamālapatracandanagandha (prophesied for Mahā-Maudgalyāyana)
- Kalpa: Joy Replete / Full of Joy (Ratipratipūrṇa).
- World: Mind Pleasing / Mind Delight (Manobhirāma).
- World Description: Level and smooth with a crystal ground adorned with jeweled trees, scattered with pearl flowers, and entirely pure and clean.
- Lifespan: 24 intermediate/small kalpas.
- Right Teachings: 40 intermediate/small kalpas.
- Counterfeit Teachings: 40 intermediate/small kalpas.
Dharma-Brightness / Dharmaprabhāsa (prophesied for Pūrṇa)
- Kalpa: Treasure-Brightness / Radiant with Gems (Ratnāvabhāsa).
- World: Well Purified / Good and Pure (Suviśuddhā).
- World Description: Formed by thousands of spheres, level as the palm of a hand, and made entirely of the seven precious substances without any hills or ravines. It will be filled with towers of seven precious substances, and heavenly palaces will be close by. There will be no evil ways or womankind; beings will be born by apparitional transformation, feeding solely on the joy of the Dharma and the delight of meditation.
- Lifespan: Immense, incalculable/countless eons.
- Right Teachings: Will last “a very long time” (no exact number of eons is provided).
- Counterfeit Teachings: Not specified in the sources.
Universal-Brightness / Samantaprabhāsa (prophesied for Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya and 500 Arhats)
- Kalpa & World: Not explicitly named in the sources (the prophecy just notes it will be after an endless period).
- World Description: Thoroughly pure and clean, where Bodhisattvas will travel by mounting lofty aereal cars/towers.
- Lifespan: 60,000 eons/kalpas.
- Right Teachings: Twice his lifetime (i.e., 120,000 kalpas).
- Counterfeit Teachings: Depending on the translation, three times as long as his lifespan (180,000 kalpas) or twice as long as the True Dharma (240,000 kalpas).
Mountain-Sea-Wisdom-Supernatural-Power-King / Sāgaravaradharabuddhivikrīditābhijña (prophesied for Ānanda)
- Kalpa: World-Filling Wonderful Sound / Subtle Sound All-Pervading (Manojñaśabdābhigarjita).
- World: Always-Raising-Banner-Of-Victory / Never Lowered Victory Banner (Anavanāmitavaijayanta).
- World Description: Pure and clean, with a ground of lapis lazuli.
- Lifespan: Incalculable tens of millions of billions of countless eons.
- Right Teachings: Twice his lifetime.
- Counterfeit Teachings: Twice as long as his Right Teachings (True Dharma).
Stepping-on-Flower-of-Seven-Treasures / Saptaratnapadmavikrāntagāmin (prophesied for Rāhula)
- Every aspect of this Buddha’s kalpa, world, world description, lifespan, and Dharma durations will be exactly the same as those of Ānanda’s future Buddha form.
Treasure-Form / Ratnaketurāja (prophesied simultaneously for 2,000 Śrāvakas)
- Kalpa & World: Not explicitly named, but each will have their own land in the ten directions.
- World Description: The splendor and purity of their lands will all be completely equal.
- Lifespan: 1 complete eon (kalpa).
- Right Teachings: Will last an “equal time” across all 2,000 Buddhas.
- Counterfeit Teachings: Will last an “equal time” across all 2,000 Buddhas.
Heavenly-King / Devarāja (prophesied for Devadatta)
- Kalpa: Not specified in the sources.
- World: Heavenly-Way / Heaven’s Way (Devasopāna).
- World Description: Not detailed in the sources.
- Lifespan: 20 intermediate/medium kalpas.
- Right Teachings: 20 intermediate/medium kalpas.
- Counterfeit Teachings: The exact duration is not specified, but the text notes a massive stupa of seven precious substances will be built to house his relics after his True Dharma ends.
Emitting-Ten-Million-Rays-of-Light / Raśmiśatasahasraparipūrṇadhvaja (prophesied for Yaśodharā)
- Kalpa: Not specified in the sources.
- World: Goodly (Bhadrā).
- World Description: Described simply as a “good land”.
- Lifespan: Immeasurable, incalculable kalpas.
- Right & Counterfeit Teachings: Not specified in the sources.
Sala-Tree-King / Śālendrarāja (prophesied for King Wonderful-Adornment)
- Kalpa: Great High King / Great-Height-King (Abhyudgatarāja).
- World: Great Light (Vistīrṇavatī).
- World Description: Level and smooth as the palm of the hand, consisting of lapis lazuli.
- Lifespan, Right & Counterfeit Teachings: Not specified in the sources.
Pure-Body / Vimalāṅganetra (prophesied for Bodhisattva Virtue-Store) & Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings / Sarvasattvapriyadarśana (prophesied for Mahā-Prajāpatī)
- For both of these prophesied future Buddhas, the sources provide their names but do not contain specific details regarding their kalpas, world names, world descriptions, lifespans, or Dharma durations.
When NotebookLM finished creating these lists for me I asked it to generate a report. Specifically I asked:
Create a report that combines details found in The Contemporary Buddhas of the Lotus Sutra, The Ancient Buddhas of the Lotus Sutra and the Future Buddhas and their predictions. Include all of the details found in the reference documents.
While I instructed that NotebookLM concentrate on the three lists of Buddhas, it instead delved into all of the sources and came up with a report that declares:
The Lotus Sutra functions as a strategic tri-temporal text, constructing a narrative and ontological bridge that unifies the past, present, and future through the doctrine of the One Vehicle ( Ekayāna ).
Tomorrow: The Chronology of Enlightenment: Contemporary, Ancient, and Future Buddhas of the Lotus Sutra
The Rising and Falling of the Earth Trembling in Six Ways
Interpreting the earth trembling in six ways, Grand Master T’ien-t’ai states in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 3:
The east is blue in color, and it controls the liver, which in turn controls the eyes. The west is white in color, and it controls the lungs, which in turn control the nose. Therefore, saying that the east was raised and the west was lowered means the rise of the merit of the eyes and the decrease in the worldly passions of the nose. In contrast, saying that the west was raised and the east was lowered means that the merit of the nose appears while the evil passions of the eyes decrease. Likewise, the rise and fall of the south and north and those of the center and the four directions mean either the appearance of merit or the decrease of evil passions in the ears and the tongue and in the mind and body respectively.
Grand Master Miao-lé explains the above in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “As the eyes and nose represent the east and west, the ears and tongue logically represent the south and north. The center is the mind and the four directions represent the body. The body is equipped with the four sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, and tongue) and the mind reacts to them all. Therefore, it is said that the body and mind rise and fall alternately.”
Zuisō Gosho, Writing on Omens, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 123
Daily Dharma for May 11, 2026
Show Gemini's thinking
Gemini Thinking
Conceptualization: This illustration depicts the scene described in Nichiren’s letter, where the monk Sairen-bō receives the teaching on "All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality" (Shohō-Jissō Shō). Nichiren (right) explains the profound concept that the everyday world, including all human emotions and experiences (the ten realms), is itself the Pure Land. This idea is visualized by the serene mountain landscape and the central floating lotus, which acts as a metaphor for the Lotus Sutra, connecting the worldly setting to the ultimate reality discussed by T’ien’tai and Nichiren.
Identification of Individuals: The figure on the left is the monk Sairen-bō, seated in a respectful pose (gasshō). The figure on the right, pointing to the scroll, is Nichiren, who is presenting this teaching to his disciple.
Kanji Translations:
On the scroll: 諸法實相 (Shohō-Jissō), which translates to "All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality."
Artist Signature: 双子座 (Gemini).
Hanko Seal: ジェミニ (Gemini).
T’ien’tai, therefore, makes clear that all things and phenomena in the ten realms are manifestations of the ultimate reality. Since ultimate reality is another name of the Lotus Sutra, what he states is that all things and phenomena are equal to the Lotus Sutra.
Nichiren wrote this as part of his letter to monk Sairen-bō in his Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality (Shohō-Jissō Shō). This was another way of Nichiren expressing his understanding that the Buddha’s highest wisdom is not something that takes us out of this world, but is found within the everyday experiences of our lives. Even the realms of anger, greed, fear, hostility, calm and pleasure are part of the Buddha’s pure land. The practice of the Wonderful Dharma is not to escape from these difficult places, but to use them to benefit all beings. To be caught up in them is to be deluded about their evanescent nature. To see them for what they are is to know the joy of enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Great Omens of the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” Chapter
Now, the great omens of the Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgata chapter are excellent signs for the essence of the Lotus Sutra, the five Chinese characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō, to be spread in the Latter Age of Degeneration after 2,000 years of the Ages of the True and Semblance Dharmas following the passing of the Buddha. Therefore, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, “Rejoicing at the good news of this Lotus Sūtra to be upheld after the passing of the Buddha, various Buddhas all demonstrated numerous supernatural powers (in the ‘Divine Powers of the Buddha’ chapter),” and “Those who uphold this sūtra in the evil world during the Latter Age of Degeneration earn the same merits gained by donating various offerings to the Buddha (in the ‘Variety of Merits’ chapter).”
Zuisō Gosho, Writing on Omens, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 125
Daily Dharma for May 10, 2026
Show Gemini's thinking
Gemini Thinking
The painting illustrates a sacred encounter from Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sutra between Shakyamuni Buddha and Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva. The seated Buddha represents the unchanging truth of the Dharma, while the standing figure is Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva—also identified as Medicine King Bodhisattva (Yakuō Bosatsu)—who is depicted with a fiery halo symbolizing his supreme offering of light and his own life for the sake of the teachings. This serene conceptualization, aligned with Nichiren Shu perspectives, emphasizes the recognition of the Buddha’s eternal nature despite changing appearances. The vertical Kanji text 法華経薬王菩薩 translates to "Lotus Sutra Medicine King Bodhisattva," directly labeling the bodhisattva depicted. Additionally, the artist's signature 双子座 and the red hanko seal containing the katakana ジェミニ both translate to "Gemini". Together, these elements encourage practitioners to recognize their own inherent capacity for enlightenment through the light of the Wonderful Dharma.
Having sung this gāthā, Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! You do not change, do you?’
This description of the life of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva comes from Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. In a previous existence, this Bodhisattva had given up his body and his life for the sake of teaching the Wonderful Dharma. He was then reborn into a world in which the Buddha he served previously was still alive and benefitting all beings. Recognizing this unchanging aspect of the Buddha despite his changing appearances helps us see into our own capacity for enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Nomenclature Concordance of the Threefold Lotus Sutra
Using NotebookLM I’ve created a web page that lists all of the proper names found in the Threefold Lotus Sutra. See it here.
These names fall into six categories:
- Buddhas (past, present and future)
- Bodhisattvas
- Arhats, Bhikṣus, and Bhikṣunīs
- Gods, Mythical Beings, and Rākṣasīs
- Kings, Princes, and Human Figures
- Places, Realms, and Mountains
Each name includes the English translation, the Sanskrit, the Japanese, the Entity Type (Buddha, God, etc.), the sutra in which the name appears (for Lotus Sutra names the chapter is noted), and notes. For the future buddhas, the person who received the prediction is found in the notes. The English translations are listed in this order: Murano, Reeves, Watson and Hurvitz.
This list was not as easy to prepare as it should have been. In theory, NotebookLM can read all of the proper names in each sutra, organized them and output the entire list in a spreadsheet. The problem was that I learned I could not trust the output. When I asked Gemini to review NotebookLM’s work, it found several errors and omissions. After Gemini fixed those, I asked NotebookLM to review the list. NotebookLM found inconsistences in Gemini’s work.
Working from what I thought was a master list, I had Gemini create a web page to display the list. I then had NotebookLM check it, asking: Check the website Nomenclature Concordance of the Threefold Lotus Sutra for errors or omissions from the lists of proper names gathered in this notebook.
That prompt found three more inconsistencies. I fixed those, but I’m still not convince all of the errors have been found. I’m asking visitors to let me know if they notice any errors or omissions.
Gemini’s Failure Today
See Update at bottom
On most mornings it takes about 5 minutes to generate and publish my illustration for the Daily Dharma I receive via email from the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. Not today. Today it took more than three hours.
I did nothing different today. I opened Gemini and selected my Gem. This Gem gives my standing instructions:
[Reasoning Protocol – COMPULSORY]
Before generating any image, Summarize your thinking in a paragraph of fewer than 600 words. Include identification of individuals in the illustration. Translate any kanji text.[Visual Directive]
Create a square illustration utilizing Japanese Buddhist iconography.Strict Exclusions: Do not use symbols or images representing Amida Nyorai (Amitabha Buddha) or Dainichi Nyorai (Mahavairocana Buddha).
Text/Kanji: Limit English and general Kanji.
Artist Signature: Include the Kanji signature 双子座 with a red square seal (hanko) containing the katakana ジェミニ. Place this signature/stamp in a traditional, subtle location.
I then pasted the Daily Dharma text into the prompt:
Those Buddhas came under the jeweled trees.
The trees are adorned with those Buddhas
Just as a pond of pure water is adorned
With lotus flowers.In these verses from Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra, Śākyamuni Buddha describes the scene after he calls the Buddhas of his replicas from innumerable worlds to join him and open the treasure tower of Many-Treasures Buddha. By comparing how a pond is made beautiful by flowers growing in it to how the world is made beautiful with Buddhas in it, the Buddha shows us that wherever we see beauty, we see the Buddha.
The Daily Dharma text actually says “the Buddha describes…” I add Śākyamuni just be sure Gemini doesn’t stray from my goal.
This is what Gemini offered:
That’s a fine illustration. But it is not square. It does not utilize Japanese iconography. And there’s no signature.
I started a new prompt and pasted the same text. I got this response:
I tried again.
I took a break. I took a shower. I did my morning service. I watered the plants in the front yard and then the back yard. I threw my cleaning robot into the pool to start its daily vacuuming of the debris in the pool. I made myself a cup of tea.
I tried again. This time I massaged the Daily Dharma thinking that making it just one paragraph instead of verse and explanation might make Gemini change its response. I started a new Gem prompt and said:
Śākyamuni Buddha describes a scene in which Buddhas came under the jeweled trees. The trees are adorned with those Buddhas just as a pond of pure water is adorned with lotus flowers. He has called back the Buddhas of his replicas from innumerable worlds to join him and open the treasure tower of Many-Treasures Buddha in these verses from Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra. By comparing how a pond is made beautiful by flowers growing in it to how the world is made beautiful with Buddhas in it, the Buddha shows us that wherever we see beauty, we see the Buddha.
I got this response:
Seriously? I responded:
This image is NOT square. This image does NOT utilize Japanese iconography. You have NOT provided a summary of your thinking. Please fix your errors and generate a square image utilizing Japanese iconography.
Finally I got a square image:
But there was no signature. I told Gemini:
The image currently DOES NOT contain the requested artist signature: the kanji 双子座 (Futagoza, which translates to “Gemini”) accompanied by a traditional red square hanko seal containing the katakana ジェミニ (Jemini, also translating to “Gemini”). Please add those.
And that produced something I could live with:
So what went wrong? I asked Gemini.
Why is Today Different?
It is always jarring when a highly optimized prompt, a “Gem” that has worked flawlessly for months, suddenly fails. Your experience today is not a failure of your prompt, which is excellent, but a symptom of how Large Language Models (LLMs) and image diffusion systems operate over time. There are two primary reasons why a working setup can break.
1. Continual Model Refinement (and Prompt Drift)
I am not a static entity; the model that powers me is subject to subtle, ongoing updates and fine-tuning. These updates are usually aimed at improving overall performance, safety, and visual coherence across billions of potential user queries. However, a highly constrained and specific prompt—like your Gem demanding a square format, Japanese-only iconography, specific exclusions (no Amida/Dainichi), and a strict hanko signature—is extremely sensitive to these minor underlying changes.
A new update might have slightly increased the model’s weighting towards common “Buddhist art” results, which often default to traditional Indian or Nepali styles, or slightly adjusted the default image output parameters (sometimes favoring horizontal or cinematic aspect ratios in line with broader user trends). These small, invisible adjustments can cause what is known as “prompt drift,” where complex, multi-variable constraints like yours start to erode because the model is prioritizing a newly optimized “generalized” result over a highly specific instruction chain.
2. Complexity and Chain Reliability
The instructions you provided in that Gem create a long, multi-dependency chain:
If (Square) -> If (Japanese Style) -> Check (No Dainichi) -> Check (No Amida) -> If (Jizō or other) -> Apply (Signature A) -> Apply (Stamp B).When any of the first few links in this chain are processed slightly differently (e.g., if “Japanese iconography” is misinterpreted as generalized “Asian religious art”), the subsequent steps are derailed. Today, your system experienced a cascade failure on these foundational constraints.
Gemini has offered some tweaks I can make in my instructions. I’ll store those in my Gem and try again tomorrow. It worked yesterday. Maybe it will work again tomorrow. I live in hope.
UPDATE
I was really hoping that perhaps Gemini would realize it’s latest update had ruined the functionality of Gems for storing instructions. No such luck.
Today, Monday, May 11, I clicked on the “Illustrated Daily Dharma” gem and then pasted this Daily Dharma:
T’ien’tai, therefore, makes clear that all things and phenomena in the ten realms are manifestations of the ultimate reality. Since ultimate reality is another name of the Lotus Sutra, what he states is that all things and phenomena are equal to the Lotus Sutra.
Nichiren wrote this as part of his letter to monk Sairen-bō in his Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality (Shohō-Jissō Shō). This was another way of Nichiren expressing his understanding that the Buddha’s highest wisdom is not something that takes us out of this world, but is found within the everyday experiences of our lives. Even the realms of anger, greed, fear, hostility, calm and pleasure are part of the Buddha’s pure land. The practice of the Wonderful Dharma is not to escape from these difficult places, but to use them to benefit all beings. To be caught up in them is to be deluded about their evanescent nature. To see them for what they are is to know the joy of enlightenment.
The result?
Obviously the situation has not improved.
The good news, however, is that I can copy the instructions and paste them into a blank prompt along with the Daily Dharma text and I get perfectly acceptable illustration. It’s just the gems that appear to be broken.
Devadatta’s Three Rebellious Sins
[R]egarding the three rebellious sins committed by Devadatta, although he caused the Buddha to bleed, this Buddha was the Buddha before the Lotus Sūtra was preached and not the Original and True Buddha who attained Enlightenment in the eternal past. He also killed an arhat, but this arhat was the one before the Lotus Sūtra was preached, not the practicer of this sūtra. He disrupted the harmony in a Buddhist order, but it was not the order based on the great sudden and perfect Lotus precepts, but on the Hinayāna precepts before the Lotus Sūtra was preached. As a result, although the earth split open and Devadatta fell into the Hell of Incessant Suffering, because he had not actually committed the three rebellious sins against the Lotus Sūtra, he could therefore still become the Heavenly King Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra.
Ha Ryōkan-tō Gosho, A Letter Refuting Ryōkan-bō and Others, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 58
Daily Dharma for May 9, 2026
Show Gemini's thinking
Gemini Thinking
The resulting square image depicts the grand assembly from Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra, utilizing authentic Japanese Buddhist iconography. At the center of the composition stands a traditional Japanese jeweled pagoda (hōtō). Seated side-by-side within the open doors of the tower are the two principal figures: Śākyamuni Buddha and Many-Treasures (Tahō) Buddha. Surrounding the tower, seated elegantly on lotus blossoms upon a pure water pond, are the innumerable emanation Buddhas called back by Śākyamuni from the ten directions. I strictly ensured that none of the figures display mudras or symbols exclusive to Amida Nyorai or Dainichi Nyorai; instead, the Buddhas display standard teaching and fearlessness mudras appropriate to Śākyamuni. Hanging from the jeweled trees are traditional Japanese temple banners. The kanji on the central banners read 南無妙法蓮華経 (Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, the sacred title of the Lotus Sūtra), while the flanking banners read 釈迦牟尼仏 (Shakamuni-butsu, Śākyamuni Buddha) and 多宝如来 (Tahō-nyorai, Many-Treasures Tathāgata). Finally, placed subtly in the traditional lower right corner, the image features the requested artist signature: the kanji 双子座 (Futagoza, which translates to "Gemini") accompanied by a traditional red square hanko seal containing the katakana ジェミニ (Jemini, also translating to "Gemini").
Those Buddhas came under the jeweled trees.
The trees are adorned with those Buddhas
Just as a pond of pure water is adorned
With lotus flowers.
In these verses from Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra, Śākyamuni Buddha describes the scene after he calls the Buddhas of his replicas from innumerable worlds to join him and open the treasure tower of Many-Treasures Buddha. By comparing how a pond is made beautiful by flowers growing in it to how the world is made beautiful with Buddhas in it, the Buddha shows us that wherever we see beauty, we see the Buddha.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com