Day 23 covers all of Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, and opens Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma.

Yesterday we read about the merits that accrue from “understanding by faith,” and today we learn of the merits of simply rejoicing at hearing even a gathas of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Asked by Maitreya Bodhisattva-mahasattva to quantify the merits to be given to the good man or woman who rejoices at hearing the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha offers this illustration of how the Lotus Sutra might be spread:

Ajita! Suppose a bhiksu, a bhiksuni, an upasaka, an upasika, or some other wise person, whether young or old, rejoices at hearing this sutra in a congregation after my extinction. After leaving the congregation, he or she goes to some other place, for instance, to a monastery, a retired place, a city, a street, a town, or a village. There he or she expounds this sutra, as he or she has heard it, to his or her father, mother, relative, friend or acquaintance as far as he or she can. Another person who has heard [this sutra from him or her], rejoices, goes [to some other place] and expounds it to a third person. The third person also rejoices at hearing it and expounds it to a fourth person. In this way this sutra is heard by a fiftieth person. Ajita! Now I will tell you the merits of the fiftieth good man or woman who rejoices at hearing [this sutra]. Listen attentively!

I have great affinity for this description: He or she expounds this sutra, as he or she has heard it, to his or her father, mother, relative, friend or acquaintance as far as he or she can.

Feeble and weak as my understanding may be, I rejoice in hearing and in turn pass it on.