These are quotes from Buddhism for Today that stuck out to me. There are many ways to board the One Vehicle.
The One-vehicle means: All people can become buddhas. The enlightenment obtained by Śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas alike is one by which they become buddhas, and it is the same in origin. Some can obtain the enlightenment of a Śrāvaka and others can obtain that of Pratyekabuddhahood. Both aspects of enlightenment are gates to the Buddha knowledge.
This is allegorically explained as follows: A person who has entered this gate cannot enter the inner room of the Buddha-knowledge until he has first passed through the porch of the bodhisattva practice. At the same time, it cannot be said that the gate and the porch are not both included within the residence of the Buddha. However, if a person stays at the gate, he will be drenched when it rains and chilled when it snows. “All of you, come into the inner room of the Buddha’s residence. The eastern gate, the western gate, and the porch, all are entrances that lead to the inner room of the Buddha-knowledge.” This is the meaning of the Buddha’s words, “Besides the One Buddha-vehicle, there is neither a second vehicle nor a third. I have shown the existence of these two vehicles by my tactful power. There is only one true goal for all.”
If we can grasp the true meaning of the Buddha’s words, we will come to understand the meaning of the latter part of chapter 2.
The gāthās at the end of Chapter 2 illustrates the many varied gateways of the Lotus Sutra, all of which lead the Buddha’s wisdom.
All living beings can enter the Buddha-way from any point: from worshiping the buddhas’ relics, from building stupas and memorials, from building temples and shrines to the buddhas in the wilderness, or even from heaping sand in play to form a buddha’s stupa. All living beings can enter the Buddha-way by doing anything good. As they increasingly strive after virtue and develop the great mind of benevolence, they finally become buddhas.
Postscript: These Feb. 9, 2022, notes were converted into a 800 Years of Faith project post published March 12, 2022.