Episode 1230 – The Dharmakaya Is Wherever This Sutra Is
>> “The Tathagata, with a heart that is impartial to all phenomena, sees all phenomena as nothing but the Buddha-Dharma. This means that there is no sentient being who is not fundamentally a Buddha. So, it is known as the Buddha’s original intent. This is what it says in the sutra.”
>> Why is this? The whole body of the Tathagata already abides within. This stupa is worthy of all kinds of flowers, incense, strings of jewels, silken canopies, hanging banners and music and songs to reverently make offerings, to honor and praise it.
>> “If there are people who can see this stupa and pay respects and make offerings to it, you should know that these people are close to. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
>> If there are people who can see this stupa and pay respects to it and make offerings to it: This explains that if people make offerings to this stupa, they are close to Bodhi. If there are people who see this stupa, they prostrate and make offerings to it.
>> “You should know that these people are close to. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. These people with reverence and faith are very close to the path. We should know that they are close to and resonate with the Buddha’s mind. Thus, they are drawing near to perfect and universal enlightenment.”
>> People only need to prostrate and make offerings to the stupa that they see, wherever it is; they do not need to see this sutra. The Buddha already promised them that they are able to draw near Bodhi. This is indirectly bestowing predictions upon them. This makes it clear that this sutra embraces people of all capacities. It helps those who have turned from the small toward the great have more steadfast minds and understand that in the future, they will certainly become Buddhas.
>> “Medicine King, there are many lay or monastic practitioners who practice the Bodhisattva-path. If they are unable to see, hear, read, recite transcribe, uphold or make offerings to the Lotus Sutra….”
>> This explains those who see or hear this sutra. skillfully practice the superior path. This sutra is a cause, and this cause is skillful and wondrous. For those who skillfully practice and for those who do not, it will be explained through analogy in the following text.
>> Medicine King, there are many lay or monastic practitioners who practice the Bodhisattva-path: If you see people, whether they are lay men and women or male or female monastics who practice the Bodhisattva-path….
>> If they are unable to see, hear, read, recite, transcribe, uphold or make offerings to the Lotus Sutra: Like those of the fourfold assembly earlier, though they accept and practice the Bodhisattva-path, when it comes to the Lotus Sutra, they are unable to see, hear, accept, uphold, read and recite it.
“The Tathagata, with a heart that is impartial to all phenomena, sees all phenomena as nothing but the Buddha-Dharma. This means that there is no sentient being who is not fundamentally a Buddha. So, it is known as the Buddha’s original intent. This is what it says in the sutra.”
We can experience how the Buddha is impartial toward all sentient beings. He is like this not only toward human beings, but toward all sentient beings. Thus, He often says that sentient beings all have Buddha-nature; we must place great importance on. His teachings. Even though it seems so straightforward that we all have the nature of True Suchness, even though it sounds so simple, actually, this is something that sentient beings, that every person, should place great importance on. This is the source of all Dharma the foundation; it is the Buddha’s great discovery. He awakened to the way things fundamentally are. Sentient beings suffer! They suffer out of ignorance. They suffer because life is beyond our control. As it turns out, all of us sentient beings intrinsically have a nature of True Suchness. Fundamentally, all of us sentient beings are the same as the Buddha, with minds that are as spacious as the universe, free of defilement, and tranquil and clear. Where is there any ignorance? Where is there any suffering? “Fundamentally there is nothing there, so where can the dust alight?” All sentient beings are equal.
This was the Buddha’s great discovery about sentient beings. This was what He awakened to. It was such a major discovery that He immediately wanted to explain it to sentient beings. Despite this, sentient beings would rather be like the poor son. He did not know that the area he usually cleaned, a very splendid and luxurious house and the treasures it contains, were actually his. This is also what we sentient beings are unable to comprehend. So, the Buddha had to be like the elder. Once [that father] discovered his child, he wanted to personally live like him. He removed his luxurious and magnificent clothing and put on filthy, tattered clothing for cleaning excrement. Then he approached the poor son. Appearing as a fellow poor person, he approached his son, guided him and found him a job to do. All of you should still remember this story.
But could the poor son, simply by being in that place, in the vicinity of the great house, have knowledge about this house and know that he was the owner of this house? He still did not know. He still needed this person by his side to mindfully guide him. He had to become familiar with the surroundings. He had to clean up the environment. Only after he became familiar with the place and cleaned up the surroundings did the elder gradually bring him into the house and resume his identity as the elder. He called for the poor son to enter and helped him to understand that this place contained many treasures. “I’ll take you inside to see.” This was how he gradually drew him in. Using this father-son relationship, by recognizing him as a godson, he brought him in so he could see his surroundings. When they saw his treasury, the elder said to him, “These are all yours.”
See, for this elder, this kind father, to teach and guide his son, he had to expend this tremendous effort and this wisdom and love in order to approach him. This is to say nothing of what the Buddha does for the sake of all sentient beings! He originally discovered that all sentient beings intrinsically have Buddha-nature and and was impartial toward all phenomena. Everyone intrinsically has Buddha-nature. The true principles are so pervasive; they can be found everywhere. Not just human beings, but every single kind of object that can be seen, are replete with ample principles. This was the Buddha’s great awakening. So, He “sees all phenomena as nothing but the Buddha-Dharma.” He sees all sentient beings, without exception, as having Buddha-nature. He sees all phenomena as nothing but the Buddha-Dharma. This is because every single thing contains infinite principles within it.
If we calm our minds and look mindfully, what thing is there, in our environment, above or below us, the roof, the floor, the lights, the backdrop, the people we see, which is not a convergence of infinite principles? Thus, the Buddha “sees all phenomena as nothing but the Buddha-Dharma.” When we ordinary people look at things, based on appearances, [we say,]. “It’s beautiful! I love it!” There are many things that we buy, leave to sit for a long time and do not use. “It’s old, so I don’t want it anymore.” Then, we throw them away, and they become trash. We do not realize that within the trash, within these things, are very great principles. Inside the pile of trash, there are many things that we casually throw away. Which of these tools and instruments are not treasures?
We see so many computers, cell phones, motors and so on. After they are thrown away, we collect them. To protect the environment, we collect them. For the sake of the environment, we treat these “useless” objects as treasures and collect and bring them back; this is called doing recycling work. After we collect the recyclables, we carefully sort these objects. These machines that people have thrown away have iron, copper, tin and all kinds of metals inside them. We take these metals and put iron with iron, copper with copper, tin with tin. They may even contain gold. However, ordinary sentient beings simply regard these things as trash.
We ordinary people willingly regress, willingly see ourselves as ordinary people forever. Thus, as time continues to pass like this, we waste our days in a muddled state. Thus, our thoughts rise and fall, and we replicate our afflictions and ignorance. In the end, according to the laws of nature, our life will come to a close. Where will we go after that? We do not know. We follow our karmic forces and transmigrate. We may transmigrate to the animal realm, to the hungry ghost realm, or to the hell realm; this is beyond our control. We cannot free ourselves of so much suffering. The places we reach following our karmic forces depend on whether we created good karmic conditions in the past.
If we have good karmic conditions, we will encounter a benefactor. This benefactor will guide us to walk the Bodhi-path, drawing us closer to the Buddha’s principles. But it still depends on us, on whether we have the root of wisdom and the root of faith. When we listened to the Dharma in our past lives, did we actually take it to heart and plant this seed? If we do not have this seed, how can we develop roots? So, only if we have this seed will there be a sprout and roots. So, this depends on our having a root of wisdom and blessed karmic conditions. With so much suffering beyond our control, everything depends on whether we have the root of wisdom and blessed karmic conditions. If we have both wisdom and blessings, then naturally when we hear the Buddha-Dharma, we will give rise to joy in our hearts, and we will be able to accept it. Once lost, it takes eons to regain human form. When we listen to the Buddha’s teachings, we should earnestly cherish them. Since the Buddha has told us that we all intrinsically have Buddha-nature, we should value the Buddha’s principles.
He “sees all phenomena as nothing but the Buddha-Dharma.” If we can mindfully analyze every single thing, if we can analyze these external things, we find that in our nature of True Suchness, there are the same principles. “This means that there is no sentient being who is not fundamentally a Buddha.” There is not a single sentient being who is not inherently a Buddha. This is because all sentient beings were originally this pure and had this intrinsic nature of True Suchness. Everyone has this innate enlightenment. We all have this intrinsic nature. So the Buddha, to help us experience and understand this, spent a lot of time, a span of dust-inked kalpas, to repeatedly return to the human world for the one great cause of teaching sentient beings.
Can sentient beings comprehend this? Unfortunately, they may be like the poor son. [His father] did not dare pull him in immediately. Instead, he took a roundabout way to be with him. Similarly, the Buddha started with limited teachings, with the Agama teachings and patiently guided us, leading us to be able to understand. We also know the karmic law of cause and effect and have experienced it. With the Four Noble Truths, we know that all of life’s suffering comes from “causation,” the accumulation of afflictions and ignorance. Following the Twelve Links of Cyclic Existence, we unceasingly transmigrate. So, according to the Twelve Links and Four Noble Truths, we transmigrate endlessly. The Buddha began by teaching us and guiding us to actualize the Six Paramitas in all actions. He used all kinds of methods. With the limited teachings, He gradually led us into the great teachings. He helped us thoroughly understand these methods, drawing near the Buddha and returning to our innate enlightenment and our nature of True Suchness.
Every day we talk about this. The Buddha’s original intent was solely this. He had hidden away His original intent for more than 40 years. Do sentient beings completely understand? Or do they only partially understand? This depends on whether we have experienced it in this way. This is what the sutras state; this is all in the sutras. In fact, He opens and reveals this to us so that we can accept it, so that we can awaken to it, so that we can experience it. We must enter it, just as the poor son entered the great house. If we do not enter it, then there is no way for us to go into this treasury. So, this requires mindful and patient guidance. This is the loving-kindness and compassion of the Buddha, the Tathagata.
Learning the Buddha’s teachings is truly not easy. We all live in the universe. In fact, in this universe there is something we are familiar with but will never get to experience, a wonder of the universe. In 2010, a professor from National Central University, Professor Ye, gave us a piece of outer space; Among the celestial bodies of the universe, he gave us an asteroid by naming it “Tzu Chi.” This asteroid sits between Mars and Jupiter. In the asteroid belt, he discovered an asteroid. It did not have a name yet; it was a new discovery. He submitted an application to name it “Tzu Chi.”
In 2010, they approved to name the asteroid. “Tzu Chi.” They gave this asteroid in the universe a name, and delivered a certificate to us. I asked, “Where is this asteroid located?” The response was, “Between Mars and Jupiter.” I then asked, “How long does it take for this asteroid to revolve around the sun? How does it compare to how long Earth takes?” The time it takes to make one revolution, a year for that asteroid, is five years and seven and a half months on Earth.
Clearly, we can see how far from Earth this is. From 300 to 400 million kilometers away, from nearly 400 million kilometers away, it revolves around the sun. In other words, the Buddha discovered that the universe was infinite, with infinite worlds, an incalculable number of worlds. So, the Amitabha Sutra describes the speed of our mind by saying that in the time it takes to finish a meal, the mind can travel through 10 trillion Buddha-lands. Clearly, we can see how big the universe actually is and how many worlds there are. There are ten trillion Buddha-lands. In this solar system, there is only one Buddha. Because Earth is the only planet with life on it, there is only one Buddha. There are ten trillion Buddha-lands. In this vast universe, how many worlds are there anyway?
This is the extent of the Buddha’s wisdom. Even if we want to describe it thoroughly, we cannot fully explain the Buddha’s wisdom. Wisdom comes from awakening. Is the Buddha the only one who can awaken? No, all human beings, all sentient beings, have innate enlightenment. All of us should have it. How can we find a way to understand this anyway? There is so much; it is like a big garbage pile. In this garbage pile there are many treasures, metal objects. All of the treasures of the universe can be found among the garbage. Right now, we are just one thing among this pile of garbage. Yet we have already discovered the Buddha-Dharma and what the Buddha told us helped us become human beings and approach the Bodhisattva-path. He has guided us toward the Bodhisattva-path. The Bodhisattva-path is the path to enlightenment. As long as we continue to advance on this path to enlightenment, we will approach the Buddha’s enlightenment and return to our pure Buddha-nature.
So, we must seek to mindfully experience this to be able to understand.
The previous sutra passage says, “Why is this so? The whole body of the Tathagata already abides within.”
Why is this? The whole body of the Tathagata already abides within. This stupa is worthy of all kinds of flowers, incense, strings of jewels, silken canopies, hanging banners and music and songs to reverently make offerings, to honor and praise it.
With this purity, we have returned to the true principles. In terms of the true principles, “We each have a stupa on this Vulture Peak.” In everyone’s mind, there is a stupa on Vulture Peak, “We can practice at the foot of that stupa.” Once we have returned to our intrinsic nature, once we have taken the Dharma to heart, this stupa follows us to wherever we go. This is because the sutras and the teachings are the Buddha’s entire body.
So, “This stupa is worthy of all kinds of flowers, incense, strings of jewels, silken canopies, hanging banners and music and songs to reverently make offerings, to honor and praise it.” When it comes to us ourselves, we must cherish ourselves and have self-respect. We have to have self-respect to not degenerate. Only by having self-respect can we walk the Bodhisattva-path. If we do respect ourselves, then it is as if [we are in] a pile of trash. If we respect ourselves, we have a stupa made of the Seven Treasures and constantly receive offerings of the Seven Treasures. We even have magnificent flowers, incense, strings of jewels, silken canopies, hanging banners and music, singing and praises. We must act as role models in order to be praiseworthy. This is what makes us precious. We each intrinsically have a stupa on Vulture Peak. As long as we follow the Dharma and earnestly engage in spiritual practice, we can build a stupa anywhere. So, we must be mindful.
The next passages of the sutra states,
“If there are people who can see this stupa and pay respects and make offerings to it, you should know that these people are close to. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
“If there are people who can see this stupa and pay respects and make offerings to it….” We should all be able to see this stupa. Everyone should see that this is the way the Buddha-Dharma is; it is inseparable from worldly Dharma. The Buddha-Dharma has always been a path. This path is one that everyone can walk; its direction is very clear. On this path of goodness, we walk to the state of awakening; from this awakened state, we go among the people to awaken others and transform sentient beings. When this root of wisdom and these blessed karmic conditions are complete, then we will have experienced the Buddha’s state. We will have entered the Tathagata’s room and be in the same place as the Buddha.
So, we have seen this. We have seen this true principle; we have seen this manifestation of virtues. The “stupa” is a manifestation of virtues. We also call it a high manifestation. I have explained this before. For Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, [stupas] demonstrate the high virtue of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. So, we call it “high manifestation” and “stupa.” When we see this kind of principle, something that reveals this kind of virtue, we should pay respects and make offerings.
If there are people who can see this stupa and pay respects to it and make offerings to it: This explains that if people make offerings to this stupa, they are close to Bodhi. If there are people who see this stupa, they prostrate and make offerings to it.
This explains that making offerings to the stupa brings us closer to Bodhi, closer to the path to enlightenment. If we pay respect and make offerings to the stupa, then we draw near the path to enlightenment.
“If there are people who see this stupa, they prostrate and make offerings to it.” We have placed our faith in the Buddha and have deeply planted the root of faith. We have faith in the foundation, in the Buddha, in the Dharma and in the Sangha. We have already manifested the Fourfold Faith. So, we must have reverence and respect. Not only must we respect ourselves, we must respect others as well. Not only must we awaken ourselves, we must awaken others as well. In our relationships, we must have mutual respect and faith.
“You should know that these people are close to. Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. These people with reverence and faith are very close to the path. We should know that they are close to and resonate with the Buddha’s mind. Thus, they are drawing near to perfect and universal enlightenment.”
They are already approaching the path. They know to respect and have faith in the principles. People who already thoroughly understand the principles, people like this, are very close to the path. How far are we from these people? We are very close! It is like what we just said about the distance between the Tzu Chi asteroid and us. It is 300 to 400 million kilometers away. It is very far! But, after we understand the principles, we know the countless billions of worlds in the Buddha’s mind are all encompassed in His enlightened nature. If we are awakened, we are close to our enlightened nature; we are not far. So, it says they are “very close to the path.” They are not far; they are very close. They are very close to the path.
When we see this kind of Dharma, we give rise to joy in our hearts. We know to show respect and reverence. Wherever people uphold, write, study, speak, hear and transmit the sutra, that is a place where we can build a stupa. We should be reverent. So, “You should know that these people are close to and resonate with the Buddha’s mind.” They have already started to come close. To come close is to be close to His heart. We now understand the Buddha’s original intent. “[We] are drawing near to universal and perfect enlightenment.” We are already close to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, to universal and perfect enlightenment. This is the way we can comprehend the Lotus Sutra. The Dharma, the worldly Dharma and the world-transcending Dharma, is all contained in this sutra. If we are able to truly comprehend it, to truly penetrate and understand it, then we are already close.
So, “They pay respects to it and make offerings to it.” People simply pay respects and make offerings “to the stupa that they see, wherever it is; they do not need to see this sutra. The Buddha already promised them that they are able to draw near Bodhi.”
People only need to prostrate and make offerings to the stupa that they see, wherever it is; they do not need to see this sutra. The Buddha already promised them that they are able to draw near Bodhi. This is indirectly bestowing predictions upon them. This makes it clear that this sutra embraces people of all capacities. It helps those who have turned from the small toward the great have more steadfast minds and understand that in the future, they will certainly become Buddhas.
This means that once we have discovered [the stupa] in that place, we simply need to make offerings and pay respects at the stupa. No matter where we see a stupa, we should just pay respects there. However, “They do not need to see this sutra.” In fact, if we just see a stupa, then we know that within it the Buddha’s whole body is present. This is because that place contains this kind of sutra; the Buddha’s whole body is there. The Buddha said that they were already close to Bodhi. Just by seeing the stupa, we will know that place promotes this kind of Dharma. Thus we begin to draw near and give rise to joy.
We already know this. We do not need to go inside to know that inside is the Buddha’s whole body. We are already close to this place of awakened Buddha-nature. This is indirectly bestowing predictions upon them. The Buddha had begun bestowing predictions. In the Lotus Sutra, He started bestowing predictions in this manner. Although not everyone has awakened, the Buddha said that since everyone had heard this sutra and started to draw near, He would start bestowing prediction on us. In the past, 2000 people received predictions of Buddhahood; Did these 2000 people all comprehend it? Still, the Buddha has said that these people have all received predictions of Buddhahood. This is called “indirect”; it is not direct. This means these people have not yet penetrated this sutra nor seen the Buddha’s whole body. They have yet to attain complete realization, but they casually listen to the Dharma. When they listen, they are happy. They are not averse to nor do they slander it. Having already planted roots of goodness like this, they have the opportunity to attain Buddhahood. So, the Buddha indirectly bestowed predictions of Buddhahood on them.
“This makes it clear that this sutra embraces people of all capacities.” This is the expansiveness of this sutra. How expansive is it anyway? All sentient beings are able to indirectly receive predictions of Buddhahood. In the universe, the Buddha can also bestow predictions on the eight classes of Dharma protectors. As we have discussed before, “It makes those who have turned from the small toward the great….” In sum, the Buddha affirmed that all sentient beings have the awakened nature of True Suchness, even if they are still quite far away. Some may still have fallen [into lower realms], and some may have already freed themselves. However, they still have limited capacities and limited wisdom. Still, the Buddha remains patient. He hopes He can gradually bring them to turn from the small toward the great. Even if people have limited capacities, the Buddha still bestowed predictions of Buddhahood on them here. He hoped they could turn from the small toward the great. So, “They know that in the future they will be determined to become Buddhas.” In the future, they too can achieve Buddhahood. This is the Buddha’s compassion; we should always be grateful to Him.
The Buddha then said,
“Medicine King, there are many lay or monastic practitioners who practice the Bodhisattva-path. If they are unable to see, hear, read, recite transcribe, uphold or make offerings to the Lotus Sutra….”
The Buddha called to Medicine King again. He looked to Medicine King and said that there are still people, either lay or monastic practitioners, who aspire to walk the Bodhisattva-path and “are unable to see, hear, read, recite, transcribe, uphold or make offerings to the Lotus Sutra….” Some have aspired to become monastics, but are still unable to see the Lotus Sutra, unable to read and recite it or aspire to uphold it. There are such people.
This explains those who see or hear this sutra. skillfully practice the superior path. This sutra is a cause, and this cause is skillful and wondrous. For those who skillfully practice and for those who do not, it will be explained through analogy in the following text.
The Buddha wanted to explain that “Those who see or hear this sutra skillfully practice the superior path.” When they see this sutra, they give rise to joy. They are willing to uphold, read, recite, transcribe, write and explain it. This is indeed not easy; skillfully practicing this path is a superior ability.
“This sutra is a cause, and this cause is skillful and wondrous.” Because this sutra is the cause for attaining Buddhahood, when we encounter this kind of sutra, when we see it, we are very happy and are willing to uphold it. This requires skillful and wondrous causes and conditions. So, this is the cause, the cause for attaining Buddhahood. “For those who skillfully practice and for those who do not….” Some people are willing. “Skillful” means they are willing. Whether they have become monastics or are lay practitioners, they all are disciples of the Buddha. However, some are not willing, and some lack the conditions. This will be explained more below. There are still many analogies.
So, to Medicine King, the Buddha said, “If you see people….”
Medicine King, there are many lay or monastic practitioners who practice the Bodhisattva-path: If you see people, whether they are lay men and women or male or female monastics who practice the Bodhisattva-path….
We may see someone, a lay practitioner or a male or female monastic, practicing a path of goodness. They may be on the Bodhisattva-path, yet do not give rise to joy toward the sutra and do not yet have the causes and conditions to accept it. “They are unable to see, hear, read, recite, transcribe, uphold, or make offerings to the Lotus Sutra,” There are these kinds of people.
If they are unable to see, hear, read, recite, transcribe, uphold or make offerings to the Lotus Sutra: Like those of the fourfold assembly earlier, though they accept and practice the Bodhisattva-path, when it comes to the Lotus Sutra, they are unable to see, hear, accept, uphold, read and recite it.
We discussed this earlier. With [teachings on] causes and conditions, analogies and so on, going from the Small Vehicle to the Great Vehicle Dharma. We may already practice the Bodhisattva-path, but when it comes to the Lotus Sutra, we may not have seen, heard, or upheld it. There are other sutras, the Agama, the Vaipulya, and the Prajna. We may have read all these sutras. There is also the Avatamsaka; the Avatamsaka is read by even fewer people because it is too large, and in particular, it is entirely describing the Buddha’s spiritual state. Though some people have read the sutras [from these four periods of teaching,] though they know they are practicing the path of goodness, the Bodhisattva-Path, they have not yet reached the Lotus Sutra and truly connected with it. Even if they connected with it, they are not willing to accept it. Even if they accepted it, they are not willing to uphold it.
This all depends on their causes and conditions, on whether they have wondrous causes and conditions. Can their roots of wisdom and good conditions converge in this skillful and wondrous way? There are many of the Buddha’s disciples who may not have even heard of the Lotus Sutra. Some may have heard it, but may not necessarily be willing to listen, read and recite it. This all depends on causes and conditions. Some are still very far away.
During the era of the Buddha, He said that a very long time ago, there was a Buddha who manifested in the world. When this Buddha manifested in the world, many people came to make offerings to Him. Among them was one bhiksu who was very reverent. Every day, he made offerings to this Buddha. He made offerings by lighting a lamp for Him. But, when He made offerings by lighting a lamp, where did the lamps come from? The lamps came from an old woman who sold lamp oil. When this old woman saw this bhiksu, she gave rise to joy. She wanted to make offerings to this bhiksu. When the bhiksu came to buy lamp oil, she gave it to him for free. So, the bhiksu took the lamp oil to make offerings to the Buddha. Eventually, this Buddha began to to see that this lamp was lit by the same bhiksu year in and year out. Each and every day, he lit this lamp to make offerings.
This Buddha expounded teachings for many people, and the lamp remained very bright. When the Buddha was about to enter Parinirvana, He taught the Lotus Sutra and started to bestow predictions of Buddhahood. He bestowed a prediction for this bhiksu, saying, “In the future, you will attain Buddhahood.” At that time, everyone praised the bhiksu, saying, “Because of your spiritual practice, and the way you made offerings each day, the Buddha bestowed a prediction of Buddhahood upon you.” As this story circulated, the old woman heard it; she hurriedly ran before the Buddha. She said to Him, “Venerable Buddha, that bhiksu offered the lamp, and I provided the oil. The bhiksu received A prediction of Buddhahood. Venerable Buddha! You should also bestow a prediction on me.” The Buddha said, “The person who will bestow a prediction on you in the future is this bhiksu. After he becomes a Buddha, naturally he will bestow a prediction on you.”
So, these were the causes and conditions. The workings of karma are inconceivable! It is the same principle. At the time of the Sakyamuni Buddha, among those who practiced under Him, there were both monastic and lay practitioners. They heard all the sutras, but with regard to the Lotus Sutra, they had no interest. When the Buddha started to expound this sutra, 5000 people left. These [people] were not willing to accept the Lotus Sutra, not willing to uphold, read, recite, transcribe and rewrite it. Future sentient beings will also be like this. During the Buddha’s lifetime, 5000 people left. During the Buddha’s lifetime, He gave many teachings. Not everyone could attend the Lotus Sutra Assembly. Some who attended even left. These are the incredible convergences of causes and conditions.
So, the Buddha again said to Medicine King Bodhisattva, “If they are unable to see, hear, read, recite, transcribe, uphold or make offerings to the Lotus Sutra….” What follows after this? In conclusion, there are many principles. We must be mindful. We must mindfully understand that the Lotus Sutra contains many of the principles of all things in the universe. But when will we truly be able to awaken to them? We have to be patient, and we must always be mindful.