In spite of the absence of a Lotus sermon, the Lotus Sutra continually leads the reader into an expectation that a sermon will be preached, and buddhas and bodhisattvas gather from the far corners of the universe in expectation to “hear what has never been heard before.” One way to handle this dilemma is to suggest that the sermon will be preached to each of us individually if and when we approach the Lotus Sutra in devotion and trust and supplication. Because the Dharma is responsive and conforms to the needs of the listener, the Lotus sermon cannot be something that is given as an objective entity once and for all, and open to the scrutiny of all.

If one really wants to hear the Lotus sermon for oneself, then one must invoke the eternal Dharma, or the sutra, or the Buddha, and like Śāriputra ask for it to be preached to you. Based on the sutra, practitioners are invited to appeal to a variety of different figures, such as Guanyin (Skt., Avalokiteśvara), Mañjuśrī, Śākyamuni, the Eternal Buddha, the text itself, the eternal Dharma, and so on. I have not noticed any Zen-like emphasis on experiencing a “formless self” or “pure experience” or “emptiness” in the text. Rather, the text seems to delight in the diversity of the world in all its variety and transitoriness. Accordingly, practitioners are shown that many different figures may be vehicles for the Dharma or manifestations of the Dharma. Practitioners are invited to bring their particular needs, and to choose a particular form of the Dharma, of a buddha, bodhisattva, or text to petition, and to expect a concrete response in a mode that will be meaningful to the practitioner.
A Buddhist Kaleidoscope; David W. Chappell, Organic Truth: Personal Reflections on the Lotus Sutra Page 57-58