Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma: The Lotus Sutra (Records of Civilization: Sources and Studies)

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. Frontmatter Roll One 1. Introduction (page 1) 2. Expedient Devices (page 22) Roll Two 3. Parable (page 49) 4. Belief and Understanding (page 84) Roll Three 5. Medicinal Herbs (page 101) 6. Bestowal of Prophecy (page 120) 7. Parable of the Conjured City (page 130) Roll Four 8. Receipt of Prophecy by Five Hundred Disciples (page 157) 9. Prophecies Conferred on Learners and Adepts (page 168) 10. Preachers of Dharma (page 174) 11. Apparition of the Jeweled Stūpa (page 183) Roll Five 12. Devadatta (page 195) 13. Fortitude (page 202) 14. Comfortable Conduct (page 208) 15. Welling Up out of the Earth (page 225) Roll Six 16. The Life‐span of the Thus Come One (page 237) 17. Discrimination of Merits (page 245) 18. The Merits of Appropriate Joy (page 258) 19. The Merits of the Dharma‐Preacher (page 264) Roll Seven 20. The Bodhisattva Never Disparaging (page 279) 21. The Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One (page 286) 22. Entrustment (page 291) 23. The Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King (page 293) 24. The Bodhisattva Fine Sound (page 303) Roll Eight 25. The Gateway to Everywhere of the Bodhisattva He Who Observes the Sounds of the World (page 311) 26. Dhāranī (page 320) 27. The Former Affairs of the King Fine Adornment (page 325) 28. The Encouragements of the Bodhisattva Universally Worthy (page 332) Glossary (page 339) Notes on the Sanskrit Text (page 349) Index (page 417) Presents the translation of the Lotus Sutra as a major religious scripture based on scholarly study but written for the general reader. The version translated is that of Kumarajiva from about 400 AD Translated From The Chinese Of Kumarajiva By Leon Hurvitz. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.