Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.
Having last month learned in gāthās the story of a Buddha Called Powerful-Voice-King and a Bodhisattva Called Never-Despising, we conclude Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva.
Never-Despising [Bodhisattva] met
Innumerable Buddhas after the end of his life.
He expounded this sūtra,
And obtained innumerable merits,
He quickly attained the enlightenment of the Buddha
By these accumulated merits.Never-Despising [Bodhisattva] at that time
Was myself.
The four kinds of devotees,
Who were attached to views at that time,
Were able to meet innumerable Buddhas
After they heard
The words of Never-Despising [Bodhisattva]:
“You will become Buddhas.”
They are now present here
In this congregation.They are the five hundred Bodhisattvas
And the four kinds of devotees
Including men and women of pure faith,
Who are now hearing the Dharma from me.In my previous existence
I encouraged them
To hear this sūtra,
That is, the most excellent Dharma.
In all my previous existences
I taught them the Way to Nirvana.
But really this is the sūtra
I taught them to keep.This Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Can be heard only once
In hundreds of millions of billions of kalpas,
That is, in an inconceivable number of kalpas.The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones,
Expound this sūtra only once
In hundreds of millions of billions of kalpas,
That is, in an inconceivable number of kalpas.Therefore, anyone who hears this sūtra
And practices the Way
After my extinction,
Should have no doubts about [this sūtra].He should expound this sūtra with all his heart;
Then he will be able to meet Buddhas
Throughout all his existences,
And quickly attain the enlightenment of the Buddha.
This is a good time to recall that Nichiren Shu has a brochure that focuses on the lesson of Never-Despising Bodhisattva. The brochure begins:
When we press our palms together in gassho and bow to greet others, we are seeing the Buddha within them that is part of their true nature. Never-Despising Bodhisattva never met a man or woman he didn’t like. Within every person, he could see the divine Buddha nature or Buddha seed within waiting to be acknowledged and nourished. This is one of the most compelling teachings of Buddhism. We are all Buddhas. Everything we need is already inside us. It’s just a matter of our faith and practice to peel away layers to reveal what is already there.
