Much of the time the bodhisattva in us is hidden, but from time to time it emerges out of the ground of everyday life of both suffering and joy. One way to understand the Lotus Sutra, the Dharma Flower Sutra, is to see it encouraging the emergence of bodhisattvas from the earth, like lotus flowers.

These children of the Buddha,
Have learned the bodhisattva way well,
And are untainted by worldly things,
Just as the lotus flower in the water
Emerges from the earth. (LS 289)

They are of the earth. They have their roots in the mud, but they also rise above the mud to blossom, bringing beauty to the world. The Dharma Flower Sutra teaches us to believe that each and every one of us can be such a bodhisattva, a gift of beauty to the world.