Day 2 completes Chapter 1, Introductory.

Having last month heard what Mañjuśrī’s saw illumined by the ray of light, we come to the Buddha’s expounding of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

He who was honored by gods and men
Emerged from his samādhi,
And praised Wonderful-Light Bodhisattva, saying:
“You are the eyes of the world.

You are believed and relied on
By all living beings.
You are keeping the store of the Dharma.
Only you will understand the Dharma which I shall expound.”

Having praised Wonderful-Light
And caused him to rejoice,
That World-Honored One expounded
The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
He never rose from his seat for sixty small kalpas.
Wonderful-Light, the Teacher of the Dharma,
Kept the Wonderful Dharma
Expounded by that World-Honored One.

Of all the supernatural powers of the Tathāgatas, the talent to make it possible for his listeners to sit quietly and listen intently for “sixty small kalpas” is one I admire most.