A true believer should strive not only for the goal of his own ascent to the world of the buddhas but also for the aim of making as many other people as possible his companions there. The more true believers increase in number, the more the whole of mankind develops and the nearer this world approaches the ideal Land of Eternal Tranquil Light. Taken all together, the various merits preached in the sutras boil down to this.

While both the concept of appealing for help by calling the name of the bodhisattva and the idea that Kwan-yin takes on many forms remained important elements in Kwan-yin devotion and religious practices, a great many other stories, extra-canonical stories, especially stories of embodiments of Kwan-yin, attracted popular attention in China. The most common of these stories to come down to the present day is the story of Princess Miao-shan. Taught to them by their mothers and grandmothers, it has had much influence on how Kwan-yin is perceived and understood by Chinese Buddhists.

Miao-shan (meaning “wonderfully good”) was the third daughter of King Miao-chuang. She was naturally attracted to Buddhism, keeping a vegetarian diet from a young age, reading Buddhist scriptures during the day, and meditating at night. Having no sons, the King hoped to choose an heir from among his sons-in-law. When Miao-shan became old enough to marry, unlike her two older sisters who had married men chosen by their father, she refused to be married to anyone. angered her father so much that he found a variety of ways in which to punish her. For a while, for example, she was made to do hard work in the garden. When those tasks were completed, she was allowed to go to the White Sparrow nunnery, where she underwent further trials designed to discourage her from becoming a nun. But she persevered. So the King burned down the temple, killing the five hundred nuns who lived there, and he had Miao-shan executed for disobedience.

While her body was being protected by a mountain spirit, Miao-shan’s spirit traveled to a purgatory, where she was able to save many beings by preaching the Dharma to them. Returning to earth, she went to Fragrant Mountain, meditated for nine years, and became fully awakened.

By this time her father the King had become very ill with a mysterious incurable disease. Disguised as a wandering monk, Miao-shan went to her father and told him that there was only one thing that could save him – a medicine that was made from the eyes and hands of someone who had never felt anger. And she even told him where such a person could be found. There she secretly offered her own eyes and hands to be turned into medicine, which was taken by the King, curing him of his disease.

The King then went to Fragrant Mountain to give thanks to the one who had saved him. There he immediately recognized the ascetic without eyes or hands as his own daughter. Overwhelmed with remorse, the King and his entire family converted to Buddhism. And Miao-shan was transformed into her real form – Kwan-yin with a thousand arms and eyes. Soon after this, Miao-shan died and her remains were placed in a pagoda.

In considering the four fearlessnesses of a bodhisattva, some people may be daunted at the thought of the difficulty of preaching the Law to others. However, we must not be afraid. These four categories describe the ideal preacher, and if one attains such a stage, then indeed one will have become a great bodhisattva. No great bodhisattva becomes so without effort; he reaches such a stage only after a long practice of severe discipline.

We, who train ourselves in the bodhisattva practice, must always preach the Law by bearing in mind the four ideals of the bodhisattva and by taking these four ideals as our yardstick. When we meet with a difficult problem or are asked questions that we do not know how to answer, we should say so frankly: “As this question is beyond me, I will ask somebody for instruction and then I will answer you.” We must not dream up an answer just to make it through the occasion somehow. To say “I am not sure” does not lower us in the estimation of others as preachers but results in increasing the confidence of our listeners.

An explanation of the four fearlessnesses can be found here.

The expression “Though not yet having attained divine vision” indicates the opposite of the expression “with the natural pure eyes received at birth from his parents.” The last line of the verse means that even though living beings do not yet possess the divine vision of heavenly beings, capable of discerning the real state of all things, they can receive the power to do so while living in the sahā-world because they have pure eyes unclouded with mental illusion. To put it more plainly, they can do so because their minds become so pure that they are devoid of selfishness, so that they view things unswayed by prejudice or subjectivity. They can see things correctly, as they truly are, because they always maintain calm minds and are not swayed by impulse.

The Buddha preaches in a certain sutra as follows: “A thing is not reflected as it is in water boiling over a fire. A thing is not mirrored as it is on the surface of water hidden by plants. A thing is not reflected as it is on the surface of water running in waves stirred up the wind.” The Buddha teaches us here that we cannot view the real state of things until we are free from the mental illusion caused by selfishness and passion. We should interpret the merits of the eye in this way.

Man’s life is not limited to this world but continues eternally in each world to come. However, if we could foresee the repetition of the various occurrences of our daily lives in each and every world to come, we would be discouraged and would reject such a bleak prospect. Most people repeat the same suffering without any repentance in world after world because they cannot foresee this repetition. On the other hand, those who have been able to gain a true faith do not tire of and feel no objection to the journey of human life, however long it may be, because they know they can approach Perfect Enlightenment step by step. They can live rich lives filled with hope. This can be said to be the very greatest merit, which only believers in Buddhism can obtain.

Another thing that we must not forget is that, on behalf of the great host of bodhisattvas, the Bodhisattva Maitreya asked the Buddha to expound the teaching. In chapter 1 of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha sent forth from the circle of white hair between his eyebrows a ray of light that illuminated all the lands in the universe. At that time the Bodhisattva Maitreya wondered at this marvel and asked the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to explain it. Then, on the basis of his past experience, the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī predicted, “The World-honored One now intends to preach a very important law, the truth in the utmost depth of his mind.” From this episode we can judge that Mañjuśrī was the most senior bodhisattva. In chapters 12 and 14 the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī again requested the Buddha to instruct the host of bodhisattvas. However, from the latter half of chapter 15 onward, the Bodhisattva Maitreya represents the host of bodhisattvas, and the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī does not appear in the later chapters of the Lotus Sutra. This change is not incidental but has deep significance.

As indicated by the saying “the wisdom of Mañjuśrī,” the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī is regarded as the idealization or personification of the wisdom of the Buddha. Therefore, in the Law of Appearance as the teaching of wisdom, this bodhisattva usually represents the host of bodhisattvas. The Bodhisattva Maitreya, on the other hand, is believed to represent the Buddha’s compassion. Therefore, in the Law of Origin as the teaching of compassion, which begins with the latter half of chapter 15, the Bodhisattva Maitreya is the representative of all the bodhisattvas. However, in chapter 28, “Encouragement of the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue,” the last chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue acts as the representative of the bodhisattvas. This is because Universal Virtue typifies the practice of the Buddha. This bodhisattva is actually regarded as representing the teaching, practice, and attainment of the Buddha, but in the Lotus Sutra he most strongly represents the practice of the Buddha.

The appearance of these three bodhisattvas— Mañjuśrī, who represents the wisdom of the Buddha; Maitreya, who typifies the compassion of the Buddha; and Universal Virtue, who personifies the practice of the Buddha—reflects the organization of the Lotus Sutra itself.

The description of the Stupa springing from the earth has a very deep meaning. The earth symbolizes our bodies and minds as ordinary people. It also means this sahā-world, which consists of ordinary people. The enlightenment and salvation of the buddhas do not drop out of the clouds but spring from within ourselves. Enlightenment and salvation that spring from within ourselves are truly valuable and powerful, as the Buddha teaches us clearly here. His teaching is realistic and positive.

[T]he female rākṣasas appear to be vowing vengeance on the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. This is a mistaken interpretation, however. We should consider rather that their vigor and zeal caused them to utter passionate words because they had not accumulated such great virtues as the disciples of the Buddha and because of their demonic nature. Otherwise Sakyamuni Buddha, who preached tolerance for all living beings, could not have unconditionally extolled the female rākṣasas, saying, “Good, good!”

The explanation of the principle of punishment in Buddhism … fully applies here. The verse reads, “May his head be split in seven,” not “May the Buddha split his head in seven.” And again, we read, “Such shall be his retribution,” following the list of the various dooms for offending teachers of the Law. This expression accords with the principle of the Buddhist concept of punishment, which teaches that one will be punished by his own crimes, not by some outside agency or arbitrary force.

After the female rākṣasas had uttered this stanza, they addressed the Buddha, saying: “World-honored One! We ourselves will also protect those who receive and keep, read and recite, and practice this sutra, and give them ease of mind, freedom from corroding care and from all poisons.” The Buddha addressed the rākṣasa women: “Good, good! Even if you are only able to protect those who receive and keep the name of the Law-Flower, your happiness will be beyond calculation; how much more if you protect those who perfectly receive, keep, and pay homage to the sutra with flowers, scents, necklaces, sandal powder, unguents, incense, flags, canopies, and music, burning various kinds of lamps — ghee lamps, oil lamps, lamps of scented oil, lamps of oil of campaka flowers, lamps of oil of vārṣika flowers, and lamps of oil of udumbara flowers, such hundreds of thousands of kinds of offerings as these. Kunti! You and your followers should protect such teachers of the Law as these.”

In considering the merits of religious practice, we must place great importance on being upright in character and gentle in mind, as taught in chapter 16. We should focus our gaze on the Buddha alone, not worrying ourselves about divine favors in this world. We should be united with the Buddha and act obediently according to his guidance. If our actual life should consequently change for the better, that is a natural phenomenon produced because our minds and actions have been set in the direction of the truth. We should receive such phenomena gratefully and frankly.

The merits of religious practice are preached in three chapters of the latter half of the Lotus Sutra: chapter 17, “Discrimination of Merits”; chapter 18, “The Merits of Joyful Acceptance”; and chapter 19, “The Merits of the Preacher.” We should read these chapters bearing in mind the basic significance of merits as discussed above.