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

I proclaim to you, monks, with utmost certainty, that the sixteen youthful princes who served as novices and interpreters of the law under the Lord’s guidance have all reached the pinnacle of supreme, perfect enlightenment. They now reside in various Buddha-lands across the vastness of space, each one preaching the law to countless disciples and Bodhisattvas.

In the east, within the world of Abhirati^⁠, dwell the Tathagatas Akshobhya^⁠ and Merukūta^⁠. To the south-east, you will find Simhaghosha^⁠ and Simhadhvaga^⁠. The south is home to Akāsapratishthita^⁠ and Nityaparinirvrita. In the southwest, reside Indradhvaga^⁠ and Brahmadhvaga^⁠. The Western realm is graced by Amitāyus^⁠ and Sarvalokadhātūpadravodvegapratyuttīrna^⁠. To the northwest, you will encounter Tamālapatrakandanagandhābhigña^⁠ and Merukalpa^⁠. The north is illuminated by Meghasvarapradipa^⁠ and Meghasvararāga^⁠. In the northeast, resides Sarvalokabhayāgitakkhambhitatvavidhvamsanakara^⁠. And finally, in the center of this Saha-world, I, Sākyamuni, stand as the sixteenth who has achieved supreme, perfect enlightenment.

Moreover, the myriad beings who were enlightened by our teachings when we were but novices, those incalculable souls as numerous as the sands of the river Ganges, continue to this day on their path to enlightenment. They stand poised on the precipice of ultimate realization, each in their own time destined to attain the perfection of wisdom.

The knowledge of the Tathagatas is profound and difficult to penetrate, yet these beings are maturing towards that supreme goal. And who were those innumerable beings that I, as a Bodhisattva, guided towards the law of omniscience under the leadership of that Lord? Monks, it was you. You were those beings, and your journey continues.

Those destined to be my disciples in the future, after I have reached full Nirvana, will follow the path of the Bodhisattvas, though without identifying themselves as such. Any who conceive of complete Nirvana will indeed attain it. Additionally, monks, I should tell you that while I may exist under different names in various worlds, they will be reborn in those places, always seeking the wisdom of the Tathagatas and hearing anew this principle: The Tathagatas’ complete Nirvana is singular; there is no other, no second form of Nirvana. In this, monks, one must recognize a skillful method as a guiding principle in the Tathagatas’ teachings.