Name/Title
The Lotus Sutra / translated by Burton WatsonEntry/Object ID
BQ2052 .E5 W38 1993Description
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 East Asia, it has attracted more commentary than any other Buddhist scripture and has had a profound impact on the great works of Japanese and Chinese literature. Conceived as a drama of colossal proportions, the text takes on new meaning in Burton Watson's translation. Depicting events in a cosmic world that transcends ordinary concepts of time and space, the Lotus Sutra presents abstract religious concepts in concrete terms and affirms that there is a single path to enlightenment - that of the bodhisattva - and that the Buddha is not to be delimited in time and space. Filled with striking imagery. memorable parables, and countless revelations concerning the universal accessibility of Buddhahood, the Lotus Sutra has brought comfort and wisdom to devotees over the centuries and stands as a pivotal text in world literature. As Watson notes, "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 one reason 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.
Contents:
1. Introduction 2. Expedient Means 3. Simile and Parable 4. Belief and Understanding 5. The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs 6. Bestowal of Prophecy 7. The Parable of the Phantom City 8. Prophecy of Enlightenment for Five Hundred Disciples 9. Prophecies Conferred on Learners and Adepts 10. The Teacher of the Law 11. The Emergence of the Treasure Tower 12. Devadatta 13. Encouraging Devotion 14. Peaceful Practices 15. Emerging from the Earth 16. The Life Span of the Thus Come One 17. Distinctions in Benefits 18. The Benefits of Responding with Joy 19. Benefits of the Teacher of the Law 20. The Bodhisattva Never Disparaging 21. Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One 22. Entrustment 23. Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King 24. The Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound 25. The Universal Gateway of the Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds 26. Dharani 27. Former Affairs of King Wonderful Adornment 28. Encouragements of the Bodhisattva Universal WorthyCollection
Jotidhammo CollectionDimensions
Dimension Description
xxix, 359 pages ; 23 cmBook Details
Author
KumarajivaPublication Translator
Burton WatsonPublisher
Columbia University PressDate Published
1993Publication Subjects
Tripitaka. Sutrapitaka. Saddharmapundarikasutra.Call No.
BQ2052 .E5 W38 1993Notes
Translated from: Miao fa lian hua jing, which was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Kumarajiva