Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Last month, I focused on the Hotoge versus and the reason why they are embellished with the odd rhythmic reading.
Today, it’s time to get back to the elephant in the room: The Stupa of Treasures.
The perfect body of a Tathagata is in this stupa of treasures. A long time ago there was a world called Treasure-Purity at the distance of many thousands of billions of asamkhyas of worlds to the east [of this world]. In that world lived a Buddha called Many-Treasures. When he was yet practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas, he made a great vow: ‘If anyone expounds a sutra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in any of the worlds of the ten quarters after I become a Buddha and pass away, I will cause my stupa-mausoleum to spring up before him so that I may be able to prove the truthfulness of the sutra and say ‘excellent’ in praise of him because I wish to hear that sotra [directly from him].
He attained enlightenment[, and became a Buddha]. When he was about to pass away, he said to the bhisus in the presence of the great multitude of gods and men, ‘If you wish to make offerings to my perfect body after my extinction, erect a great stupa!’
If anyone expounds the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in any of the worlds of the ten quarters, that Buddha, by his supernatural powers and by the power of his vow, will cause the stupa of treasures enshrining his perfect body to spring up before the expounder of the sutra. Then he will praise [the expounder of the sutra], saying, ‘Excellent, excellent!’
To which I say, Excellent, excellent. Next month the clone wars.
Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
In the grand scheme of things – as in that giant stupa of treasures – something about Many Treasures and his vow and his role proving the veracity of what Sakyamuni has preached in the Lotus Sutra should be the top issue here. If not that, then the wonderful examples of easy and difficult things to do, e.g. the easy task of grasping a Mt. Sumeru and hurling it to a distance of countless Buddha-worlds vs the difficult task of expounding this sutra in the evil world after the Buddha’s extinction. But today I want to reiterate the Hotoge versus and the reason why they are embellished with the odd rhythmic reading.
First the verses:
It is difficult to keep this sutra.
I shall be glad to see
Anyone keeping it even for a moment.
So will all the other Buddhas.
He will be praised by all the Buddhas.
He will be a man of valor,
A man of endeavor.
He should be considered
To have already observed the precepts,
And practised the dhuta.
He will quickly attain
The unsurpassed enlightenment of the Buddha.
Anyone who reads and recites this sutra in the future
Is a true son of mine.
He shall be considered to live
On the stage of purity and good.
Anyone, after my extinction,
Who understands the meaning of this sutra,
Will be the eye of the worlds
Of gods and men.
Anyone who expounds this sutra
Even for a moment in this dreadful world,
Should be honored with offerings
By all gods and men.
“I am no magistrate,” said the official. “I am not interested in your arguments. I am only interested in getting you onto that ship, out of Kamakura, and on to Izu. Now keep quiet!”
Nichiren put his palms together and bowed. His disciples cried out to him, some in tears. The guards kept back all but one. Nichiro, now a strong young man of 16, would not be cowed. He slipped past the guards and ran down to the boat just as it was being pushed off into the surf.
“Get back!” screamed the official.
But Nichiro would not get back. Crying for his master as he reached out to him, he waded out into the bay after the boat. Nichiren exhorted him to be calm, but his disciple was too overwrought and would not listen. “Take me with you!” He shouted again and again. Exasperated, the official took an oar and struck the young monk with bone shattering force. Clutching at his broken right arm, Nichiro finally backed away, his face white with pain.
Tears fell from Nichiren’s eyes as he saw his faithful disciple so brutalized. “Nichiro! Calm yourself. Is this how a disciple of the Buddha should act? From now on, when you see the sun setting in the west behind Izu, think of me. When I see the sun rising from the sea, I shall think of you.”
Nichiro nodded. “Forgive me, master.” Becoming faint, he went down on his knees in the water, sweat and tears coursing down his face. One of the guards finally reached him and escorted him back to where Nissho and the other monks were gathered.
As the boat moved away Nichiren began to chant the final verses from the eleventh chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “It is difficult to keep this sutra. I shall be glad to see anyone keeping it even for a moment.” The rocking of the waves caused his voice to fade in and out, giving the recitation an odd rhythm. The passage ended with, “Anyone who expounds this sutra even for a moment in this dreadful world should be honored with offerings by all gods and men.” From that point on Nichlren knew that he and his disciples had truly become practitioners of the Lotus Sutra as its predictions of hardships that would be faced by the teachers of the True Dharma began to be fulfilled in their own lives.
Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
After yesterday’s arrival of massive Stupa of Treasures containing perfect body of Many Treasures Buddha we learn today of the vows that prompt this appearance.
When he was yet practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas, he made a great vow: ‘If anyone expounds a sutra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in any of the worlds of the ten quarters after I become a Buddha and pass away, I will cause my stupa-mausoleum to spring up before him so that I may be able to prove the truthfulness of the sutra and say ‘excellent’ in praise of him because I wish to hear that sutra [directly from him].
And…
Many-Treasures Buddha made another great vow: ‘If a Buddha wishes to show me to the four kinds of devotees when my stupa of treasures appears before him in order that I may be able to hear the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [directly from him], he must call back all the Buddhas of his replicas who will be expounding the Dharma in the worlds of the ten quarters at that time. Then I will show myself [to the four kinds of devotees].’
Senchu Murano explains the replicas in this way:
“The Buddhas of his replicas” are the Buddhas who are the replicas of Sakyamuni Buddha. It is held that Sakyamuni Buddha can produce Buddhas in his likeness by his supernatural powers, and dispatch them to the worlds of the ten quarters for the purpose of expounding the Dharma. This means that the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters are the replicas of Sakyamuru Buddha. This idea is first introduced here in this sutra. The replicas of Sakyamuni Buddha are subject to Sakyamuni Buddha. They must come to him when they are told to do so.
Sakyamuni must perform a real supernatural world cleaning in order to accommodate the billions of his replicas and their attendants with jeweled trees shading lion-like seats. But all of the replicas can’t be accommodated on the “[Saha-World composed of] one thousand million Sumeru-worlds” and Sakyamuni needs to purify “two hundred billion nayuta worlds of each of the eight quarters [neighboring the Saha-World]” and after that, “Sakyamuni Buddha again purified two hundred billion nayuta more worlds of each of the eight quarters [neighboring the expanded world] to seat all the Buddhas of his replicas.”
[A]ll those worlds were amalgamated into one Buddha-world [that is, into the world of Sakyamuni Buddha]. The jeweled ground of this [expanded] world was even. Jeweled curtains and canopies adorned with streamers were hung over this [expanded] world; the incense of great treasures, burned; and jeweled flowers of heaven, strewn over the ground.
When everyone was seated, the Buddha opened the Stupa of Treasures and Many Treasures Buddha greeted the multitude. Sakyamuni was invited to sit with Many Treasures in the stupa. Since the crowd couldn’t see the two Buddhas once Sakyamuni sat down, he raised everyone up into the sky.
And we finally come to meat of today’s meal:
Thereupon Sakyamuni Buddha raised them up to the sky by his supernatural powers, and said to the four kinds of devotees with a loud voice:
Who will expound the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in this Saha-World? Now is the time to do this. I shall enter into Nirvana before long. I wish to transmit this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to someone so that this sutra may be preserved.”
And in gathas:
Anyone who protects this sutra
Should be considered
To have already made offerings
To Many-Treasures and to me.
Many-Treasures Buddha vowed to go
About the worlds of the ten quarters,
Riding in the stupa of treasures,
In order to hear this sutra [directly from the expounder].
Anyone [who protects this sutra] also
Should be considered to have already made offerings
To the Buddhas of my replicas, who have come here
And adorned the worlds with their light.
Anyone who expounds this sutra
Will be able to see me,
To see Many-Treasures Tathagata,
And to see the Buddhas of my replicas.
But, of course, there’s a catch:
It is not difficult
To expound all the other sutras
As many as there are sands
In the River Ganges.
It is not difficult
To grasp Mt. Sumeru
And hurl it to a distance
Of countless Buddha-worlds.
It is not difficult to move [a world]
[Composed of] one thousand million Sumeru-worlds
And hurl it to another world.
It is not difficult
To stand in the Highest Heaven
And expound inmumerable other sutras
To all living beings.
It is difficult
To expound this sutra
In the evil world
After my extinction.
And the cause of this difficulty:
Since I attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha,
I have expounded many sutras
In innumerable worlds.
This sutra is
The most excellent.
To keep this sutra
Is to keep me.
Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Many Treasures, the Buddha who arrives in the Stupa of Treasures, made two Great Vows:
When he was yet practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas, he made a great vow: ‘If anyone expounds a sutra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in any of the worlds of the ten quarters after I become a Buddha and pass away, I will cause my stupa-mausoleum to spring up before him so that I may be able to prove the truthfulness of the sutra and say ‘excellent’ in praise of him because I wish to hear that sutra [directly from him].’
And…
Many-Treasures Buddha made another great vow: ‘If a Buddha wishes to show me to the four kinds of devotees when my stupa of treasures appears before him in order that I may be able to hear the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [directly from him], he must call back all the Buddhas of his replicas who will be expounding the Dharma in the worlds of the ten quarters at that time. Then I will show myself [to the four kinds of devotees].’
Which brings us to the big reveal:
Thereupon Sakyamuni Buddha, having seen that all the Buddhas of his replicas had already arrived and sat on the lion-like seats, and also having heard that they had told their attendants of their wish to see the stupa of treasures opened, rose from his seat, and went up to the sky. All the four kinds of devotees stood up, joined their hands together towards him, and looked up at him with all their hearts. Now he opened the door of the stupa of the seven treasures with the fingers of his right hand. The opening of the door made a sound as large as that of the removal of the bolt and lock of the gate of a great city. At that instant all the congregation saw Many-Treasures Tathagata sitting with his perfect and undestroyed body on the lion-like seat in the stupa of treasures as if he had been sitting in dhyana-concentration. They also heard him say:
“Excellent, excellent! You, Sakyamuni Buddha, have joyfully expounded the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. I have come to hear this sutra [directly from you].”
After Sakyamuni takes a seat beside Many-Treasures and Sakyamuni raises everyone up to see him beside Many Treasures, he asks:
Who will expound the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in this Saha-World? Now is the time to do this. I shall enter into Nirvana before long. I wish to transmit this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to someone so that this sutra may be preserved.
And in gathas:
(The Buddha said to the great multitude.)
Who will protect
And keep this sutra,
And read and recite it
After my extinction?
Make a vow before me to do this!
Many-Treasures Buddha,
Who had passed away a long time ago,
Made a loud voice like the roar of a lion
According to his great vow.
Many-Treasures Tathagata and I
And the Buddhas of my replicas,
Who have assembled here,
Wish to know who will do [all this].
My sons!
Who will protect the Dharma?
Make a great vow
To preserve the Dharma forever!
The payoff for this job:
Anyone who expounds this sutra
Will be able to see me,
To see Many-Treasures Tathagata,
And to see the Buddhas of my replicas.
But, as Sakyamuni explains, it won’t be easy:
It is not difficult
To expound all the other sutras
As many as there are sands
in the River Ganges.
It is not difficult
To grasp Mt. Sumeru And hurl it to a distance
Of countless Buddha-worlds.
It is not difficult to move [a world]
[Composed of] one thousand million Sumeru-worlds
With the tip of a toe
And hurl it to another world.
It is not difficult
To stand in the Highest Heaven
And expound innumerable other sutras
To all living beings.
It is difficult
To expound this sutra
In the evil world
After my extinction.
And after outlining the rigors to be faced by the expounder of the Lotus Sutra, Sakyamuni says:
Since I attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha,
I have expounded many sutras
In innumerable worlds.
This sutra is
The most excellent.
To keep this sutra
Is to keep me.
Good men!
Who will receive and keep this sutra,
And read and recite it
After my extinction?
Make a vow before me
[To do all this]!
Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Many-Treasures vow:
The perfect body of a Tathagata is in this stupa of treasures. A long time ago there was a world called Treasure-Purity at the distance of many thousands of billions of asamkhyas of worlds to the east [of this world]. In that world lived a Buddha called Many-Treasures. When he was yet practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas, he made a great vow: ‘If anyone expounds a sutra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in any of the worlds of the ten quarters after I become a Buddha and pass away, I will cause my stupa-mausoleum to spring up before him so that I may be able to prove the truthfulness of the sutra and say ‘excellent’ in praise of him because I wish to hear that sutra [directly from him].
Sakyamuni Buddha, after recalling his replicas and merging and purifying billions of worlds in order to find room for them to sit, opened the Stupa of Treasures and joined Many-Treasures inside. He raised the four kinds of devotees into the air so that they could see him and many-Treasures and asked:
Who will expound the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in thjs Saha-World? Now is the time to do this. I shall enter into Nirvana before long. I wish to transmit this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to someone so that this sutra may be preserved.
Such a task will not be easy:
Good men! Think this over clearly!
It is difficult
[To expound this sutra].
Make a great vow to do this!
It is not difficult
To expound all the other sutras
As many as there are sands
ln the River Ganges.
It is not difficult
To grasp Mt. Sumeru
And hurl it to a distance
Of countless Buddha-worlds.
It is not difficult to move [a world]
[Composed of] one thousand million Sumeru-worlds
With the tip of a toe
And hurl it to another world.
It is not difficult
To stand in the Highest Heaven
And expound irmumerable other sotras
To all living beings.
It is difficult
To expound this sutra
In the evil world
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To grasp the sky,
And wander about with it
From place to place.
It is difficult
To copy and keep this sutra
Or cause others to copy it
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To put the great earth
On the nail of a toe
And go up to the Heaven of Brahman.
It is difficult
To read this sutra
Even for a while in the evil world
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To shoulder a load of hay
And stay unburned in the fire
At the end of the kalpa [of destruction].
It is difficult
To keep this sutra
And expound it to even one person
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To keep the store
Of eighty-four thousand teachings
Expounded in the sutras
Composed of the twelve elements,
And expound it to people,
And cause the hearers to obtain
The six supernatural powers.
It is difficult
To hear and receive this sutra,
And ask the meanings of it
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To expound the Dharma
To many thousands of billions of living beings
As many as there are sands
In the River Ganges
So that they may be able
To obtain the benefits:
Arhatship and the six supernatural powers.
It is difficult
To keep
This sntra
After my extinction.
Since I attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha,
I have expounded many sutras
In innumerable worlds.
This sutra is
The most excellent.
To keep this sutra
Is to keep me.
Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Many-Treasures Tathāgata’s original vow:
If anyone expounds a sūtra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in any of the worlds of the ten quarters after I become a Buddha and pass away, I will cause my stūpa-mausoleum to spring up before him so that I may be able to prove the truthfulness of the sūtra and say ‘excellent’ in praise of him because I wish to hear that sūtra [directly from him].
An inspiring sight:
The Saintly Master, the World-Honored One,
Who had passed away a long time ago,
Came riding in the stūpa of treasures
To hear the Dharma [directly from me].
Could anyone who sees him
Not make efforts to hear the Dharma?
And a promise:
Anyone who expounds this sūtra
Will be able to see me,
To see Many-Treasures Tathāgata,
And to see the Buddhas of my replicas.
The difficult and the easy:
Good men! Think this over clearly!
It is difficult
[To expound this sūtra].
Make a great vow to do this!
It is not difficult
To expound all the other sūtras
As many as there are sands
In the River Ganges.
Hotoge:
It is difficult to keep this sūtra.
I shall be glad to see
Anyone keeping it even for a moment.
So will all the other Buddhas.
He will be praised by all the Buddhas.
He will be a man of valor,
A man of endeavor.
He should be considered
To have already observed the precepts,
And practiced the dhūta.
He will quickly attain
The unsurpassed enlightenment of the Buddha.
Anyone who reads and recites this sūtra in the future
Is a true son of mine.
He shall be considered to live
On the stage of purity and good.
Anyone, after my extinction,
Who understands the meaning of this sūtra,
Will be the eye of the worlds
Of gods and men.
Anyone who expounds this sūtra
Even for a moment in this dreadful world,
Should be honored with offerings
By all gods and men.
Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Beholding the stūpa of Treasures:
The Saintly Master, the World-Honored One,
Who had passed away a long time ago,
Came riding in the stūpa of treasures
To hear the Dharma [directly from me].
Could anyone who sees him
Not make efforts to hear the Dharma?
The Buddha’s replicas take their seats:
Those Buddhas came under the jeweled trees.
The trees are adorned with those Buddhas
Just as a pond of pure water is adorned
With lotus flowers.
The question:
(The Buddha said to the great multitude.)
Who will protect
And keep this sūtra,
And read and recite it
After my extinction?
Make a vow before me to do this!
Some easy task and some not so easy:
Good men! Think this over clearly!
It is difficult [To expound this sūtra].
Make a great vow to do this!
It is not difficult
To expound all the other sūtras
As many as there are sands
In the River Ganges.
It is not difficult
To grasp Mt. Sumeru
And hurl it to a distance
Of countless Buddha-worlds.
It is not difficult to move [a world]
[Composed of] one thousand million Sumeru-worlds
With the tip of a toe
And hurl it to another world.
It is not difficult
To stand in the Highest Heaven
And expound innumerable other sūtras
To all living beings.
It is difficult
To expound this sūtra
In the evil world
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To grasp the sky,
And wander about with it
From place to place.
It is difficult
To copy and keep this sūtra
Or cause others to copy it
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To put the great earth
On the nail of a toe
And go up to the Heaven of Brahman.
It is difficult
To read this sūtra
Even for a while in the evil world
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To shoulder a load of hay
And stay unburned in the fire
At the end of the kalpa [of destruction].
It is difficult
To keep this sūtra
And expound it to even one person
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To keep the store
Of eighty-four thousand teachings
Expounded in the sūtras
Composed of the twelve elements,
And expound it to people,
And cause the hearers to obtain
The six supernatural powers.
It is difficult
To hear and receive this sūtra,
And ask the meanings of it
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To expound the Dharma
To many thousands of billions of living beings
As many as there are sands
In the River Ganges
So that they may be able
To obtain the benefits:
Arhatship and the six supernatural powers.
It is difficult
To keep This sūtra
After my extinction.
Since I attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha,
I have expounded many sūtras
In innumerable worlds.
This sūtra is
The most excellent.
To keep this sūtra
Is to keep me.
Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
The Saintly Master, the World-Honored One,
Who had passed away a long time ago,
Came riding in the stūpa of treasures
To hear the Dharma [directly from me].
Could anyone who sees him
Not make efforts to hear the Dharma?
The easy acts and the difficult acts:
Good men! Think this over clearly!
It is difficult
[To expound this sūtra].
Make a great vow to do this!
It is not difficult
To expound all the other sūtras
As many as there are sands
In the River Ganges.
It is not difficult
To grasp Mt. Sumeru
And hurl it to a distance
Of countless Buddha-worlds.
It is not difficult to move [a world]
[Composed of] one thousand million Sumeru-worlds
With the tip of a toe
And hurl it to another world.
It is not difficult
To stand in the Highest Heaven
And expound innumerable other sūtras
To all living beings.
It is difficult
To expound this sūtra
In the evil world
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To grasp the sky,
And wander about with it
From place to place.
It is difficult
To copy and keep this sūtra
Or cause others to copy it
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To put the great earth
On the nail of a toe
And go up to the Heaven of Brahman.
It is difficult
To read this sūtra
Even for a while in the evil world
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To shoulder a load of hay
And stay unburned in the fire
At the end of the kalpa [of destruction].
It is difficult
To keep this sūtra
And expound it to even one person
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To keep the store
Of eighty-four thousand teachings
Expounded in the sūtras
Composed of the twelve elements,
And expound it to people,
And cause the hearers to obtain
The six supernatural powers.
It is difficult
To hear and receive this sūtra,
And ask the meanings of it
After my extinction.
It is not difficult
To expound the Dharma
To many thousands of billions of living beings
As many as there are sands
In the River Ganges
So that they may be able
To obtain the benefits:
Arhatship and the six supernatural powers.
It is difficult
To keep
This sūtra
After my extinction.
Since I attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha,
I have expounded many sūtras
In innumerable worlds.
This sūtra is
The most excellent.
To keep this sūtra
Is to keep me.
English language versions of the Lotus Sutra divided into 32-parts
In March 2015, I began my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra Practice. Mornings I use the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of Greater New England’s Myoho Renge Kyo Romanized, which provides the shindoku version of the Lotus Sutra divided into 32 parts. Each afternoon, I read aloud the same section of the Lotus Sutra in English. (For more on the value of reciting in shindoku, a reading of the Chinese translation of the Sūtra with a Japanese pronunciation, see The Dharma Sound blog post.)
Beginning July 23, 2019, following my self-styled 21-Day Retreat Encouraged by Universal Sage Bodhisattva, I added the recitation of The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva (Reeves) following Day 32 and the recitation of the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings before Day 1. Since I don’t have shindoku versions of these sutras, I am reading one half in the morning and the remainder in the evening.
Day 7 concludes Chapter 3, A Parable, and begins Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith. [Text]
Day 8 concludes Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith, and closes the Second Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. [Text]
Day 9 covers Chapter 5, The Simile of Herbs, and introduces Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood. [Text]
Day 10 concludes Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, and opens Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City. [Text]
Day 11 continues Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City [Text]
Day 12 concludes Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, and completes the Third Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. [Text]
Day 13 covers all of Chapter 8, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples. [Text]
Day 14 covers all of Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn, and opens Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma. [Text]
Day 15 concludes Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma, and opens Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures. [Text]
Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stupa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. [Text]
Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra. [Text]
Day 18 concludes Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra, and begins Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices. [Text]
Day 19 concludes Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices, and begins Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground. [Text]
Day 20 completes Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground, and concludes the Fifth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. [Text]
Day 21 covers all of Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata. [Text]
Day 22 covers all of Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits. [Text]
Day 23 covers all of Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, and opens Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma. [Text]
Day 24 concludes Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma and closes the Sixth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. [Text]
Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas. [Text]
Day 26 concludes Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, includes Chapter 22, Transmission, and introduces Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. [Text]
Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. [Text]
Day 28 covers all of Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, and concludes the Seventh Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. [Text]
Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva. [Text]
Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva. [Text]
Day 32 covers Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, closing the Eighth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. [Text]
