Day 17 includes all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra

Senchu Murano notes: “The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is an English translation of the Kasuga edition of the Myōhōrengekyō. The Myōhōrengekyō is a Chinese translation of a Sanskrit text of the Saddharmupuṇḍarīka-sūtra by Kumārajīva in 406. Kumārajīva’s text did not contain Chapter XII of the Kasuga edition. This chapter was translated by Fa-i in 490 and inserted into Kumārajīva’s version probably at the beginning of the sixth century.”

Still …

Good men or women in the future who hear this chapter of Devadatta of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma with faithful respect caused by their pure minds, and have no doubts [about this chapter], will not fall into hell or the region of hungry spirits or the region of animals. They will be reborn before the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters. They will always hear this sūtra at the places of their rebirth. Even when they are reborn among men or gods, they will be given wonderful pleasures. When they are reborn before the Buddhas, they will appear in lotus-flowers.

The path to enlightenment – Compassion for all living beings:

[In a previous lifetime] I sought the Great Dharma strenuously
Because I wished to save all living beings.
I did not wish to benefit myself
Or to have the pleasures of the five desires.

And it was Devadatta in that previous lifetime who made it possible. “He caused me …” Śākyamuni states repeatedly.

“I attained perfect enlightenment and now save all living beings because Devadatta was my teacher.”

In the remainder of the chapter we are treated to Mañjuśrī’s exploits in the sea.

Mañjuśrī said, “In the sea I expounded only the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.”

Accumulated-Wisdom asked Mañjuśrī: “The sūtra is exceedingly profound and wonderful. This is the treasure of all the sūtras. It is rare in the world. Do you know anyone who acted according to this sūtra so strenuously that he has already been qualified to become a Buddha quickly?”

Mañjuśrī answered: “Yes. There is a daughter of Dragon-King Sāgara [among those whom I taught]. She is eight years old. She is clever. She knows the karmas of all living beings. She obtained dhāraṇīs. She keeps all the treasury of the profound and hidden core expounded by the Buddhas. She entered deep into dhyāna-concentration, and understood all teachings. She aspired for Bodhi in a kṣana, and reached the stage of irrevocability. She is eloquent without hindrance. She is compassionate towards all living beings just as a mother is towards her babe. She obtained all merits. Her thoughts and words are wonderful and great. She is compassionate, humble, gentle and graceful. She [has already been qualified to] attain Bodhi[, and to become a Buddha quickly].”

It is interesting to note that “She aspired for Bodhi in a kṣana.” A kṣana is the duration of a single mental concept. Basically, she aspired immediately upon thinking about enlightenment. And her eventual demonstration she became a Buddha just as quickly.

Mañjuśrī’s declaration about the daughter of Dragon-King Sāgara is even more remarkable given the objections voiced by Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva and Śāriputra.

Many were impressed with the daughter of Dragon-King Sāgara’s transformation:

Having seen from afar that [the man who had been] the daughter of the dragon-king had become a Buddha and [begun to] expound the Dharma to the men and gods in his congregation, all the living beings of the Sahā-World, including Bodhisattvas, Śrāvakas, gods, dragons, the [six other kinds, that is, in total] eight kinds of supernatural beings, men, and nonhuman beings, bowed [to that Buddha] with great joy.

But it wasn’t a cause for dancing and singing for everyone:

The Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva, Śāriputra, and all the other living beings in the congregation received the Dharma faithfully and in silence.

In Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sūtra, Medicine-King Bodhisattva-mahāsattva and Great-Eloquence Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, and their attendant Bodhisattvas all vow to expound the Lotus Sūtra:

“World-Honored One, do not worry! We will keep, read, recite and expound this sūtra after your extinction. The living beings in the evil world after [your extinction] will have less roots of good, more arrogance, more greed for offerings of worldly things, and more roots of evil. It will be difficult to teach them because they will go away from emancipation. But we will patiently read, recite, keep, expound and copy this sūtra, and make various offerings to it. We will not spare even our lives [in doing all this].”

But the 500 Arhats and 8,000 Śrāvakas, who had all been assured of future Buddhahood, didn’t want anything to do with this Sahā-World. Even the sister of the mother of the Buddha and the mother of Rāhula couldn’t imagine expounding the Lotus Sūtra in the Sahā-World.

Is it really possible to “complete the Way of Bodhisattvas in the course of time” while calling the Sahā-World hopeless. As the Śrāvakas put it:

“World-Honored One! We also will expound this sūtra in some other worlds because the people of this Sahā-World have many evils. They are arrogant. They have few merits. They are angry, defiled, ready to flatter others, and insincere.”