A related point of secondary interest in this story is the common courtesy in the greetings brought to Shakyamuni. After all the buddhas from all over the universe have assembled and seated themselves on their lion seats in the much expanded and purified world, each of them instructs his attending bodhisattva to go to Shakyamuni Buddha to ask to be included in witnessing the opening of the Stupa of Abundant Treasures Buddha. But first, they are told, they should inquire about Shakyamuni Buddha’s health, about whether he has any illnesses or worries, and similarly about the health and spirits of the bodhisattvas and shravakas of this world.

These greetings are not just about his physical condition, but about the Buddha’s mental or spiritual condition as well. This tells us something not only about common courtesy, but also about the nature of the Buddha in this Sutra. He is not indifferent to what happens in the world, but one who himself suffers, both physically and mentally.

In the Dharma Flower Sutra there are several ways in which the humanity, or what we would now call the “historicity,” of Shakyamuni Buddha is affirmed and even insisted upon. He is placed within fantastic stories, such as this one, in which he can be seen as much more than human, but from time to time we are reminded that this same Shakyamuni is a man. We are reminded that he is one who left his father’s castle, who became awakened under the bodhi tree, who went to Varanasi to teach, and so on, and, perhaps most importantly, a man who at the end of his life died and his body was cremated.