Faith cannot exist without practice, and the practices of Pūrṇa in Chapter 8, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples, should be studied as we seek to make the Lotus Sutra come alive in our lives.

Ryusho Jeffus in his Lecture on the Lotus Sutra offers this observation:

“The four kinds of unhindered eloquence are dharma, meaning, words, and joy. When one has these four they are able to teach the dharma without difficulty. You could say they will be confident in their ability to teach the Buddha’s teachings to others. Knowing the meaning and words of the Dharma goes beyond an intellectual understanding or accumulation of information and knowledge. It is about the ability to express the teachings contained in the Dharma in such a way that the listener will be able to understand, and relate to their own lives. … If we are able to relate our own joy as well as cause the listener joy in hearing and understanding, then we have been able to accomplish unhindered eloquence. It isn’t about fancy words. It isn’t about sharing information. It is about a deep person-to-person, life-to-life communication of the profound nature of the Dharma, which actually transcends words.”

We must avoid preaching to others with a superior manner or threaten them or attempt to force a change of heart. Instead, we must follow what Nikkyō Niwano calls the principle of half a step.

“In doing missionary work or leading others, we can learn something very important from [Pūrṇa’s] attitude, which he maintained both inwardly and outwardly. If one were a person of great virtue and influence, such as Śākyamuni Buddha, even though he never assumed an air of self-importance everybody would throw himself on his knees and concentrate his mind upon hearing that person’s teaching. However, in the case of one who is not endowed with so much virtue and influence, people do not always listen earnestly to his preaching of the Law. If he gives himself the airs of a great man, some will come to have ill feeling toward him, while others will feel that he is unapproachable. Pūrṇa’s attitude is a good example for us.

“It goes without saying that we must not look down on people or think, ‘They are unenlightened,’ but it is dangerous for us even to fancy ourselves to have gone a step farther than others. We must preserve the attitude of keeping pace with other people. But we cannot lead others if we completely keep pace with them, that is, if we behave exactly the same as those who know nothing of the Buddha-way. We should go not a step but only half a step farther than others. If we do this, those around us will still feel that we are one of them and will keep pace with us. While accompanying us, they will be influenced by us and led in the right way without realizing it.”

This is the way practiced by the Buddha’s children.

While Chapter 8, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples, doesn’t mention faith, it helps illustrate that faith is not for ourselves alone. We are directed to focus on the Mahayana and to avoid simply settling for what is close at hand.

In Chapter 8, the Arhats illustrate their understanding with the parable of a priceless gem sown into the garment of a poor man by his rich friend. The poor man, unaware of the priceless gift, satisfies himself with what little he can earn.

As Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya and the others explain:

“You, the Buddha, are like his friend. We thought that we had attained extinction when we attained Arhatship because we forgot that we had been taught to aspire for the knowledge of all things by you when you were a Bodhisattva just as the man who had difficulty in earning his livelihood satisfied himself with what little he had earned. You, the World-Honored One, saw that the aspiration for the knowledge of all things was still latent in our minds; therefore, you awakened us, saying, ‘Bhikṣus! What you had attained was not perfect extinction. I caused you to plant the good root of Buddhahood a long time ago. You have forgotten this; therefore, I expounded the teaching of Nirvāṇa as an expedient. You thought that you had attained true extinction when you attained the Nirvāṇa which I taught you as an expedient.’

“World-Honored One! Now we see that we are Bodhisattvas in reality, and that we are assured of our future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Therefore, we have the greatest joy that we have ever had.”

In Stories of the Lotus Sutra, Gene Reeves emphasizes how a bodhisattva should spend the treasure of the jewel left in the robe.

“In this story, using the treasure clearly means using it to enjoy life. Life is difficult, but we are much freer, more able to appreciate, more able to cope with whatever difficulties life presents us if we have an appropriate attitude toward life and toward ourselves. Having a good attitude toward life, for the Dharma Flower Sutra, means seeing everything that comes to us as a gift, more especially as an opportunity, as what we call a ‘learning experience.’ Yes, life can be very difficult, but if we approach the troubles and difficulties that come our way as opportunities for learning, we will enjoy life more fully.

“In Mahayana Buddhism, the importance of helping others is often stressed. But we should know that even helping others is never merely helping others – it always contributes to our own enjoyment of life as well. The Dharma Flower Sutra encourages us to look for and cultivate the good both in ourselves and in others.”

When we realize we are bodhisattvas – when we understand that we cannot advance until we can bring all others along with us – we begin to understand the true treasure we have been given. Properly spent, the whole world can benefit.