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

Observing the hearts and minds of the entire assembly—the fourfold community of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen The Four Assemblies: The foundational members of the Buddhist community: Bhikṣus, Bhikṣuṇīs, Upāsakas, and Upāsikās., as well as the various heavenly beings, dragons, ghosts, and spirits These represent the "Eight Classes" of non-human beings who gathered to protect the Dharma and listen to the Buddha’s teaching.—he addressed Mañjuśrī Mañjuśrī: The Bodhisattva who personifies fundamental wisdom., saying:

"By what causes and conditions does this auspicious sign of supernatural power exist? This emission of great radiance that illuminates eighteen thousand lands to the east, revealing the majestic adornments of all those Buddha-worlds?"

Thereupon, Maitreya Bodhisattva Maitreya: The "Benevolent One," destined to be the next Buddha of our world-cycle., wishing to restate the meaning of his inquiry, asked in verse Gāthā: A poetic or metrical form used in sutras to summarize prose sections or facilitate memorization.: