Chapter 16. The Life Span of the Tathagata Exactly how long is the life span of the Tathagata? From the moment of his enlightenment to his teaching of the Dharma, was it merely those few decades we witnessed in India? The Tathagata addressed Maitreya Bodhisattva and the entire assembly, saying: “In truth, it has been … Read more
Chapter 15. Emerging from the Earth At this time, from other lands—what we might consider other planets —many great Bodhisattvas came to the Saha World. Their number exceeded the total sum of the sands of eight Ganges Rivers—too many to count, so the sands of the Ganges are used as a metaphor. When these Bodhisattvas … Read more
Chapter 14. Peaceful Practices When these great Bodhisattvas vowed to preach the Lotus Sutra in future ages, the Buddha explained in Chapter 14 how one should preach the Lotus Sutra in this world without encountering obstacles. This is the chapter on Peaceful Practices. The Buddha said: When a great Bodhisattva preaches the Lotus Sutra in … Read more
Chapter 13. Encouragement to Uphold the Sutra As we have studied the first twelve chapters of the Lotus Sutra, some students have come to me and asked, “We truly believe what the Buddha says—that we are all Tathagatas and are originally Buddhas —but what exactly is a ‘Buddha’? It seems like the Buddha is just … Read more
Chapter 12. Devadatta Among the predictions of enlightenment in this chapter, there is one that is particularly unexpected for the Sravaka disciples. Devadatta was a cousin of the Buddha. After following the Buddha into the monastic life, he repeatedly tried to harm the Buddha out of jealousy for the respect the Buddha received. As is … Read more
Chapter 11. The Appearance of theTreasured Tower Prior to this point, the Buddha had been continuously bestowing predictions of future Buddhahood upon his Sravaka disciples. These disciples, in turn, shared various parables with the Buddha as he elucidated why he first taught the vehicles of the Sravaka and the Pratyekabuddha rather than directly revealing the … Read more
Chapter 9. Prophecies Transmitted to Those Who Have Nothing More to Learn and Those Who Still Have More to Learn “Those who have no more to learn” refers to Arhats ofthe fourth stage who have entered the phase where there is nothing further to study. “Those who still have more to learn” refers to those … Read more
Chapter 8. Prophecy of Enlightenment for Five Hundred Disciples The Buddha bestows prophecies of future Buddhahood upon five hundred disciples. Among them, Purna Maitrayaniputra stands out as particularly prominent within the prophecies given to the Sravaka disciples. The Buddha reveals that Purna was actually a great Bodhisattva who manifested in the form of a Sravaka … Read more
Chapter 7. The Parableof the Conjured City The Parable of the Conjured City In “The Parable of the Conjured City,” the Buddha continues to explain why he taught the Lesser Vehicle. He says: “Monks, you should know that the Tathagata, using his power of skillful means, deeply understands the nature of all sentient beings. He … Read more
Chapter 6. Bestowal of Prophecy The sixth chapter concerns the “bestowal of predictions,” which refers to the Buddha prophesying the future Buddhahood of his great disciples. Mahakashyapa, Subhuti, Mahakatyayana, and Mahamaudgalyayana all begin to receive their predictions of enlightenment here. We will set aside this discussion of predictions for now and return to it at … Read more
