Day 4 finishes Chapter 2, Expedients, and completes the first volume of the Sūtra of the Lotus flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Having last month considered Śākyamuni’s vow, we consider the use of expedients by all the past, present and future Buddhas.

I expounded the teaching of the Three Vehicles
Only as an expedient.
All the other World-Honored Ones also
Expound the teaching of the One Vehicle [with expedients].

The great multitude present here
Shall remove their doubts.
The Buddhas do not speak differently.
There is only one vehicle, not a second.

The number of the Buddhas who passed away
During the past innumerable kalpas was
Hundreds of thousands of billions,
Uncountable.

All those World-Honored Ones expounded
The truth of the reality of all things
With various stories of previous lives, parables and similes,
That is to say, with innumerable expedients.

All those World-Honored Ones expounded
The teaching of the One Vehicle,
And led innumerable living beings [with expedients]
Into the Way to Buddhahood.

All those Great Saintly Masters
Who knew the deep desires
Of the gods, men, and other living beings
Of all the worlds,
Revealed the Highest Truth
With various expedients.

The Introduction to the Lotus Sutra offers this on Expedients:

In Chapter Two, “Expedients,” the Buddha revealed the three vehicles to be expedients – that is, provisional teachings. He clarified that the unity of the three in the One Buddha Vehicle is the true teaching. This is called “opening the provisional to reveal the truth,” or “opening the three to reveal the one,” or “the three teachings become one.”