Perception of the Void

  Now in this chapter of the eternal life of the Buddha, the truth is clearly revealed. Here it is stated beyond doubt that the ultimate substance of the Buddha is the everlasting life-force of the universe, none other than the Eternal Buddha. It is further stated that humankind and other things are but part of the Buddha—children of the Buddha so to speak. In this way the cold perception of the void becomes charged with human warmth as people are stirred to gratitude upon realizing deep inside that they live wrapped in the compassion of the Eternal Buddha. At this stage comes true happiness and the sense of the worth of being alive.

  The philosophical perception taught in the first half of the Lotus Sutra is now, in the second half, given a spiritual lift and takes on the ineffable quality of a religious teaching. This chapter thus becomes the heart and soul not only of the Lotus Sutra, but also of all the sutras.

– Nikkyo Niwano, A Guide to The Threefold Lotus Sutra, translated and adapted by Eugene Langston, Edited by Ralph Friedrich.