Of the five practices of a Bodhisattva – saint practice, Brama practice, nature practice, child practice, and sickness practice – Sickness practice is to realize that we are spiritually ill without a life grounded on the fundamental truths taught in Buddhism. I should point out that this is not sin nor is it evil. This sickness we have is cured by Buddhist practice and it simply is living the most skillful life, which produces the least negative causes, thereby ensuring the good effects in our lives. The two, child practice and sickness practice, are practices of humility. If we realize that we do not know all the answers and are seekers ourselves and when we realize that because of taking the good medicine of the Dharma we have overcome sickness then when we are with others we will be of humble nature. Our practice does not make us superior; it is a gift we have been given and one, which we are eager to share so as to eliminate the sufferings of others.

Of the five practices of a Bodhisattva – saint practice, Brama practice, nature practice, child practice, and sickness practice – Child practice is to practice with the inquisitive excitement of a child exploring and understanding their world. The child when it learns and explores is open to all sorts of possibilities and does not have preconditions for understanding. The child approaches life with unbridled excitement and constant questing for understanding. As we practice Buddhism, especially if we have been doing it a long time, we can loose that childlike wonder and excitement.

Of the five practices of a Bodhisattva – saint practice, Brama practice, nature practice, child practice, and sickness practice – Nature practice is being aware of the true reality of things, as well as the beauty and wonder of nature. This is a state of perfect mindfulness being, as if at one with all of nature, which is the actual truth of reality. There is no real distinction between self and environment. … It is our false perception of reality that says this world is one of suffering and prevents us from realizing that in fact this world is the pure land of the Buddha.

Of the five practices of a Bodhisattva – saint practice, Brama practice, nature practice, child practice, and sickness practice – Saint practice refers to daily practice and study. We are carrying out the practices of a saint when we perform our daily service and when we try to increase our understanding of the Buddha’s teachings. The Brama practice is a practice of not wanting, in other words living simply and being mindful of the distinction between our desires and our needs. We could also say that the Brama practice and saint practice are ones of renouncing honor or gain for the benefit of others.

Chapter VI is appropriately named Understanding By Faith as the entire chapter is devoted to revealing the future enlightenment of some of the Buddhas great disciples. Again, let me stress that each of these people, as great as they may be, do not attain enlightenment in this Saha world, nor do they do so by practicing as the Buddha instructs us, that is keep, read, recite, copy, and teach the Lotus Sutra. These disciples as great as they may be are not capable of practicing the Lotus Sutra in this world and only become Buddhas in realms very much unlike our own.

Our world is a difficult world in which to practice the Lotus Sutra and to attain Buddhahood. Yet of all the disciples of the Buddha, we the practitioners in this latter age of the degeneration of the Dharma and at a time so distant from the life of the Buddha, we are the only ones who have been assured of enlightenment in this world.

Sometimes we may envy the contemporary disciples of Shakyamuni because they could practice alongside him and benefit from his personal encouragement and teaching. We might be tempted to think we are disadvantaged because the Buddha lived such a long time ago. However as we learn in the Lotus Sutra, we as practitioners in this age actually have a deeper and stronger connection to the Buddha.

Because of the promise of the Buddha we can approach our difficulties with joy knowing that through our faith and our practice in the Lotus Sutra we are certain to accomplish the necessary changes to enable us to become Buddhas. With the joy of the certainty of becoming Buddhas we can live our lives free of fear and worry. With the burden of fear and worry lifted we can experience the true joy of Buddhas deep down in the core of our life.

Our Buddhist practice always should be about joy. When we approach it as if it is a burden that must be accomplished then I believe we have missed the message of the Buddha. Yes, there are times when it will be difficult to accomplish the changes in life you wish to accomplish, and sometimes these changes will take a long time. Yet, what we learn in Buddhism is there is no one more qualified to make those changes than the individual, you.

Chapter III opens with one of my favorite descriptions of how I think we should approach our practice and life in general. When we can face life with great joy, when we can feel like dancing, then I think we have completed most of the objective of our practice. Chapter II ends with the Buddha saying that when you have great joy this is when you will be a Buddha. Right away we are told Shariputra has this feeling of joy so much that he felt like dancing.