[Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva] is the last chapter of the Lotus Sutra. By the merits of this teaching, as many Bodhisattvas as there are sands in the River Ganges obtained the dharanis of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, and as many Bodhisattvas as the particles of dust filling the great universe grasped how to practice the Way of Universal-Sage.

When the Buddha finished expounding this Sutra, all the congregation, including Bodhisattvas, deities, and other living beings, rejoiced greatly, memorized the words of the Buddha, bowed before him, and departed from Mount Sacred Eagle.

The studies conducted over so many centuries made possible a deeper understanding of the Lotus Sutra, and methodological standards for its interpretation were established. One example is called Kamon. It is a classification of the twenty-eight chapters into several sets for a systematic explanation of their meaning.

The major Kamon is the “Three Parts of Each of the Two Divisions of the Lotus Sutra” which was established by Great Master Chih-i. Most commentators since his time have accepted his guidelines. …

[T]he “Three Parts of Each of the Two Divisions of the Lotus Sutra” refers to the division of the Sutra into two main sections: the first half, consisting of Chapters One through Fourteen, and the second half, consisting of Chapters Fifteen through Twenty-eight. Kamon gives a detailed explanation of the reason for this division. The first half is named Shakumon, literally “imprinted gate.” Its main purpose is to teach how “hearers” and Pratyekabuddhas can attain Buddhahood in the One Vehicle. The second half is called Hommon, which means “Primal Gate” or “Primal Mystery.” This part reveals Sakyamuni to be the infinite, absolute Buddha, the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remotest past but still leads living beings in the present. These two points are considered the fundamental ideas of the Lotus Sutra.

We should say a little more about dharanis. Bodhisattvas, who are practitioners of the Great Vehicle, are expected to practice and obtain the power of dharanis. In Chapter One, “Introduction,” it says that there were eighty thousand Bodhisattvas in the congregation, and all of them “had obtained dharanis” (p. 1).

It is believed that the root of the word dharani in Sanskrit is the verb dhuti, which means “to keep or maintain.” Probably the original meaning of dharani was to keep or maintain something in the memory. It was necessary for people learning a sutra to be able to remember its words and recite them accurately.

[Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva,] says that if someone calls the name of this Bodhisattva, he or she will be able to avoid seven calamities. Such benefits, by which one can avoid calamities and obtain happiness, are called “benefits in this world.” The teachings of this chapter list many of them. However, to obtain such benefits, we must have pure hearts. The Buddha and the Bodhisattvas grant such benefits only to people who practice sincerely. The purpose of calling the name of World-Voice-Perceiver is really to show our sincerity to him. This is made clearer in the next lines, which mention basic virtues such as sincerity, patience, and wisdom.

Lustful persons will be relieved of lust if they think about Bodhisattva World-Voice-Perceiver. Angry people will calm down if they think about him and respect him. Perplexed people will acquire clarity of mind if they think of him and respect him (p. 317).

Lust, resentment, and stupidity are called the “three poisons” in Buddhism. They are sometimes translated as greed, anger, and ignorance. The seven calamities are material and physical sufferings of human nature, and the three poisons are mental sufferings. Material sufferings come upon us because the mental sufferings exist already as their bases. If our suffering minds are healed of the three poisons, we can expect material calamities to disappear, too.

This chapter, “Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva,” contains some interesting teachings. Since the Saha-world we live in is filled with evil and impurity, it is called “the defiled land.” It is also called the World of Forbearance or Endurance, because the living beings which dwell here endure many sufferings. An ideal world, on the other hand, is called a Pure Land. Before the Lotus Sutra was taught, it was believed that a Pure Land can exist only somewhere else, somewhere far away from this defiled land. One such Pure Land is mentioned in the Lotus Sutra. It is the Western Paradise of Amitayus. However, the Pure Land of the Lotus Sutra exists not only in the west, but everywhere.

The Lesser Vehicle of the “Sravaka” and “Pratyekabuddha” drew a sharp line between this world of sufferings and the pure world of spirit. Its followers renounced worldly concerns, devoted their lives to religious austerities, and made every effort to attain absolute tranquility. This made for a two-dimensional world view, esteeming the pure world of spirit and devaluating the everyday world in which we live.

Bodhisattvas, on the other hand, saw the two worlds as one. They saw this world as the center stage for their religious practice, and preached that spiritual enlightenment must be realized in our life in this world. In short, the Bodhisattva’s mission to deliver people from suffering is to be accomplished in this world of sufferings.

[T]he lotus flower symbolizes the most important Bodhisattva practices in Mahayana Buddhism. In Chapter Fifteen, “Bodhisattvas from Underground,” it says:

The Buddha’s children have studied the way of Bodhisattvas well. They are no more defiled by worldliness just as a lotus flower is not defiled by water.

The lovely lotus flower grows out of muddy water and is not defiled by it. In the same way, Bodhisattvas, persons who put the Buddha’s teachings into practice, can live in the midst of a world defiled by vice and corruption, and yet not be contaminated by it. They can teach and awaken other people while keeping their own minds pure. They can save others, however, only when they live with them here in this evil world.

Purification of the six senses, which we discussed in the previous chapter, “Merits of the Teacher of the Law,” means purification of the bodily senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind. Once Never-Despising had purified his six senses, he was able to extend his lifetime for many years, and teach the Sutra to others. Thanks to his teaching, the same arrogant and conceited priests who had persecuted him before, now came to believe in the Lotus Sutra, themselves. In this way, he led many people to supreme enlightenment, and he himself became a Buddha.

In the previous chapter, “Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra,” the merits acquired by those who have just begun practicing the teaching are emphasized. This chapter, on the other hand, “Merits of the Teachers of the Law,” speaks about merits acquired by practitioners in general. It is assumed that a practitioner of the Sutra will also be a teacher of the Dharma.

“Rejoicing” is the joy which one experiences when the significance of the Sutra first sinks in like a ray of light. When this ray of light first illuminates our soul, we have not yet undertaken any profound studies or done any difficult practices. But the merits of that first moment of joy are greater than those of any other practices we may undertake later. It is the hinge upon which everything else turns. This is the essential and most important point of [Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra]. Faith is simple; it is also decisive.