The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras

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THE PRESENT VOLUME OFFERS an English translation of the Lotus Sutra, and of two short sutras, the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra and the Sutra on How to Practice Meditation on Bodhisattva Universal Worthy, that have traditionally been regarded as the opening and closing sutras for the Lotus. The Lotus Sutra translation, done by Burton Watson, renowned translator of many works of classical Chinese and Japanese literature, was originally published in 1993 by Columbia University Press. It appears here in slightly revised form. The translations of the two accompanying sutras, also by Burton Watson, appear here for the first time.

All the translations conform to the Chinese texts of these sutras as they appear in Myöhö-renge-kyo narabini kaiketsu (The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law and Its Opening and Closing Sutras), published in 2002 by the Soka Gakkai. Tiantai (538- 597), or Zhiyi, founder of the Tiantai school of Buddhism in China, considered the three sutras a single unit, thus establishing the tradition in which they have been called over the centuries "the threefold Lotus Sutra." Nichiren (1222-1282), the Japanese Buddhist scholar-monk whose teachings the Soka Gakkai practices, also held this view. Myöhō-renge-kyo narabini kaiketsu is based upon the texts of the three sutras that Nichiren used to instruct his disciples and write his own works. Called Chu Hokekyo, or the Annotated Lotus Sutra, it includes related passages from the works of Tiantai and other scholar-monks that Nichiren noted down for his own reference. With regard to the two short sutras, a few remarks may be in order.

According to Chinese records, the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra was translated into Chinese in 481 by Dharmagathayashas, a monk from central India. We have no knowledge of what language Dharmagathayashas translated the sutra from, and some scholars now suggest that it may actually have been first com- posed in Chinese.

The sutra, made up of three chapters, describes Shakyamuni Buddha preaching on Eagle Peak. Chapter one, entitled "Virtuous Practices," praises the Buddha and his various characteristics. Chapter two, "Preaching the Law," explains that all the teachings and their immeasurable meanings derive from a single Law, and that those teachings preached during the first forty years and more of the Buddha's teaching life do not reveal the truth. Chapter three, "Ten Benefits," describes the benefits that practitioners of the sutra will gain.

The Immeasurable Meanings Sutra clearly states what the Buddha said about his earlier teachings. "In these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth. Therefore the ways they [living beings] gained were not uniform but differed in different cases, and they have not been able to quickly attain unsurpassed enlightenment." The Lotus Sutra similarly states: "The world-honored one has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth." These passages are jointly taken to mean that the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra is preparing the way for the preaching of the Lotus and that in the Lotus the Buddha will reveal the truth for the first time.

FROM EARLY TIMES the Lotus Sutra has been known as "the king of the sutras." This is above all because it is "a scripture of great hope" that brings light to the hearts of all people The Lotus Sutra clearly and definitively reveals the buddha nature that is an integral part of the lives of all people. And it makes clear that the Buddha desires and acts so that all people, by opening up this buddha nature inherent within themselves, may attain the state of buddhahood for themselves. The sutra further stresses that the continued observance of such action is the true mission of the bodhisattva, and never ceases to praise the observance of this practice.

The buddha nature, which is inherent in all living beings, is a universal and fundamental source or fountain of hope. When it is fully brought to light, it allows all human beings to realize their highest level of personal development and to attain unparalleled happiness and good fortune. And the Lotus Sutra is the text that most forcefully asserts this truth. The Lotus Sutra, which possesses the power to fulfill the hopes latent in the lives of human beings, spread from India to Central Asia, and from there to the countries of eastern Asia. In India and Central Asia various manuscripts of the sutra in Sanskrit and other languages of that area into which it was translated have been found. In the region of eastern Asia, it was translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva (344-413), and that is the version in which it has been read, recited, and best known by many people. In that form, we may say, it constituted one of the most important spiritual elements underlying the culture of China in the Six Dynasties, Sui, and Tang periods, and of Japan in the Heian period.

In particular, in China in the sixth century the Great Teacher Tiantai (538-597), on the basis of the Lotus Sutra, developed his system of interpretation known as "three thousand realms in a single moment of life," which expounds the philosophy of hope embodied in the Lotus Sutra in a subtle and logically convincing manner. But although there had been, in the history of the trans- mission of the Lotus Sutra, efforts to transcend the barrier of cultural differences and bring out the universally valid nature of the sutra's message, it would appear that the true worth of the Lotus Sutra had not, in this period before the appearance of Nichiren Daishonin (1222-1282), as yet been fully revealed.

Nichiren Daishonin in his writings states: "The heart of the Buddha's lifetime of teachings is the Lotus Sutra, and the heart of the practice of the Lotus Sutra is found in the 'Never Disparaging chapter. What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging's pro- found respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, pp. 851-52).

By this the Daishonin means that the heart of the Lotus Sutra, the highest among all of Shakyamuni's teachings, resides in the practice carried out by Bodhisattva Never Disparaging of respecting and paying reverence to all people. The life of each and every person is endowed with the buddha nature, the seed or potential for attaining buddhahood. So long as a person pursues the correct path, this seed will invariably sprout, blossom, and bear fruit. It was on the basis of this firm conviction that Bodhisattva Never Disparaging paid obeisance to every single person that he encountered.