“Peaceful Practices” chapter ［安楽行品］ ( Anraku-gyō-hon): The fourteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra and the last chapter of the theoretical teaching (first half) of the sutra. In response to a question from Bodhisattva Manjushrī about how bodhisattvas should practice Buddhism in the evil age after Shakyamuni Buddha’s death, the Buddha expounds four rules or peaceful practices to be observed. While the sutra’s descriptions of these four practices are rather lengthy, T’ien-t’ai (538–597) summarized them as the peaceful practice of the body, the peaceful practice of the mouth, the peaceful practice of the mind, and the peaceful practice of vows. T’ien-t’ai regarded these four peaceful practices as a development of the three rules of preaching described in the “Teacher of the Law” (tenth) chapter. The “Peaceful Practices” chapter also contains the parable of the bright jewel in the topknot. In the parable, a great wheel-turning king rewards his soldiers who have shown merit in battle with a variety of treasures, but withholds a bright jewel that he keeps in his topknot. Only when he sees someone who has achieved particularly great distinction does he remove the jewel and give it to that person. The Buddha is likened to the king, the soldiers of merit are his disciples, and the ordinary treasures he gives away are the provisional, or pre-Lotus Sutra, teachings. Those of great distinction represent his disciples who have developed their capacity through the provisional teachings and are now ready to receive the supreme teaching. The bright jewel in the topknot is the Buddha’s highest teaching, the Lotus Sutra, which the Buddha has withheld until last. The Sanskrit title of this chapter is “Sukhavihāra,” which means an easy, comfortable, or peaceful life. See also four peaceful practices; three rules of preaching.