Lotus Sutra (Miao fa lian hua jing) - Sixi Tripitaka Edition

The Manifestation of the Secret Path

The bestowing of predictions original: shouji (Vyakarana); the Buddha’s formal prophecy that a disciple will surely attain Buddhahood in a future life and the traces of secret transformation are both held in the highest esteem. This is why the Buddha emitted light and manifested auspicious omens referring to the light from the tuft of white hair between the Buddha's eyebrows that illuminated eighteen thousand worlds to open up the source of the teaching and initiate the request for this profound doctrine.

Emerging from meditative concentration original: chuding (Samadhi); a state of deep, focused stillness, he proclaimed the virtues and expressed the grand scope of the Buddha's Wisdom. The parable of the decaying mansion original: xiuzhai, also known as the "Burning House" parable from Chapter 3, where a father lures his children from a burning house using the promise of various carts, representing the Buddha using "expedient means" to save sentient beings from the fires of worldly suffering provides the literary track for entering into the Great Vehicle.

Within these teachings, the conjured city original: huacheng, the "Phantom City" parable from Chapter 7; a temporary city created by a guide to give weary travelers the strength to eventually reach the true Treasure Land ensures that those with past karmic ties do not fall away or lose heart. The jewel sewn into the robe original: xizhu, the parable from Chapter 8 where a man struggles in poverty, unaware that a friend had sewn a priceless jewel into his garment; this represents the inherent Buddha-nature that remains within us even when we are lost in delusion illustrates that the truth of our nature is always present.

Furthermore, the metaphor of digging a well original: zaojing, from Chapter 10; the Buddha explains that just as someone digging in dry earth eventually sees moist sand and then mud, someone hearing the Lotus Sutra is nearing supreme awakening clearly shows the many methods of attaining realization. While the phrasing and meaning are vivid, the metaphors presented are truly profound. Were it not for the vast salvation of Great Compassion original: da'ai; the Buddha’s universal empathy for all living things, which pulls those who are stuck and drowning from the sinking currents of birth and death, and that ultimate, singular heart of mercy that rescues those lost in delusion...