In the Lotus Sutra for the first time the Buddha reveals all the secrets, all the answers, all the possibilities. As the Buddha states, the one reason for the appearance of any Buddha is for the purpose of making it possible for all beings to attain enlightenment equal to the Buddha himself. The Buddha opens the gate showing the near to reveal the far. The Buddha opens the gate, causes people to purify themselves, and shows the insight of the Buddha so that all beings may enter the Way to enlightenment.

There is no place other than where we are that is more conducive or better for our enlightenment. There may be things we need to change in our environment but until we change ourselves first then every thing we change will end up being the same or similar. This is difficult to accept, because it can be very seductive to think, if only I change my job then it will be better. Yet, when we make a change based upon that thinking without fundamentally changing ourselves, then we invariably end up facing similar problems even if packaged differently.

When you are in a good mood, cheerful, smiling, and positive then things may not get you flustered or irritated as easily as if you felt grumpy. The external environment isn’t the thing that changes; it is our life that changes in how it responds to our external environment. The way we respond in turn affects the way others respond to us. Have you ever noticed how some people are always dissatisfied or complaining, as if nothing ever is good enough? It is hard to attract good things to one’s life if nothing is ever good enough. There is a consistency in all of this. The message here is that when we start to change internally then we begin to see an external change, which then sets up the condition for us to further change. It all has to begin within one’s own life. Again, Buddhism teaches us that the first thing needing change is ourselves.

We learn in the Lotus Sutra that we each are already Buddhas; we each already possess that condition within our lives. We merely need to manifest it. We can change the theory of the Ten Worlds into a tool for us to navigate our way from suffering to Enlightenment. The Lotus Sutra and the Odaimoku are the means by which to make it possible. If we think of the Ten Worlds as a map or even a GPS, then the Lotus Sutra and the Odaimoku are the fuel that powers our life as it travels through life guided by the map of the Ten Worlds.

Rather than merely waiting for something to happen, as if by miracle or by some mythical fairy godmother granting a wish, we should be as proactive as we possibly can and actually try to begin to live as if we are in the condition we seek to become. Buddhism is not a passive activity waiting for some thing to happen. Buddhism is about becoming what we already have the a capacity to be, which is Enlightened.

Remember, it is our lives that determine the reality of the Lotus Sutra. It is our practice and our proof that demonstrates whether this is merely a historical document recording a teaching of Shakyamuni or the great universal truth of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower. And bringing this sutra to life we discover how to teach this wonderful truth to others and ensure the protection and endurance of this wonderful teaching.