The Lotus Sutra: The White Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma
The Lotus Sutra is one of the most important Mahayana texts and the most widely read, chanted and revered, particularly in Asian Buddhist countries, notably China and Japan. It is the root text, so to speak, of the ‘Pure Land' schools, which often regard it as the principal Buddhist sutra, the study and practice of which projects the participant along the path to nirvana. It is certainly a remarkable document, replete with the Mahayana characteristics of fantastical images, extraordinary appearances, magical happenings, views of time and space which are galactic in size and pronouncements which are definite, unequivocal, practical in some areas and dependent upon a faith commitment in others.
First and foremost, it proclaims the one yana or vehicle of the Mahayana teaching as preeminent over other teachings, especially those following the paths of the sravakayana (the hearers - the bhikshus) and the pratyekabuddhas (those attaining enlightenment through a solitary path) but also the lay men and lay women. These are the ‘four classes of assembly' who, according the Lotus Sutra, have been following the ‘preliminary' teachings presented by the Buddha Sakyamuni as an ‘expedient' (skilful means).
The Lotus Sutra sees the Buddha, teaching from the Gridhrakuta, the Vulture Peak, the full teaching of the Mahayana which leads unerringly (if over aeons in larger numbers than the sands of the Ganges!) to nirvana. Contained within the 27 chapters are many of the principal Buddhist teachings seen in all the schools across the world: the four noble truths, the 12 nidana chain, the six paramitas or perfections; again and again the qualities of mindfulness, diligence, patience and spiritual vigour or energy are propounded - without these, nirvana is not attainable.
In short, the path to enlightenment is not for the faint-hearted. Around these core teachings are magical stories of numerous Buddhas from different time eras appearing to support the teaching of Sakyamuni; bodhisattvas appearing from cracks in the ground; the Buddha Prabhutaratna, a Buddha of the far past, appearing in a jewelled stupa; celestial chariots flitting around the sky; and the familiar bodhisattvas of Manjusri, Maitreya, Bhaishajyaraja and many others all have a place in this ultimate cosmic drama.
The Lotus Sutra is an extraordinary vision, far from the more practical, straightforward texts of the Pali Canon. For those not accustomed to extreme Mahayana images it can appear very strange indeed. But for those prepared to go with it, it is remarkably absorbing, with a particular charisma and, without belittling it, even charm.
That said, it has not been without controversy in the Pure Land tradition, and its often-repeated insistence on its efficacy by some practitioners over the years has occasionally led it into controversial areas.
Nevertheless, it is a pinnacle of world Buddhist literature. The Lotus Sutra was originally a Sanskrit text, Saddharma Pundarika, which is translated variously - here, it is The White Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, though it is generally known by its short version.
Its popularity in the East is based on a fifth-century translation by the respected Chinese translator Kumarajiva, and most of the recent English translations have come from this Chinese source. However, the first Western translations (from a Sanskrit text originating from Nepal) were by Eugène Burnouf into French in the 1852; and then, using the same source, by the Dutch tr
Hendrik Kern, Nicolas Soames (Author), Taradasa (Narrator)
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