This chapter is called “Introductory” because it forms the introduction of the Lotus Sutra. The circumstances of its preaching are explained first: when Śākyamuni Buddha finished preaching the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa (Vulture Peak) for the sake of all the bodhisattvas, he sat cross-legged and entered contemplation, in which his body and mind were motionless.

This is a very important description. The Buddha always entered contemplation in this way before and after preaching. During his contemplation, he considered how he should preach in order to make his teaching sink deeply into the minds of his audience, and he also prayed that the teaching preached by him might be rightly received and spread by the hearers. It is said that Śākyamuni Buddha was lost in such contemplation for five hours a day. Following the example of the Buddha, it is desirable for us to close our eyes for a few minutes before and after listening to the Buddha’s teaching so as to keep it constantly in our minds, to purify our minds with it, and to pray to be united with the Buddha.