Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory
Having last month discussed the gods and other non-humans present in the gathering who are protective deities, I should mention King Ajatasatru, who gets a special mention in the introduction:
King Ajatasatru, who was the son of Vaidehr, was also present with his hundreds of thousands of attendants. They each worshipped the feet of the Buddha, retired, and sat to one side.
Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick‘s “Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon,” offers this about the king, who was chosen by Nichiren for inclusion on the Mandala Gohonzon:
King Ajatashatru was the king of Magadha, whose capital city was Rajagriha, at the time that Shakyamuni Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra. Vulture Peak, where the Lotus Sutra was taught, is located just outside of Rajagriha to the northeast. King Ajatashatru and his attendants appear in the assembly in the first chapter.
If the wheel turning king represents the unattainable ideal of a monarch as conceived by Indian mythology, then King Ajatashatru represents the brutal reality of Indian history. In the course of his life he murdered his father, attempted to murder his mother, engaged in constant warfare and plotting against his neighbors, and even tried to have the Buddha assassinated.
According to the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, King Ajatashatru was eventually overcome by guilt because of his misdeeds and developed life-threatening boils all over his body. Jivaka, the court physician, finally convinced Ajatashatru to go and ask the Buddha for help. He was very impressed by the Buddha’s teaching and repented. He took refuge in the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha), and became a lay-disciple of the Buddha. In this way, he eradicated the evil karma that brought about the boils and was able to prolong his life.
In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, King Ajatashatru represents the icchantika. An icchantika is an incorrigible disbeliever who, according to some teachings, is utterly devoid of the seeds of buddhahood. The Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, however, teaches that even icchantika such as Ajatashatru have buddha-nature. The Lotus Sutra’s prediction of Devadatta’s eventual buddhahood is taken to mean that even the icchantika’s buddha-nature will someday come to full flower.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon