Mr. Altig’s Overview of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sutra

O monks, the sixteen young princes, still in their childhood, approached the Lord Mahabhignagnanabhibhu, the Tathagata, with a sense of reverence and awe. After celebrating him with heartfelt verses, they pleaded with the Lord to set in motion the wheel of the law. Their voices rang out with earnestness and devotion: “Preach the law, O Lord; preach the law, O Sugata. Bring well-being and joy to the people, and show compassion to the world. Let your teachings spread for the benefit, happiness, and welfare of all beings, both gods and men.” Their plea was filled with a deep longing for the spiritual guidance of the enlightened one, and they expressed their sentiments further with the following verses:

Preach the law, O marked with signs a hundred-fold,
O Leader, Seer, in majesty and wisdom bold!
Exalted knowledge, sublime and true,
Let it shine forth in worlds old and new.

Release us, release these creatures too,
Display the Tathagata’s wisdom, pure and true,
That we, and all beings in this vast expanse,
May grasp supreme enlightenment, given the chance.

Thou knowest every path and hidden way,
The deeds of past, the hearts that sway,
The natural bent of every living soul,
Move on the wheel, the sublime and exalted goal!