Book Description
With brief, easily absorbed wisdom from the precepts of Nichiren, a 13th-century Buddhist priest, this collection of day-to-day musings can be enjoyed by casual readers and devoted followers alike. Covering a wide span of topics—from life and death to courage and winning—the practical information and encouragement are ideal for those seeking to find a deeper understanding of this ancient philosophy.
Customer Reviews:
Buddhism Day by Day: Wisdome for Modern Life.......2007-08-23
Love it! Intelligent; insightful, inspiring...and current. It's also very light and easy to carry. Worth its weight in gold.
Fresh Guidance.......2007-08-11
This is a welcome update in the series of daily guidance offered to fellow Buddhists by Daisaku Ikeda. It is always helpful to start the day off with encouraging words, especially when they are fresh and not previously seen or at least not totally familiar.
A quote for each day of the year.......2007-07-21
Wisdom and inspiration for each day of the year in this wonderful book, open it up and feel the greatness of Daisaku Ikeda's quotes.
Truely Inspirational.......2007-04-06
Buddhism Wisdom in a daily format. A great inspiration to begin each day, to
get one in a value creative frame of mind.
What a delight!!!!.......2007-01-09
This is a wonderful daily inspirational guide. Full of quotes that will help you go into your day with an open heart and joy. Suitable for Buddhist and Non Buddhist. This is the greatest inspirational quote book I have ever encountered. A must have. Great gift for those you wish to encourage. I would give to someone you are visting in the hospital, a co-worker, or as birthday gift. Truly life affirming.
Book Description
Since its appearance in China in the third century, The Lotus Sutra has been regarded as one of the most illustrious scriptures in the Mahayana Buddhist canon. The object of intense veneration among generations of Buddhists in China, Korea, Japan, and other parts of the world, it has had a profound impact on the great works of Japanese and Chinese literature, attracting more commentary than any other Buddhist scripture.
As Watson notes in the introduction to his remarkable translation, " The Lotus Sutra is not so much an integral work as a collection of religious texts, an anthology of sermons, stories, and devotional manuals, some speaking with particular force to persons of one type or in one set of circumstances, some to those of another type or in other circumstances. This is no doubt why it has had such broad and lasting appeal over the ages and has permeated so deeply into the cultures that have been exposed to it."
Customer Reviews:
Quick and Easy.......2007-05-14
It was easy to order and the product arrived promptly with great service if anything were to happen in shipment.
Superb translation of a difficult Buddhist text.......2007-02-22
The Lotus Sutra has essentially defined East Asian Buddhism with it's imagery, devotional passages, and ideas regarding equality between men and women as well as Enlightenment for all beings. Unfortunately, the Lotus Sutra is one of the most challenging Buddhist texts to read due to it's length, depth, and difficult prose style. The imagery alone can be very tiring if you're new to Buddhism, and don't understand half of what's going on.
The good news is that Burton Watson's translation of the Lotus Sutra really brings this text to the Western audience in a way never done before. Burton helps provide good context in the introduction as to how to read the Sutra, as well as explanation of some of the people and places. Many translations use archaic English, which makes it even hard to read, but Watson balances modern translations with a poetic style very nicely.
Folks interested in the Lotus Sutra should look no further and purchase this book.
The two-legged being.......2006-06-30
After translating three short sutras as a warm-up, I thought it would help to study existing major works by Western scholars. So I read the Chinese text phrase by phrase and line by line, did an impromptu translation in my mind, and matched it with Mr. Watsonfs translation. I admired many of his renditions and disagreed on a few. What really bothered me, after doing only 54 pages of his book, is that he referred to the Buddha as the two-legged being (pp. 28, 29, 41, 54). Even though the Chinese character dzu can mean foot, it means, in this context, fulfilled. Therefore, the Buddha is the Both-Fulfilled Honored One because he has perfected both knowledge and action. Elsewhere in the book (p. 14), Watson translated the complete version of this epithet of the Buddha into Perfect Clarity and Conduct. That I and other Buddhists can accept, but not Two-Legged Being. Good grief!
The Lotus Sutra: accommodation, not relativism.......2005-05-06
The Lotus Sutra, or Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma (J., Myohorengekyo, Hokkekyo), the preeminent scripture in the Mahayana Buddhism of East Asia -- China, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam -- is known primarily through the translation into Chinese of the Sanskrit Saddharma-pundarika-sutra by Kumarajiva in CE 406. (This 28-chapter version differs in organization and presentation from the 27-chapter Sanskrit text translated into English by H. Kern in 1884, and still available for sale; the two versions should not be confused.)
Although Kumarajiva's Lotus Sutra has influenced all of Japanese Buddhism in one way or another, it is the basic scripture for the great medieval Tendai (C., T'ien T'ai) sect, as well as the later Nichiren sect and its offshoots, especially Soka Gakkai and Rissho Koseikai, all three of which emphasize recitation of the "Nam' myohorengekyo" formula." The Lotus is NOT included in the scriptural canon of Southern Buddhism (Theravada) in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and other areas of SE Asia.
The Lotus Sutra is basically a statement of philosophical principles and should not be approached as literary entertainment. Its message has serious implications - today probably more so than any time in past history. But the reading takes patience and serious, quiet rumination. Its message is that all sentient beings have the potential for attaining Buddhahood, but conceptual illusion prevents them from realizing that this is their essential nature. Out of compassion, the Buddha(s) employs many devices (Skillful Means/Expedients; hoben) accommodated to their specific needs, to assist them in seeing through this illusion. (The notion is expressed through most of the sutra's Seven Parables.) Although provisional teachings are not only possible but necessary, there is, in fact, only One Vehicle, one ultimate, ineffable spiritual goal; and for this reason the Lotus is sometimes called the Sutra of the One Vehicle. It is important to note, however, that the term does not describe an EXCLUSIVE DOGMATIC FORMULATION that is taken to be correct while others are false. The ultimate religious experience is beyond the reach of rational understanding, which is, at best, "a finger pointing at the moon". Although the Lotus Sutra may be viewed as the BEST possible expression of the Buddha's teaching, it is NOT THE ONE AND ONLY way to spiritual realization: other scriptures (and other words, rituals, myths, metaphors, etc.) can be embraced as expressing a more or less adequate means for attaining spiritual understanding - the specific words or symbols do no matter. The One Vehicle refers to a single experiential GOAL to be reached through a variety of conceptual formulations and exercises, but ultimately transcending the word-games of rationality. Note, however, that although the Lotus Sutra freely admits many routes to enlightenment (because of the varying needs of individuals), it does NOT claim that "one view is just as good as any another," i.e., relativism.
Today the most popular translation of the (Chinese) Lotus Sutra is Burton Watson's elegant rendition (1993) into English, although some scholars still prefer the older version by Leon Hurvitz (1976), and even, occasionally, the Bunno Kato collection of three sutras (1975). These and several other translations can almost all be found on Amazon.com, and the buyer should always be aware that popularity does not necessarily guarantee quality -- neither in books nor in ideas. The choice is ours.
Very Good Indeed.......2005-04-13
This is a very good translation of one of Mahayana Buddhism's greatest sutras/canon. I find it to be well written, easy to follow and understand (although not so easy to comprehend--will explain later), and a pleasure to read. Each chapter entails some fascinating tales and fables [as in the chapters that discuss the lost son searching for his father, the expedient methods our beloved Buddha use to deliver and rescue us from our burning house (an analogy for being trapped in our own ignorance) along with the myriad of the virtues and conducts of some of the Great Bodhisattvas such as Guan Yin/Avalokiteshvara (aka Contemplator of the World's Sounds)]. Like all of Mahayana Buddhism's scriptures, you will find that the meanings and intents of the original author(s) conveyed in this sacred literature are much more profound than what seem to be provided at the surface. Therefore, if you are like most people, this is not a book that you would want to read just once. Repeated readings will help the readers become more familiar and better at understanding the different metaphors and analogies, and especially the intent, provided by the Buddha when he first preached the doctrines contained in this wonderful sutra. Kudos to Burton Watson for the excellent English translation.
Book Description
Stamped with his signature depth of vision, lucidity, and clarity, Thich Nhat Hanh's insights based on the wisdom of the Lotus Sutra invoke a wide range of contemporary topics and concerns. He demonstrates the practical and direct applicability of Buddhist teachings to today's issues, from the Palestinian-Israeli tragedy to the threat of terrorism and the degradation of our environment.
Opening the Heart of the Cosmos shines sixty years of study and practice upon one of the crowning scriptures of the path of the Buddha. It is destined to be known as one of the most significant writings by Thich Nhat Hanh.
Customer Reviews:
A must read companion to the Lotus Sutra.......2007-08-31
If you really want to read and understand the Lotus Sutra on a deeper level I highly recommend this commentary of Thay's(Thich Nhat Hanh). For the actual Sutra this is a good translation: The Lotus Sutra
Excellent, easy to read commentary on important sutra.......2004-03-16
In this book, Nhat Hanh turns his eye towards the Lotus Sutra, one of the most important sutras for Mahayana Buddhists. Despite its importance, the Lotus Sutra is very difficult to read straight-out, although good translations exist (see Hurvitz and the recent edition "The Threefold Lotus Sutra" put out by Kosei). Just diving into a translation may leave you feeling a bit confused, and some early commentaries are just as inaccessible to beginners.
Hence the value of this book. Placing the Lotus sutra in its historical context (around the time when Mahayana Buddhism was just emerging, and had to distinguish itself from non-Mahayana schools, which it terms "Hinayana" or "Lesser Vehicle"), Nhat Hanh illuminates why this sutra is so important and revelational. In short, this is the sutra in which it was firmly proclaimed that _everyone_ could become a fully enlightened buddha.
Previously, the primary goal of early Buddhism had been to become a saint ("arhat"), liberated from samsara, with the joy of nirvana, but not an actual buddha oneself. Moreover, this path was restricted to renunciant monks, and not open to everyone. In this sutra, the Buddha proclaims that he taught this as a skillful means, because if he had said right away that people could attain buddhahood, no one would believe it. Now, however, the time being right, and people having understood the basics of the Four Noble Truths, etc., he could give this profound teaching. All the teachings and vehicles (Sravakayana, Pratyekabuddhayana, Bodhisattvayana, etc.) point to the one single vehicle: the buddhayana, the path to full buddhahood for all sentinent beings.
Because the language of the sutra itself is quite difficult and full of very elaborate imagery that can confuse or mystify the reader, the commentary provided in this book by Nhat Hanh is essential to clarifying the points and getting at the essence of what the sutra is saying. He explains how one can read the sutra along two dimensions -- the historical dimension, and the ultimate dimension. If one does not read it in such a way, and takes everything as literal (historical), it will result in a whole lot of confusion.
So, this book is for students of Buddhism who are interested in reading some actual sutras, but who are not so intellectually hard-core that they feel they are "above" reading this commetnary by a monk who seems, on the surface, very simple and non-academic. (Actually, he is a great scholar himself -- see "The Heart of the Buddha's Understanding" for the best introduction to Mahayana Buddhism around). Note that this book does _not_ contain the actual text of the Lotus Sutra, which is very long. Find one of the translations (noted above) and read it along with this commentary, and you will find it very beneficial, I am sure!
Enjoy.
Hanh provides commentary on a number of current issues.......2004-03-06
In Opening The Heart Of The Cosmos: Insights On The Lotus Sutra, Vietnamese Buddhist monk, poet, teacher, writer, peace and human rights activist Thich Nhat Hanh draws upon his more than 30 years of study and experience to focus upon one of the most important of the sutras and reveal how it can be of invaluable service in transforming ourselves and the world around us. By way of illustration, Hanh provides commentary on a number of current issues and enduring world problems ranging from the Palestinian-Israeli impasse, to the threats posed by international terrorism, to the continuing degradation of our planetary environment. Opening The Heart Of The Cosmos is a superbly articulated and presented contribution to the growing body of Buddhist literature for western readers.
Customer Reviews:
Kalpas and kotis and celestial jewels from heaven.......2007-06-29
About 80% of this text involves long, repetitive descriptions of other worlds and vast myriads of infinite beings acting on a scale of kalpas and kotis. A kalpa is the time it takes for a physical universe to appear and disappear. They come in three durations. A small kalpa is the time it would take for a ten-mile square city covered in poppy seeds to be clean of them if one seed were removed every three years or, alternately, the time required to wear away a ten-mile cubic block of stone if a young woman brushes her dress against it every three years. A koti represents ten million or more, and kalpas are discussed in terms of many kotis or longer. Jewel flowers, celestial flowers and the like fall from heavens for extended periods of time, and myriads of kotis of bodhisattvas attend the Buddha's words and meditate for multiples of kalpas.
Dharma is translated as Law, and the translation also gives the Buddha as being eternal in several places; this jibes uneasily with correct middle way teachings. I had the impression that the translation comes from a Westernized point of view concerning theological matters and never quite escapes.
The sutras contain many words of many blessings accruing to those who read and keep them, and terrible damnations accruing to those who misrepresent them or cause harm to those who engage the teachings.
In here we have the dharma of all vehicles being the great vehicle, the bodhisattva vehicle, and the Buddha tactfully adjusting his teachings according to the capacity of the hearer.
The time required for achieving buddhahood is explained in terms of many kalpas, even to beings already bodhisattvas, with the exception of the eight year old daughter of a dragon, who attained it quite quickly, apparently the only reference to a female achieving Buddhahood in Buddhist sutras. Though it may take a long time, Buddhahood is achievable. The future Buddhahood of many beings is predicted by the World-Honored One, Buddha, in the sutras.
Also, in the first sutra, The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, middle section, we have the teaching that the dharma is empty.
An excellent presentation of the Buddha's greatest teachings.......2007-04-06
This is certainly one of the best Buddhist books available to the English-speaking reader. Not only is the translation of the Lotus Sutra clear and excellent, but this version includes two other sutras, the "Prologue" Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and the "Epilogue" Universal Virtue Sutra, which traditionally accompany the Lotus Sutra in East Asian countries but are not easy to find in English translation.
This version comes with a glossary to explain Sanskrit terms which appear in the Sutras, which is quite helpful. Although the translation to English is done well, this is not the kind of book you can just pick up and read, and clearly understand. It gradually becomes clearer with time, and you could read the Lotus Stura a thousand times and discover something new every time. To accompany this book, particularly if you are new to Buddhism, I would recommend a good commentary, such as "Buddhism for Today" by Nikkyo Niwano, to study along with it to explain some of the allegory and hyperbole one finds in this and other ancient Buddhist literature, the symbolism behind it, and how we can apply these ancient teachings to make our lives and our world better.
Great for Buddhist study!.......2007-01-16
This was one of several books used for a college course took on Buddhism. This would be good for groups discussion or independent study. It has the sutra, which is great, but there is a lot of complex language that introduces it, which can bog you down if it doesn't interest you. I woul recommend this book as one of many for Buddhist study.
Most excellent!.......2006-03-07
This is, simply, a fantastic piece of literature, and a first-rate exposition of Dharma. I appreciate this translation for the scholarship behind it, and the process that brought it into being; this was produced by a team of translators dedicated to ironing out imprecisions and ideosyncracies. And it's beautifully printed.
Believe the hype, if it's in you to do so, and read this one with great care. May you have the good fortune to meet with this text and a teacher who can explain it to you. (Tendai.)
May beings benefit!
Not the best translation of the Lotus Sutra.......2004-12-28
The Burton Watson translation is better for an English speaker, but yeah, this is a more "Buddhist" translation, and as such, will appeals to....now get ready......BUDDHISTS!
I like it, and hey, I don't even chant nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
Book Description
As a religion concerned with universal liberation, Zen grew out of a Buddhist worldview very different from the currently prevalent scientific materialism. Indeed, says Taigen Dan Leighton, Zen cannot be fully understood outside of a worldview that sees reality itself as a vital, dynamic agent of awareness and healing. In this book, Leighton explicates that worldview through the writings of the Zen master Eihei Dogen (1200-1253), considered the founder of the Japanese Soto Zen tradition, which currently enjoys increasing popularity in the West. The Lotus Sutra, arguably the most important Buddhist scripture in East Asia, contains a famous story about bodhisattvas (enlightening beings) who emerge from under the earth to preserve and expound the Lotus teaching in the distant future. The story reveals that the Buddha only appears to pass away, but actually has been practicing, and will continue to do so, over an inconceivably long life span. Leighton traces commentaries on the Lotus Sutra from a range of key East Asian Buddhist thinkers, including Daosheng, Zhiyi, Zhanran, Saigyo, Myoe, Nichiren, Hakuin, and Ryokan. But his main focus is Eihei Dogen, the 13th century Japanese Soto Zen founder who imported Zen from China, and whose profuse, provocative, and poetic writings are important to the modern expansion of Buddhism to the West. Dogen's use of this sutra expresses the critical role of Mahayana vision and imagination as the context of Zen teaching, and his interpretations of this story furthermore reveal his dynamic worldview of the earth, space, and time themselves as vital agents of spiritual awakening. Leighton argues that Dogen uses the images and metaphors in this story to express his own religious worldview, in which earth, space, and time are lively agents in the bodhisattva project. Broader awareness of Dogen's worldview and its implications, says Leighton, can illuminate the possibilities for contemporary approaches to primary Mahayana concepts and practices.
Customer Reviews:
Invaluable for those interested in the Lotus Sutra, Dogen, or even Nichiren Buddhism.......2007-06-13
For anyone interested in Dogen and/or the Lotus Sutra Visions of Awakening Space and Time: Dogen and the Lotus Sutra by Taigen Dan Leighton is a must have. Too many people think that Zen eschews the sutras, but this actually not the case. In this book Taigen Dan Leighton (a Zen Master and translator of Dogen's Eihei Koroku and other writings) shows that Dogen not only valued the Lotus Sutra but modeled his rhetorical style on it and, as the name of this book indicates, found in chapters 15 and 16 of the sutra inspiration for his visions of time and space (and earth) as intrinsically involved in our own awakening experience. It is not that we awaken at a certain time and in a certain place on this earth. Rather, earth, time, and space are all dynamically expressive of awakening and our own awakening is a part of this universal awakening. The nodualistic vision of Dogen and the Lotus Sutra has many deep implications for ethics and ecology that Taigen brings out by the end of the book. Though this is a very scholarly book (this is not by any means Zen Lite) it is also a book written by a practitioner with an eye towards how Dogen and the Lotus Sutra can inspire the actualization of awakening in our own lives.
Taigen does not restrict the book to Dogen, however, but also discusses the greater Mahayana context for the view of time, space, and earth shared by Dogen and the Lotus Sutra. He also provides a review of how several seminal East Asian Buddhist teachers have been inspired by the Lotus Sutra - notably Daosheng, Zhiyi (Great Master T'ien-t'ai), Zhanran (aka Great Master Miao-lo), Saigyo, Myoe, Ippen, Nichiren, Hakuin, Ryokan, and Shunryu Suzuki. Also, many of the points made in this book about the interpretation and meaning of chapters 15 and 16 of the Lotus Sutra that describe the emergence of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and Shakyamuni Buddha's attainment of awakening in the unquantifiably remote past would be of great interest to anyone studying or, better yet, practicing East Asian Mahayana Buddhism. Though the focus is on Dogen, this book addresses issues that would be relevant to a wide range of Buddhist scholars and practitioners.
I would also like to note that for those Nichiren Buddhists who have found Jackie Stone's Original Enlightenment or Gen Reeve's anthology A Buddhist Kaleidoscope: Essays on the Lotus Sutra to be helpful will get a lot out of this book as well. There are not a lot of Buddhist books (whether popular or academic) published that address issues important to Nichiren Buddhism, but this is one of the few that does. It gets right to the heart of things with its focus on chapters 15 and 16 and how different Buddhists have understood those chapters. The sections on Zhiyi and Zhanran and the extensive section on Nichiren's reading of those chapters would of course be particularly helpful. There are also other positive and illuminating evaluations of Nichiren Buddhism throughout the text, connecting it to important themes and forms of practice that emerged in East Asian Buddhism. It is rare to find a non-Nichiren Buddhist scholar/practitioner who gives Nichiren the importance that he deserves in the study of East Asian Buddhism, and even rarer to find someone who writes about Nichiren accurately and sympathetically as Taigen does. Taigen has done a great service to American Buddhism in showing the similarities and differences between Dogen and Nichiren in their respective appropriations of the core story of the Lotus Sutra.
Book Description
Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, presents an advanced new audio learning retreat with this complete series of Dharma talks on two of Buddhism's most beloved texts, the Lotus Sutra and the Avatamsaka Sutra. Here, he discusses: "interbeing" and the transcendence of self, the practice of non-practice, overcoming the fear of death, mindfulness as the key to nirvana, and more.
Customer Reviews:
Peaceful Teacher.......2006-08-19
Wonderful. I've been listening to Thich Nhat Hanh most nights before sleep for about 2 weeks now. I can say that I have been so relaxed and have had no trouble remembering my dreams... this tells me that my mind is becoming more free and clear. I would recommend this "retreat at home" to anyone, even those not interested in Buddhism will reap benefits.
good to hear Thay's gentle voice as well.......2006-02-26
This is a very good alternative to reading Thich Nhat Hanh's books.(we student of his call him Thay, pronounced like "tie," which mean teacher in Vietnamese) The best way to learn from Thay is to be in his prsense, which I have had the pleasure to do once this past summer. Just being in his presence and the presence of the monastics exudes peace. The next best thing is to listen to a retreat like this one on CD or even watch a DVD of his. Because his voice and smile helps relay this peace so well. I highly recommned this series.
The Ultimate Dimension.......2005-09-03
For me the Ultimate DImension is an interesting listening experience and it gives a nearly perfect picture of one man's practice and views of Buddhism. But it dwells too much in his interpretation of what the Buddha's sutras mean and not quite enough on quoting the sutras and letting the listener/reader distill the lessons for themselves.
I would be more pleased if Hahn intermixed the Buddha's actual words with his discussions of how they can be internalized and implemented in practice but throughout the entire 6 CD collection there is little of this.
If the reader/listener is intimately familiar with the Lotus Sutra and other Buddhist texts then this advanced retreat would be a perfect addition to his or her collection. But if not then it is quite like looking at the reflection of a beautiful scene and not the scene itself.
One humble opinion.
A compassionate, profound audiobook .......2005-02-03
Written by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, nominated for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King Jr., The Ultimate Dimension is an audio book on CD that examines two classical Buddhist texts, the Avatamsaka Sutra and the Lotus Sutra. From essential Buddhist principles to wondrous interconnection of all that exists, to the "ultimate dimension" that is the infinite realm beyond birth and death, The Ultimate Dimension reminds listeners of the Lotus Sutra's promise - that regardless of one's traditions or background, all beings share the potential to become enlightened. A compassionate, profound audiobook with a quintessential Buddhist message of wisdom, understanding, and learning to open oneself to a higher way.
Book Description
The Lotus Sutra has been the most widely read and most revered Buddhist scripture in East Asia since the third century. The miracles and parables in the "king of sutras" inspired a variety of images in China, in particular the sweeping compositions known as transformation tableaux that developed between the seventh and ninth centuries. Surviving examples painted on cave walls or carved in relief on Buddhist monuments depict celestial journeys, bodily metamorphoses, cycles of rebirth, and the achievement of nirvana. Yet the cosmos revealed in these tableaux is strikingly different from that found in the text of the sutra. Challenging long-held assumptions about Buddhist art, Eugene Wang treats it as a window to an animated and spirited world. Rather than focus on individual murals as isolated compositions, Wang views the entire body of pictures adorning a cave shrine or a pagoda as a visual mapping of an imaginary topography that encompasses different temporal and spatial domains. He demonstrates that the text of the Lotus Sutra does not fully explain the pictures and that a picture, or a series of them, constitutes its own "text." In exploring how religious pictures sublimate cultural aspirations, he shows that they can serve both political and religious agendas and that different social forces can co-exist within the same visual program. These pictures inspired meditative journeys through sophisticated formal devices such as mirroring, mapping, and spatial programming - analytical categories newly identified by Wang. Eugene Wang examines cave murals at Binglingsi and Dunhuang in northwestern China and relief sculptures in the grottoes of Yungang in Shanxi, stelae from Sichuan, and the Dragon-and-Tiger pagoda in Shandong, among other sites. By tracing formal impulses in medieval Chinese picture-making, such as topographic mapping and pictorial illusionism, the author pieces together a wide range of visual evidence and textual sources to reconstruct the medieval Chinese cognitive style and mental world. The book is ultimately a history of the Chinese imagination.
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.
Customer Reviews:
Awesome!! NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO........2005-07-29
Great introduction to the poetic teaching of the Lotus Sutra. I've been a devout Nichiren Buddhist as a member of SGI for 8 years now and can not imagine any other way. In the SGI, the practice of True Buddhism is open to all, no exceptions!! The SGI continues the advancement of world peace through dialogue with all human-beings of all religions, and supports the fulfillent of each member's dreams through the practice of the True Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. The best interpretations of the 2nd and 16th chapters of The Lotus Sutra are found in the lectures of Daisaku Ikeda. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, nam-myoho-renge-kyo. www.sgi-usa.org
Cliff Notes for the Lotus Sutra.......2001-06-26
Anyone looking for a good chapter-by-chapter summary and commentary on the Lotus Sutra should look no further than this book. Rev. Suguro (he is a priest of the Nichiren Shu) also covers the two sutras that open and close the Lotus Sutra, the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and the Sutra of Meditation on Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. He also highlights the seven famous parables of the Lotus Sutra, including the Parable of the Burning House (which is well known from Hui-Neng's discussion of it in the Platform Scripture) and the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Rev. Suguro also highlights those passages which are of particular importance to Nichiren Buddhism and also discusses the T'ien-t'ai system of analyzing the sutra according to the diffent functions of its various sections. There is also a brief discussion of Nichiren's reading of the Lotus Sutra in an appendix. I hasten to add, however, that this book was not written from a sectarian point of view. Rather, it was written to open up the Lotus Sutra for all Buddhists and non-Buddhists who wish to get a better understanding of what this most famous of Mahayana sutras is about. A valuable introductory work like this is especially important for the Lotus Sutra, since even famed Zen Masters like Hakuin had difficulty appreciating the depths of the Lotus Sutra simply by reading it on their own without a guide and/or a few satoris under their belt. Many Zen practitioners should also know that Dogen also frequently quoted from the Lotus Sutra in his monumental work the Shobogenzo. So I would recommend this book to anyone who might be wondering why Hui-Neng, Hakuin, and Dogen found the Lotus Sutra so fascinating. For Nichiren Buddhists, it should go without saying that a guide to the Lotus Sutra would be invaluable. The only drawback to this book is that it sometimes takes for granted that the reader has already had a basic eduction in foundational Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. So this book is not a good introduction to Buddhist itself - but it does give a cursory explanation of basic Buddhist and basic Mahayana concepts as they appear within the Lotus Sutra. One last note, this book uses passages from the English translation of the Lotus Sutra by Rev. Senchu Murano. This translation is available from the Nichiren Shu and is highly regarded as a very authoritative and readily understandable translation.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, Rev. Ryuei McCormick
Customer Reviews:
Great guide for the threefold Lotus Sutra.......2003-10-02
This book condenses the 3-fold Lotus Sutra to understandable simple terms without missing the important details of Shakyamuni preaching the true nature of Buddhahood as it can be attained by anyone regardless of any circumstances or condition. Each character and scene are well incorporated into brief paragraphs which cover the hidden message of each chapter, with a good description of the characters and their relationship to the cosmic scene. I really appreciated reading this book, especially for its compact size. Truly a wonderful book. Excellent work. I also recommend "Buddhism for Today" by Niwano.
An essential companion to "The Threefold Lotus Sutra".......2000-10-04
More than just a companion book! Nikkyo Niwano, while summarizing the contents of the Lotus Sutra and expanding on its major points, also explains, using the context of the parables of the Lotus Sutra, the basic tenets of Buddhism and their relevance to today's world. This "Guide" takes a wonderful, ancient religious and philosophical text and brings it to life again.
Book Description
This is a translation of a Buddhist scripture which was originally written in Sanskrit but is best known to Buddhists through Chinese versions. It is one of the most influential and popular texts of Mahayana Buddhism, emphasizing the doctrine that there is only one path to enlightenment, the bodhisattva-path, and the principle that the Buddha is not to be delimited in time and space. The work is famous and beloved throughout the Far East for its parables, such as that of the burning house, that of the wayward son, and many others; for its presentation of abstract religious concepts in concrete images; for the innumerable fascinating beings which people the work; and for the charm, warmth, and directness of its style.
This translation of the Lotus Sutra has been made from the best known of the Chinese versions; however, it also includes translations of passages of the Sanskrit that are omitted from the Chinese versions or differ sharply from the Chinese.
Customer Reviews:
The Lotus Sutra: Accommodation, not Relativism.......2005-05-18
The Lotus Sutra, or Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma (J., Myohorengekyo, Hokkekyo), the preeminent scripture in the Mahayana Buddhism of East Asia -- China, Tibet, Mongolia, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam -- is known primarily through the translation into Chinese of the Sanskrit Saddharma-pundarika-sutra by Kumarajiva in CE 406. (This 28-chapter version differs in organization and presentation from the 27-chapter Sanskrit text translated into English by H. Kern in 1884, and still available for sale; the two versions should not be confused.)
Although Kumarajiva's Lotus Sutra has influenced all of Japanese Buddhism in one way or another, it is the basic scripture for the great medieval Tendai (C., T'ien T'ai) sect, as well as the later Nichiren sect and its offshoots, especially Soka Gakkai and Rissho Koseikai, all three of which emphasize recitation of the "Nam' myohorengekyo" formula." The Lotus is NOT included in the scriptural canon of Southern Buddhism (Theravada) in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and other areas of SE Asia.
The Lotus Sutra is basically a statement of philosophical principles and should not be approached as literary entertainment. Its message has serious implications - today probably more so than any time in past history. But the reading takes patience and serious, quiet rumination. Its message is that all sentient beings have the potential for attaining Buddhahood, but conceptual illusion prevents them from realizing that this is their essential nature. Out of compassion, the Buddha(s) employs many devices (Skillful Means/Expedients; hoben) accommodated to their specific needs, to assist them in seeing through this illusion. (The notion is expressed through most of the sutra's Seven Parables.) Although provisional teachings are not only possible but necessary, there is, in fact, only One Vehicle, one ultimate, ineffable spiritual goal; and for this reason the Lotus is sometimes called the Sutra of the One Vehicle. It is important to note, however, that the term does not describe an EXCLUSIVE DOGMATIC FORMULATION that is taken to be correct while others are false. The ultimate religious experience is beyond the reach of rational understanding, which is, at best, "a finger pointing at the moon".
Although the Lotus Sutra might be viewed as the BEST possible expression of the Buddha's teaching, it is NOT THE ONE AND ONLY way to spiritual realization: other scriptures (and other words, rituals, myths, metaphors, etc.) can be embraced as expressing a more or less adequate means for attaining spiritual understanding - the specific words or symbols do no matter. The One Vehicle refers to a single experiential GOAL to be reached through a variety of conceptual formulations and exercises, but ultimately transcending the word-games of rationality. Note, however, that although the Lotus Sutra freely admits many routes to enlightenment (because of the varying needs of individuals), it does NOT claim that "one view is just as good as any another," i.e., relativism.
Although today the most popular translation of the (Chinese) Lotus Sutra may be Burton Watson's elegant rendition (1993) into English, some serious scholars still prefer this older version by Leon Hurvitz (1976); and even, occasionally, the Bunno Kato collection of three sutras (1975). Depending on the size of your wallet, you might consider buying all 3.
A very readable edition of the most important Mahayana text.......2002-04-03
Many English versions of the Lotus Sutra are translated from a Chinese translation of the original Sanskrit version. Regardless of how well they were translated into English, the quality of these versions depends heavily on the quality of the Chinese translation. As many such translations were either done by merchants who didn't know that much about religion or by monks who didn't know much about the other language, there are quite a few bad versions of the Lotus Sutra.
This is not one of them. Not only was it translated from the best known of the Chinese versions (that of Kumarajiva), but Hurvitz also consulted the original Sanskrit to see where the versions differed. While the main text comes entirely from the Chinese, there are nearly 70 pages of endnotes on the Sanskrit, in which Hurvitz either comments on differences between that and the Chinese, or gives a translation of Sanskrit passages that don't appear in Kumarajiva's translation.
What this means for the text is that it is one of the most readable versions of the Lotus Sutra and, at the same time, one of the most informative.
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