A Guide to the Threefold Lotus Sutra


Book Description

This concise, readily understandable book is designed as a guide to one of the supreme scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism: the Threefold Lotus Sutra. With careful consideration of the relationships among the 32 chapters, the author outlines the contents and explains the major points.




Buddhism for Today


Book Description

This concise, readily understandable book is designed as a guide to one of the supreme scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism: the Threefold Lotus Sutra. The first publication of the complete sutra in English (Kosei, 1975) was widely acclaimed, and an ever-growing audience has been created for what is certainly among the greatest of the world's religious documents. Like the Bible and the Koran, however, the Threefold Lotus Sutra requires explanation by a gifted teacher, and it is for this reason that Niwano has written this guide. Giving careful consideration to the relationships among the thirty-two chapters of the sutra, he not only outlines the contents but also explains the major points.




The Threefold Lotus Sutra


Book Description

‡a The Sutra of Lotus Flower of the Wonderous Dharma, popularly known as the Lotus Sutra, has been one of the foremost scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism since appearance of its superb translation to Chinese by Kumarajiva in 406 CE. Over the ensuing centuries, is centerpiece of the three sutras comprising the Threefold Lotus Sutra has thoroughly suffused East Asian civilization. This is the first English version of this religious classic tailored to the essential Buddhist practice of daily sutra recitation. In addition to providing an accurate translation faithful to the original text and following standard definitions of key Buddhist terminology, this innovative Threefold Lotus Sutra breaks new ground by employing more inclusive language to reflect present-day concepts of equalitynd human dignity in a diversified world.




Introduction to the Lotus Sutra


Book Description

The Lotus Sutra--one of the most popular Buddhist classics--is here accessibly introduced by one of its most eminent scholars. "Soon after entering university in December of 1943, I was sent to the front as a student soldier. I wondered if I were allowed to bring but a single book on the trip, possibly to my death, which would I want to bring. It was the Lotus Sutra" -- from the author's Preface. Having developed a lifelong appreciation of the Lotus Sutra -- even carrying a dog-eared copy with him through service in World War II -- Yoshiro Tamura sought to author an introduction to this beloved work of Buddhist literature. Tamura wanted it to be different than other basic explorations of the text; his introduction would be plain-spoken, relevant and sensitive to modern concerns, and well-informed by contemporary scholarship. He succeeded marvelously with Introduction to the Lotus Sutra, which Gene Reeves -- Tamura's student and translator of the popular English edition of The Lotus Sutra -- translates and introduces in English for the first time here. Tackling issues of authenticity in the so-called "words of Buddha," the influence of culture and history on the development of the Lotus Sutra, and the sutra's role in Japanese life, Introduction to the Lotus Sutra grounds this ancient work of literature in the real, workaday world, revealing its continued appeal across the ages.




Tiantai Lotus Texts


Book Description

This volume contains four important texts in the Tiantai Lotus tradition: The Infinite Meanings Sutra, composed as an introduction to the Lotus Sutra, and The Sutra Expounded by the Buddha on the Practice of the Way through Contemplation of Bodhisattva All-embracing Goodness are part of the so-called Threefold Lotus Sutra. The Commentary on the Lotus Sutra is a translation of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra-upadeśa (Jpn. Myōhorengekyō upadaisha), a commentary on the Lotus Sutra attributed to the eminent Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu. A Guide to the Tiantai Fourfold Teachings is a translation of a tenth-century text by the Korean monk Chegwan that presents an introduction to the teachings of Zhiyi (538-597), founder of the Tiantai tradition.




Introduction to the Lotus Sutra


Book Description

To many Buddhists, The Lotus Sutra is one of the most important, if not the most important, sutras in the Buddhist canon. To the beginning student of Buddhism, however, The Lotus Sutra often presents a difficult challenge. For this reason, the authors have developed "An Introduction" to The Lotus Sutra, making it easy to understand this central scripture of Mahayana Buddhism.




The Stories of the Lotus Sutra


Book Description

"The Lotus Sutra" is one of the world's great religious scriptures and most influential texts. It has been a seminal work in the development of Buddhism throughout East Asia and, by extension in the development of Mahayana Buddhism throughout the world. Taking place in a vast and fantastical cosmic setting, the Lotus Sutra places emphasis on skillfully doing whatever is needed to serve and compassionately care for others, on breaking down sharp distinctions between the ideals of the fully enlightened buddha and the bodhisattva who vows to postpone personal salvation until all beings may share it together, and especially on each and every being's innate capacity to become a buddha.




The Lotus Sutra


Book Description

The Lotus Sutra is regarded as one of the world's great religious scriptures and most influential texts. It's a seminal work in the development of Buddhism throughout East Asia and, by extension, in the development of Mahayana Buddhism throughout the world. Taking place in a vast and fantastical cosmic setting, the Lotus Sutra places emphasis on skillfully doing whatever is needed to serve and compassionately care for others, on breaking down distinctions between the fully enlightened buddha and the bodhisattva who vows to postpone salvation until all beings may share it, and especially on each and every being's innate capacity to become a buddha. Gene Reeves's new translation appeals to readers with little or no familiarity with technical Buddhist vocabulary, as well as long-time practitioners and students. In addition, this remarkable volume includes the full "threefold" text of this classic.




Buddhism for Today


Book Description




The Lotus Sūtra


Book Description

A concise and accessible introduction to the classic Buddhist text The Lotus Sutra is arguably the most famous of all Buddhist scriptures. Composed in India in the first centuries of the Common Era, it is renowned for its inspiring message that all beings are destined for supreme enlightenment. Here, Donald Lopez provides an engaging and accessible biography of this enduring classic. Lopez traces the many roles the Lotus Sutra has played in its travels through Asia, Europe, and across the seas to America. The story begins in India, where it was one of the early Mahayana sutras, which sought to redefine the Buddhist path. In the centuries that followed, the text would have a profound influence in China and Japan, and would go on to play a central role in the European discovery of Buddhism. It was the first Buddhist sutra to be translated from Sanskrit into a Western language—into French in 1844 by the eminent scholar Eugène Burnouf. That same year, portions of the Lotus Sutra appeared in English in The Dial, the journal of New England's Transcendentalists. Lopez provides a balanced account of the many controversies surrounding the text and its teachings, and describes how the book has helped to shape the popular image of the Buddha today. He explores how it was read by major literary figures such as Henry David Thoreau and Gustave Flaubert, and how it was used to justify self-immolation in China and political extremism in Japan. Concise and authoritative, this is the essential introduction to the life and afterlife of a timeless masterpiece.