Day 32 covers Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, closing the Eighth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Having last month covered the promises made to anyone “who keeps, reads and recites this sutra, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it,” we come to the promises made to those who copy the Lotus Sutra.

Anyone who copies this sutra will be reborn in the Heaven of the Trayastrimsa Gods immediately after his present life. On that occasion, eighty-four thousand goddesses will come and receive him, making many kinds of music. A crown of the seven treasures will be put on his head, and he will enjoy himself among the ladies in waiting. Needless to say, [more merits will be given to] the person who [not only copies this sutra but also] keeps, reads and recites it, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it. Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this sutra, and understands the meanings of it, will be given helping hands by one thousand Buddhas immediately after his present life. He will be fearless. He will not fall into any evil region. He will be reborn in the Tusita Heaven. There he will go to Maitreya Bodhisattva who, adorned with the thirty-two marks, will be surrounded by great Bodhisattvas, and attended on by hundreds of thousands of billions of goddesses. He will be given the benefits of these merits. Therefore, anyone who has wisdom should copy this sutra with all his heart, cause others to copy it, and also keep, read and recite it, memorize it correctly, and act according to it.

World-Honored One! I will protect this sutra with my supernatural powers so that it may be propagated and not be destroyed in the Jambudvipa after your extinction.

Back in July I detailed my thinking on this chapter’s depiction of women and their roles. I have nothing to add to that.

The Doctrines of Nichiren (1893) offer this interpretation of the purpose of this chapter:

Now selfish motives and disinterested motives form the point of differentiation between the good and the bad. Therefore it was that Sakyamuni chiefly insisted on the doctrines that we ought to forget the difference between Self and Non-Self, that we ought to pursue the conduct of Fugen [Universal-Sage Bodhisattva] or the Personification of Reason, and that we ought to live in peace with all our neighbours.Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)