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Il sutra del Loto
Il Sutra del Loto è la mistica visione del Buddha a cui, per quasi venti secoli, si sono inchinati India, Cina Giappone. Dire che il Sutra del Loto è la Bibbia dell’Oriente è solo un’approssimazione molto vaga. Esso è soprattutto un mantra, una formula magica, un frammento di paradiso caduto sulla terra. Un’apertura del cuore e della mente. Dove il tempo e lo spazio della successione ordinata e lineare a cui abbiamo incatenato le nostre vite e i nostri pensieri si perde nella visione simultanea dell’infinitamente piccolo e dell’infinitamente grande, dell’infinitamente prima e dell’infinitamente dopo. Il dolore dell’esistenza è sempre presente ma è ormai ridotto a un incidente trascurabile, dovuto all’infantilità di esseri così persi nelle loro piccole gioie e dolori da non scorgere che fuori c’è l’universo intero con cui giocare. Proprio come il fiore di loto che, pur crescendo nel e dal fango, non ne resta macchiato.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 150
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* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
See also: Anonymous
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
September 30, 2016
Ahhh, the Lotus Sutra, as a former professor of mine once stated "The Greatest Sutra Never Preached". Why would he say that? Because while this Sutra goes on at length about the benefits and power of the Lotus Sutra, it never quite gets around to actually saying what the sublime and powerful teachings *are* that the vast multitude of humans, demons, Bodhisattva and various sundry Buddhas that have gathered to hear preached. It's almost meta-textual, circa 400 A.D.
The Lotus Sutra is one of the most prominent texts in East Asian Buddhism, and it's vivid imagery and ideas have had a strong influence on the artistic and social culture of China, Japan and Korea. That said, it's not very well known in the West outside of scholars of religion, and not surprisingly so, as its faith-based, salvationist and somewhat exclusionary message doesn't jibe too well with Western conceptions of a tolerant and rationalistic faith. There is quite a bit of irony in that, as the idea of the Lotus Sutra (as opposed to the Sutra itself, but more on that later), is central to Nichiren Buddhism, a form of uniquely Japanese Buddhism that has spread to the West in the form of Soka Gakkai International, a branch of the largest Buddhist organization in Japan, and probably the single largest group of Western Buddhist converts abroad. Tina Turner and Orlando Bloom are the most prominent converts, but there are many more.
The Lotus Sutra became widely popular for a few reasons. The first was that it was very approachable and understandable compared to many other Mahayana Buddhist texts. There is no abstruse philosophy that goes on for hundreds of pages, nor is there some sort of esoteric meaning that must be mined out by trained monastics. It is simply a narrative of all the Mahayana cosmogony gathering to hear Shakyamuni Buddha preach the most powerful and perfect teaching in Buddhism, namely itself, the Sutra of the Wonderful Law of the Lotus. It is constructed of prose and verse parts, and the verse parts are designed to be mnemonically easy to remember for chanting. The message is simple: accept and revere this wonderful teaching, and you too, no matter who you are, will become a Buddha yourself. Pretty easy, right? No need for arduous meditation or assiduous practices, just *bam*, you're a Buddha. While easy for lay Buddhists of the time to accept and venerate, the Lotus Sutra is not completely exoteric, there is enough of an esoteric message of deeper Buddhist thought wrapped around the ideas of nondualism that are far too hard to explain for a simple book review.
The another reason why it was so popular was because it is a very evocative text in regards to the senses, which is something of a rarity in Buddhist religious writing. In and of itself, it sounds good when being chanted and was easily chantable. The imagery is lush and lends itself well to iconography. All in all it had a pretty major impact, yet today, while its influence has left its fingerprints all over East Asia, it's not really read much today. Yes, parts of it are still chanted daily, but it's pretty much incomprehensible in any modern language. Even in the Nichiren sect, I was rather surprised that I met no one who read the Sutra. In fact, several of them said it wasn't really necessary, as chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" (All hail the Wonderful Law of the Lotus) and offering up obeisance was all that was needed to gain the benefits of belief. In general, though, the canonical texts of Dharmic religions are nowhere near as central as in Abrahamic religions to believers.
Now past the thumbnail background where I show off my experience and learning gained by my utterly useless degree in Japanese Religion, what about the text itself? Well, to be completely honest, this is the first time I've read Watson's translation cover to cover. While SGI helped fund the translation, its scholarly and non-partisan, so one will see it in graduate seminars. As a read itself, it's honestly kind of boring due to the highly repetitive nature of the text. The prose often recapitulates what the verse sections say, and there's only so many times one can read about how many umpty million sentient beings in the ten directions gained true enlightenment due to hearing the Lotus Sutra being preached, or how so and so will be reborn in a perfect land and preach the sutra non-stop for umpty-million years. There are some parables that are pretty interesting, and very important, like the Buddhist version of the Prodigal Son story, and granted, it's kind of entertaining to see the various names and titles translated out like "Endowed with a Thousand Ten Thousand Glowing Marks Buddha", or my personal favorite, the gigantic floating memorial palace that materializes everywhere the Lotus Sutra is preached the speaks with the voice of the "Many Treasures Buddha" and begins every speech with "Excellent, excellent!"
So, how does one rate the Lotus Sutra? Well, considering that the text itself says all those who don't revere it will be born again with boils and bad breath (yes, bad breath is one of the repeated curses) in some nasty hell, I'm maybe a little hesitant to put a rating on it. As text that will help you understand much of the arts and literature of medieval to modern China and Japan, it's a five star read. As a work of scholarly translation I'd rate it a 4.5 out of 5 (the translation is very bare bones on historical and cultural context past the inception and dissemination, though it does point to other resources in that direction). As a text itself, I'd say about 2.5 stars, for and overall score of 4 stars.
The Lotus Sutra is one of the most prominent texts in East Asian Buddhism, and it's vivid imagery and ideas have had a strong influence on the artistic and social culture of China, Japan and Korea. That said, it's not very well known in the West outside of scholars of religion, and not surprisingly so, as its faith-based, salvationist and somewhat exclusionary message doesn't jibe too well with Western conceptions of a tolerant and rationalistic faith. There is quite a bit of irony in that, as the idea of the Lotus Sutra (as opposed to the Sutra itself, but more on that later), is central to Nichiren Buddhism, a form of uniquely Japanese Buddhism that has spread to the West in the form of Soka Gakkai International, a branch of the largest Buddhist organization in Japan, and probably the single largest group of Western Buddhist converts abroad. Tina Turner and Orlando Bloom are the most prominent converts, but there are many more.
The Lotus Sutra became widely popular for a few reasons. The first was that it was very approachable and understandable compared to many other Mahayana Buddhist texts. There is no abstruse philosophy that goes on for hundreds of pages, nor is there some sort of esoteric meaning that must be mined out by trained monastics. It is simply a narrative of all the Mahayana cosmogony gathering to hear Shakyamuni Buddha preach the most powerful and perfect teaching in Buddhism, namely itself, the Sutra of the Wonderful Law of the Lotus. It is constructed of prose and verse parts, and the verse parts are designed to be mnemonically easy to remember for chanting. The message is simple: accept and revere this wonderful teaching, and you too, no matter who you are, will become a Buddha yourself. Pretty easy, right? No need for arduous meditation or assiduous practices, just *bam*, you're a Buddha. While easy for lay Buddhists of the time to accept and venerate, the Lotus Sutra is not completely exoteric, there is enough of an esoteric message of deeper Buddhist thought wrapped around the ideas of nondualism that are far too hard to explain for a simple book review.
The another reason why it was so popular was because it is a very evocative text in regards to the senses, which is something of a rarity in Buddhist religious writing. In and of itself, it sounds good when being chanted and was easily chantable. The imagery is lush and lends itself well to iconography. All in all it had a pretty major impact, yet today, while its influence has left its fingerprints all over East Asia, it's not really read much today. Yes, parts of it are still chanted daily, but it's pretty much incomprehensible in any modern language. Even in the Nichiren sect, I was rather surprised that I met no one who read the Sutra. In fact, several of them said it wasn't really necessary, as chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" (All hail the Wonderful Law of the Lotus) and offering up obeisance was all that was needed to gain the benefits of belief. In general, though, the canonical texts of Dharmic religions are nowhere near as central as in Abrahamic religions to believers.
Now past the thumbnail background where I show off my experience and learning gained by my utterly useless degree in Japanese Religion, what about the text itself? Well, to be completely honest, this is the first time I've read Watson's translation cover to cover. While SGI helped fund the translation, its scholarly and non-partisan, so one will see it in graduate seminars. As a read itself, it's honestly kind of boring due to the highly repetitive nature of the text. The prose often recapitulates what the verse sections say, and there's only so many times one can read about how many umpty million sentient beings in the ten directions gained true enlightenment due to hearing the Lotus Sutra being preached, or how so and so will be reborn in a perfect land and preach the sutra non-stop for umpty-million years. There are some parables that are pretty interesting, and very important, like the Buddhist version of the Prodigal Son story, and granted, it's kind of entertaining to see the various names and titles translated out like "Endowed with a Thousand Ten Thousand Glowing Marks Buddha", or my personal favorite, the gigantic floating memorial palace that materializes everywhere the Lotus Sutra is preached the speaks with the voice of the "Many Treasures Buddha" and begins every speech with "Excellent, excellent!"
So, how does one rate the Lotus Sutra? Well, considering that the text itself says all those who don't revere it will be born again with boils and bad breath (yes, bad breath is one of the repeated curses) in some nasty hell, I'm maybe a little hesitant to put a rating on it. As text that will help you understand much of the arts and literature of medieval to modern China and Japan, it's a five star read. As a work of scholarly translation I'd rate it a 4.5 out of 5 (the translation is very bare bones on historical and cultural context past the inception and dissemination, though it does point to other resources in that direction). As a text itself, I'd say about 2.5 stars, for and overall score of 4 stars.
January 14, 2025
This was another Buddhist sutra about obtaining self-actualization. This book was a narrative about the sutra and the author layered stanzas from the sutra throughout the book. This book was good but I enjoyed reading and prefer the Red Pine sutra commentary and translations. I recommend the Red Pine series but this is a good addition to anyone's library. Thanks!
December 2, 2023
I read the Nichiren Translation online.
One of the ultimate troll wisdom texts. As many have pointed out, it reads like a grand preface to something that will never come, but, in fact, the preface is itself the text. Furthermore, the text begins with Buddha explaining how he'll plainly lie and tell elaborate fantasies to get people to believe in the One Vehicle by catering to their own subjective perception, and then the rest of the Sutra proceeds to get even more insane by the second, kind of like a Superhero comic or an Anime. Read from a certain perspective, this might make the Lotus Sutra one of the first works of metafiction out there.
Simply put, it's brilliant. Although the Sutra itself can get draggy at times, its pure brilliance. You have no idea whether the text is ironic or not. You have no idea whether the hyperbole should be taken seriously or not. It's laden with esoteric meaning and countless Zen monks or other esoteric Buddhists have used the text as their own vehicle. This makes it the ultimate meme.
One of my personal interpretations is that the text is a metacommentary on the act of telling stories, and language itself. Language was created to communicate ideas between people, but language itself cannot fully convey all of the intentions within a person. Still, people learnt to tailor language into something higher: as a vessel for fiction, stories, tales, and Literature; the ability to tell a truth with greater meaning by creating a lie. The Lotus Sutra is all about that lack of distinction between fantasy and reality and, how, because of that lack of distinction, we can enjoy the fluidity of reality and find fun in it. Everyone can be Buddha, and the Buddha is everywhere, because we all have the ability to create our own stories. Even the child that builds a castle in the sand is creating his own story.
Don't you think, then, that it's completely fitting to have a book that takes joy in being a preface to a text that doesn't exist? But the text does exist. The text is your own narrative or story, and your own ability to tell stories, and to extol the Lotus Sutra is to extol humanity's capacity for imagination and grandeur of vision. This is why the text itself was considered to be the 'Hardest Sutra' among all sutras by Nichiren. It seems to point to something that is there, but also not quite there.
One of the ultimate troll wisdom texts. As many have pointed out, it reads like a grand preface to something that will never come, but, in fact, the preface is itself the text. Furthermore, the text begins with Buddha explaining how he'll plainly lie and tell elaborate fantasies to get people to believe in the One Vehicle by catering to their own subjective perception, and then the rest of the Sutra proceeds to get even more insane by the second, kind of like a Superhero comic or an Anime. Read from a certain perspective, this might make the Lotus Sutra one of the first works of metafiction out there.
Simply put, it's brilliant. Although the Sutra itself can get draggy at times, its pure brilliance. You have no idea whether the text is ironic or not. You have no idea whether the hyperbole should be taken seriously or not. It's laden with esoteric meaning and countless Zen monks or other esoteric Buddhists have used the text as their own vehicle. This makes it the ultimate meme.
One of my personal interpretations is that the text is a metacommentary on the act of telling stories, and language itself. Language was created to communicate ideas between people, but language itself cannot fully convey all of the intentions within a person. Still, people learnt to tailor language into something higher: as a vessel for fiction, stories, tales, and Literature; the ability to tell a truth with greater meaning by creating a lie. The Lotus Sutra is all about that lack of distinction between fantasy and reality and, how, because of that lack of distinction, we can enjoy the fluidity of reality and find fun in it. Everyone can be Buddha, and the Buddha is everywhere, because we all have the ability to create our own stories. Even the child that builds a castle in the sand is creating his own story.
Don't you think, then, that it's completely fitting to have a book that takes joy in being a preface to a text that doesn't exist? But the text does exist. The text is your own narrative or story, and your own ability to tell stories, and to extol the Lotus Sutra is to extol humanity's capacity for imagination and grandeur of vision. This is why the text itself was considered to be the 'Hardest Sutra' among all sutras by Nichiren. It seems to point to something that is there, but also not quite there.
April 7, 2015
So, one does not rate the Lotus Sutra. It's the Lotus Sutra. What's being evaluated here is the translation and presentation of the work.
Overall, Burton Watson's translation is a good, non-offensive go-to edition pretty easily found in print. It's also non-scholar friendly, making it a good choice for more casual studiers of Buddhism.
Overall, Burton Watson's translation is a good, non-offensive go-to edition pretty easily found in print. It's also non-scholar friendly, making it a good choice for more casual studiers of Buddhism.
February 20, 2015
More then half the book is about, reading the book. It goes into great lengths about how easily you can obtain Buddhahood by reading the book, and about how, despite the infinite love and compassion, how you will suffering near endless torture for maligning the book.
The whole thing stinks of the trope: "How to write a book and make a millions dollars" book. The point of the book is simply the act of reading the book where the main message is to get other people to read this book. It barely has any content, the half dozen parables and opening "One Vehicle" message can be put into just a few pages. So, instead of getting a million dollars (or, in the sutra, a hundred, ten-thousand, million sands of the Ganges tael of gold) you attain buddahood - it's the same principle as the trope though.
I fully understand it's a religious book, it's nigh endless repetitions are supposed to assist memory and meditation. Since it's religious you need a push and a pull - thus the glory of acting and the horrible consequences of maligning. It's pretty much unreadable. If I weren't reading this for my own studies in Classic Japanese literature, which make constant reference to this Sutra, I doubt I would have subjected myself to reading through it.
The whole thing stinks of the trope: "How to write a book and make a millions dollars" book. The point of the book is simply the act of reading the book where the main message is to get other people to read this book. It barely has any content, the half dozen parables and opening "One Vehicle" message can be put into just a few pages. So, instead of getting a million dollars (or, in the sutra, a hundred, ten-thousand, million sands of the Ganges tael of gold) you attain buddahood - it's the same principle as the trope though.
I fully understand it's a religious book, it's nigh endless repetitions are supposed to assist memory and meditation. Since it's religious you need a push and a pull - thus the glory of acting and the horrible consequences of maligning. It's pretty much unreadable. If I weren't reading this for my own studies in Classic Japanese literature, which make constant reference to this Sutra, I doubt I would have subjected myself to reading through it.
April 19, 2009
This is a awakening teaching. Allegorical in it's telling, it explains the true nature of humanity -- of the ultimate equality of us all in our infinite potential. Perhaps the first true self-empowerment teaching (but oh! so much more!), it is also the foundation for Nichiren Buddhism, an incredibly powerful, practical method of faith, practice, and study for achieving absolute happiness and wisdom and living your life to its fullest potential. Best read and discussed with a friend who knows...
February 13, 2011
The basis of my faith. Commentary to follow once I've compared to the new edition out last year.
July 17, 2019
The Lotus Sutra is considered by all philosophers as a crucial piece in understanding Buddhist philosophy and its unique and almost poetic structure is beautifully translated by Watson in a distinct way that it can be easily understood yet still greatly appreciated by both beginners and adept readers in Mahayana Buddhist texts. If you're looking for somewhere to start then Watson's translation of The Lotus Sutra is a definite good first step.
January 23, 2024
definitely more of a 2.5 but it’s not comparable at all to the kind of books I usually read
having finished this, I understand I’m supposed to teach it, share it, hear it, etc. but, I am lost on the exact *what* I’m supposed to be sharing, other that the Lotus Sutra is the highest of all Sutras and this must be expounded. all in all, expedient means baby 😎
having finished this, I understand I’m supposed to teach it, share it, hear it, etc. but, I am lost on the exact *what* I’m supposed to be sharing, other that the Lotus Sutra is the highest of all Sutras and this must be expounded. all in all, expedient means baby 😎
Want to read
September 10, 2009Quoting another's review "...Three of the Buddha's greatest sermons, May 28, 2000
By Joseph H Pierre "Joe Pierre" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
The word 'Sutra,' literally means 'thread' or 'string.' The scriptures containing the teachings of the Buddha. Most of the major Sutras were originally written in Pali or Sanscrit, although some were written in Tibetan or Chinese. They are among the world's oldest literature.
These Sutras are called The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings; The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law; and The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue. Ananda, a cousin of Sakyamuni and one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, famous for his excellent memory, is supposed to have memorized the Buddha's sermons, which were later recorded as Sutras.
The word bodhi, used in Bodhisattva, means 'wisdom,', or enlightenment, and pertains to buddhahood. Boddhisattva, then, refers to a living being in the final stages of achieving buddhahood, or becoming one who is enlightened.
These are among the most important of the Sutras. At their heart are three major concepts of Mahayana (the great path) Buddhism: First, all sentient beings may attain perfect enlightenment, the main goal of Buddhism; Second, the Buddha is eternal, having existed throughout the infinite past and appearing in many forms throughout the ages, guiding and teaching the law; and Third, the noblest form of Buddhist practice is the way of the Boddhisattva, who devotes himself to enlightenment.
The Threefold Sutra records three of the sermons preached by the Buddha best-known to us (Siddhartha, a prince of Gautama, of the Sakyamuni clan--sometimes referred to simply as Sakyamuni) to a host of boddhisattvas, consisting of the "Opening Sutra," the "Meditation on the Boddhisattva Universal Virtue Sutra," and finally the "Lotis Sutra."
For the serious student of Buddhism, this is a most desirable book."
Joseph Pierre, Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity
By Joseph H Pierre "Joe Pierre" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
The word 'Sutra,' literally means 'thread' or 'string.' The scriptures containing the teachings of the Buddha. Most of the major Sutras were originally written in Pali or Sanscrit, although some were written in Tibetan or Chinese. They are among the world's oldest literature.
These Sutras are called The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings; The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law; and The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue. Ananda, a cousin of Sakyamuni and one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, famous for his excellent memory, is supposed to have memorized the Buddha's sermons, which were later recorded as Sutras.
The word bodhi, used in Bodhisattva, means 'wisdom,', or enlightenment, and pertains to buddhahood. Boddhisattva, then, refers to a living being in the final stages of achieving buddhahood, or becoming one who is enlightened.
These are among the most important of the Sutras. At their heart are three major concepts of Mahayana (the great path) Buddhism: First, all sentient beings may attain perfect enlightenment, the main goal of Buddhism; Second, the Buddha is eternal, having existed throughout the infinite past and appearing in many forms throughout the ages, guiding and teaching the law; and Third, the noblest form of Buddhist practice is the way of the Boddhisattva, who devotes himself to enlightenment.
The Threefold Sutra records three of the sermons preached by the Buddha best-known to us (Siddhartha, a prince of Gautama, of the Sakyamuni clan--sometimes referred to simply as Sakyamuni) to a host of boddhisattvas, consisting of the "Opening Sutra," the "Meditation on the Boddhisattva Universal Virtue Sutra," and finally the "Lotis Sutra."
For the serious student of Buddhism, this is a most desirable book."
Joseph Pierre, Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity
May 12, 2011
This is far and away the best version of any English translation. It alone has footnotes that reveal extremely important information and clarifications you will not find in any other source. It also has the unpolluted version of the Dragon Princess chapter.
If you are going to read the sutra in English, you should read THIS version first.
If you are going to read the sutra in English, you should read THIS version first.
March 2, 2009
Watson's translation is clear and convincing, as usual. The Lotus Sutra is a collection of mostly devotional sermons, and Watson renders the poetry beautifully. This probably isn't the best place to pick up the basics of Mahayana Buddhism, but culturally it's important.
March 25, 2007
I read this in hardcover, but didn't find it in the list. It's good but very old-school in language so it takes effort to read it.
May 13, 2007
Excellent notes, excellent translation.
October 11, 2014
I read this at http://lotus.nichirenshu.org/nav/lotu... . It is quite an interesting and entertaining sutra.
June 25, 2008
only read about half of this
July 30, 2009
A good translation of this ancient text.
July 2, 2010
This is the Buddha's mind in print! I have continuosly read this book. I have read this book 9 times and I am working on my 10th. Wonderful..
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
April 9, 2013
Read in Chinese.
August 22, 2013
Excellent and beautiful translation
August 31, 2014
Awesome translation! The first Lotus Sutra that I read 10 years ago. :)
August 25, 2017
It's the Lotus Sutra - what else can be said?
November 17, 2017
Love to re-read all the classics, which never fail to teach you something new everytime you read it again. <3
March 8, 2019
It is a book that supplies a redemptive quality just in the act of reading. Thus reading it supplies bountiful good karma. It is one of the ways we can improve our life and next birth.
April 10, 2023
This book is an excellent example of a text that is interesting as a historical document, but not as literature. To put the matter more bluntly, The Lotus Sutra has much to teach but is not very fun to read.
Having recently finished The Platform Sutra, I was struck by how different these two Buddhist scriptures are. The former is dense with doctrine and often quite deeply philosophical, whereas this text is full of revelations, miracle stories, and parables. And whereas The Platform Sutra accords pretty well with the Western conception of Buddhism as a secular, humanistic philosophy, The Lotus Sutra is frankly and powerfully religious.
This is not a world of quietly meditating monks, but of divine beings, hungry ghosts, endless eons of time, and extravagant promises of salvation. Indeed, the many layers of heaven and hell—the rewards and punishments doled out by Karma—reminded me very much of Dante’s cosmos (though here, neither state is permanent). Believers are promised to enjoy excellent senses of hearing and smell in their next lives, as well as good health and handsome noses; whereas nonbelievers will have crooked noses, bad skin, and halitosis. In short, no New York City atheist could really get behind the message of The Lotus Sutra.
One of the book’s most curious features is its meta-commentary. It is a story of itself—ceaselessly telling us how many sentient beings were saved by hearing its message. And yet, the book does not appear to have much of a message other than to inform us that it is very important. But I do think that The Lotus Sutra contains at least a few important doctrinal innovations.
Quite significant, for example, is the idea of “skillful means.” This is the notion that a Buddhist teacher may use any strategy to enlighten his pupils, even if that involves telling a lie. Closely related to this is the idea of the “one vehicle,” which holds that every strategy—meditating, memorizing sutras, repeating mantras, donating to monasteries, preaching sermons—are all merely aspects of one great effort to enlighten the world. This may sound harmless enough, but the implication is that the previous preachings of the Buddha were merely a half-truth, tailored to the low capacities of his first followers.
For example, the original doctrine held that the Buddha died and achieved enlightenment; that he was the first discoverer of the way; that there is only one Buddha; and that the path to enlightenment is to be attained only by those who diligently follow the path the Buddha laid for them. But The Lotus Sutra informs us that the Buddha never died; that there have been innumerable Buddhas; and that virtually everyone can become enlightened.
In other words, this sutra turns Buddhism into a kind of universalist religion, wherein merely repeating one line of a sutra or thinking one pious thought is enough to guarantee ultimate salvation. It reminds me very much of the transformation of the original Christian message (love your neighbor, abhor wealth, forgive your enemies) into the medieval Catholic church, wherein absolution could be bought and sins confessed away. In this case, Siddhartha Gautama’s demanding eightfold path is turned into an all-embracing highway, wherein anyone can drive straight to Buddhahood with a bit of goodwill.
This new, welcoming doctrine is not exactly so keen on women, however. The perfect future state of universal enlightenment is pictured as a world without women. And the one woman in the text who achieves Buddhahood—the daughter of the dragon king, Longnü—turns into a man the instant she does so. To be fair, Buddhism is hardly the only major religion with a misogynist streak; and I supposed it may have even been “enlightened” at the time to allow the possibility that a woman may transform into a man.
Thus, despite the text being rather repetitive and mystical, I would recommend it to anyone hoping to learn more about Buddhism. If you like it, you may have secured your future Buddhahood—though, I fear I may have attracted some grave karmic consequences with my review. If you meet a snake with very bad breath in the future, you know what happened.
Having recently finished The Platform Sutra, I was struck by how different these two Buddhist scriptures are. The former is dense with doctrine and often quite deeply philosophical, whereas this text is full of revelations, miracle stories, and parables. And whereas The Platform Sutra accords pretty well with the Western conception of Buddhism as a secular, humanistic philosophy, The Lotus Sutra is frankly and powerfully religious.
This is not a world of quietly meditating monks, but of divine beings, hungry ghosts, endless eons of time, and extravagant promises of salvation. Indeed, the many layers of heaven and hell—the rewards and punishments doled out by Karma—reminded me very much of Dante’s cosmos (though here, neither state is permanent). Believers are promised to enjoy excellent senses of hearing and smell in their next lives, as well as good health and handsome noses; whereas nonbelievers will have crooked noses, bad skin, and halitosis. In short, no New York City atheist could really get behind the message of The Lotus Sutra.
One of the book’s most curious features is its meta-commentary. It is a story of itself—ceaselessly telling us how many sentient beings were saved by hearing its message. And yet, the book does not appear to have much of a message other than to inform us that it is very important. But I do think that The Lotus Sutra contains at least a few important doctrinal innovations.
Quite significant, for example, is the idea of “skillful means.” This is the notion that a Buddhist teacher may use any strategy to enlighten his pupils, even if that involves telling a lie. Closely related to this is the idea of the “one vehicle,” which holds that every strategy—meditating, memorizing sutras, repeating mantras, donating to monasteries, preaching sermons—are all merely aspects of one great effort to enlighten the world. This may sound harmless enough, but the implication is that the previous preachings of the Buddha were merely a half-truth, tailored to the low capacities of his first followers.
For example, the original doctrine held that the Buddha died and achieved enlightenment; that he was the first discoverer of the way; that there is only one Buddha; and that the path to enlightenment is to be attained only by those who diligently follow the path the Buddha laid for them. But The Lotus Sutra informs us that the Buddha never died; that there have been innumerable Buddhas; and that virtually everyone can become enlightened.
In other words, this sutra turns Buddhism into a kind of universalist religion, wherein merely repeating one line of a sutra or thinking one pious thought is enough to guarantee ultimate salvation. It reminds me very much of the transformation of the original Christian message (love your neighbor, abhor wealth, forgive your enemies) into the medieval Catholic church, wherein absolution could be bought and sins confessed away. In this case, Siddhartha Gautama’s demanding eightfold path is turned into an all-embracing highway, wherein anyone can drive straight to Buddhahood with a bit of goodwill.
This new, welcoming doctrine is not exactly so keen on women, however. The perfect future state of universal enlightenment is pictured as a world without women. And the one woman in the text who achieves Buddhahood—the daughter of the dragon king, Longnü—turns into a man the instant she does so. To be fair, Buddhism is hardly the only major religion with a misogynist streak; and I supposed it may have even been “enlightened” at the time to allow the possibility that a woman may transform into a man.
Thus, despite the text being rather repetitive and mystical, I would recommend it to anyone hoping to learn more about Buddhism. If you like it, you may have secured your future Buddhahood—though, I fear I may have attracted some grave karmic consequences with my review. If you meet a snake with very bad breath in the future, you know what happened.
September 16, 2025
#Binge Reviewing my previous Reads # Buddhism, Foundational Texts & Scriptures
Reading The Lotus Sutra in Burton Watson’s lucid translation feels like stepping into a world where myth, poetry, and philosophy merge into a dazzling cosmic drama. Unlike the austere tone of the Pali Nikāyas, the Lotus Sutra explodes with parables, miraculous happenings, and visionary imagery.
It is not so much a record of what the historical Buddha said as it is a bold Mahāyāna reinterpretation of what the Buddha means. In Mahāyāna Buddhism this text is central—revered across East Asia in China, Korea, and Japan, particularly by schools like Tendai and Nichiren—because it presents the Buddha not simply as a sage who attained enlightenment and taught others but as an eternal, cosmic being whose skillful means (upāya) are infinite.
Burton Watson’s translation is widely loved because he gives English readers a sense of that grandeur without either flattening the imagery or cluttering it with academic apparatus. His prose is clean, flowing, and dignified, balancing readability with the sutra’s inherent ritual cadence. This matters because the Lotus Sutra is as much performed as it is read; its rhythm, repetition, and imagery are designed to be recited, memorized, and absorbed. Watson retains that sense of ceremony while keeping it accessible for a modern audience.
The heart of the text is its audacious claim of a single vehicle (ekayāna): that all paths, all teachings, ultimately lead to Buddhahood and that the Buddha only offers provisional teachings suited to the capacities of beings at different stages. This is dramatized in parables—the burning house, the phantom city, the jewel in the robe—that show how the Buddha’s earlier teachings were “skillful means” to guide beings toward the ultimate truth. The sutra thus reframes Buddhism as a universal, boundless path rather than a set of separate vehicles. In doing so, it also elevates the ideal of the bodhisattva, who vows to remain in the world to liberate others, over the solitary ideal of the arhat.
For a reader steeped in the suttas of early Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra can feel like a shift from philosophy to epic poetry. The Buddha here is cosmic and timeless, surrounded by bodhisattvas emerging from beneath the earth, speaking in vast assemblies of devas and nāgas. The text offers a vision of Buddhism not as a renunciant’s discipline but as a great cosmic drama of compassion and liberation. This may seem mythological, but the emotional effect is powerful: it expands one’s imagination of what awakening could mean.
Watson’s translation also highlights the sutra’s gentler but radical insistence on inclusivity. Women, ordinary laypeople, and even those who have committed grave misdeeds are promised eventual Buddhahood. The bodhisattva ideal becomes not just a spiritual elite but a model for anyone who commits to compassion. In its East Asian reception, this has inspired centuries of art, ritual, and social activism, from medieval Japan to modern Nichiren communities.
Comparing it with other Buddhist scriptures you have read, such as the Dhammapada or Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translations of the Nikāyas, the Lotus Sutra feels less like a handbook of doctrine and more like a cosmic revelation. It is not for quick reference; it is for being steeped in, recited, and allowed to reshape one’s sense of the Dharma. As a foundational Mahāyāna text, it is also a fascinating window into how Buddhism evolved as it moved across cultures—taking on new imagery, new metaphors, and a new emphasis on universal salvation.
Ultimately, Watson’s Lotus Sutra is both accessible enough for a newcomer and rich enough for lifelong study. It will not give you the historical Buddha’s voice; instead, it gives you the mythic Buddha, the archetype of awakening as infinite compassion. And that can be just as transformative.
Reading The Lotus Sutra in Burton Watson’s lucid translation feels like stepping into a world where myth, poetry, and philosophy merge into a dazzling cosmic drama. Unlike the austere tone of the Pali Nikāyas, the Lotus Sutra explodes with parables, miraculous happenings, and visionary imagery.
It is not so much a record of what the historical Buddha said as it is a bold Mahāyāna reinterpretation of what the Buddha means. In Mahāyāna Buddhism this text is central—revered across East Asia in China, Korea, and Japan, particularly by schools like Tendai and Nichiren—because it presents the Buddha not simply as a sage who attained enlightenment and taught others but as an eternal, cosmic being whose skillful means (upāya) are infinite.
Burton Watson’s translation is widely loved because he gives English readers a sense of that grandeur without either flattening the imagery or cluttering it with academic apparatus. His prose is clean, flowing, and dignified, balancing readability with the sutra’s inherent ritual cadence. This matters because the Lotus Sutra is as much performed as it is read; its rhythm, repetition, and imagery are designed to be recited, memorized, and absorbed. Watson retains that sense of ceremony while keeping it accessible for a modern audience.
The heart of the text is its audacious claim of a single vehicle (ekayāna): that all paths, all teachings, ultimately lead to Buddhahood and that the Buddha only offers provisional teachings suited to the capacities of beings at different stages. This is dramatized in parables—the burning house, the phantom city, the jewel in the robe—that show how the Buddha’s earlier teachings were “skillful means” to guide beings toward the ultimate truth. The sutra thus reframes Buddhism as a universal, boundless path rather than a set of separate vehicles. In doing so, it also elevates the ideal of the bodhisattva, who vows to remain in the world to liberate others, over the solitary ideal of the arhat.
For a reader steeped in the suttas of early Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra can feel like a shift from philosophy to epic poetry. The Buddha here is cosmic and timeless, surrounded by bodhisattvas emerging from beneath the earth, speaking in vast assemblies of devas and nāgas. The text offers a vision of Buddhism not as a renunciant’s discipline but as a great cosmic drama of compassion and liberation. This may seem mythological, but the emotional effect is powerful: it expands one’s imagination of what awakening could mean.
Watson’s translation also highlights the sutra’s gentler but radical insistence on inclusivity. Women, ordinary laypeople, and even those who have committed grave misdeeds are promised eventual Buddhahood. The bodhisattva ideal becomes not just a spiritual elite but a model for anyone who commits to compassion. In its East Asian reception, this has inspired centuries of art, ritual, and social activism, from medieval Japan to modern Nichiren communities.
Comparing it with other Buddhist scriptures you have read, such as the Dhammapada or Bhikkhu Bodhi’s translations of the Nikāyas, the Lotus Sutra feels less like a handbook of doctrine and more like a cosmic revelation. It is not for quick reference; it is for being steeped in, recited, and allowed to reshape one’s sense of the Dharma. As a foundational Mahāyāna text, it is also a fascinating window into how Buddhism evolved as it moved across cultures—taking on new imagery, new metaphors, and a new emphasis on universal salvation.
Ultimately, Watson’s Lotus Sutra is both accessible enough for a newcomer and rich enough for lifelong study. It will not give you the historical Buddha’s voice; instead, it gives you the mythic Buddha, the archetype of awakening as infinite compassion. And that can be just as transformative.
February 14, 2024
Da non buddhista, ritengo che per capire questo sutra sia necessario valutarne l'impatto storico, considerando che i contenuti dottrinali, nel complesso, sono pochi, semplici ed esposti nel corso delle prime stanze, e potrebbero essere riassunti in:
1) Non esistono diversi "veicoli" (vie) per raggiungere l'illuminazione - diversamente da quanto avveniva fino a quel tempo, in cui un monaco poteva intraperndere un percorso all'interno del monastero come uditore del canone, asceta o boddhisatva - ma una sola e unica via, secondo il sutra considerata "grande", vale a dire quella del boddhisattva: colui che rinuncia al nirvana in questa vita per condurre più persone possibili al risveglio attraverso le sue opere di compassione, carità, etc... Il boddhisatva, qui, acquista quindi importanza centrale.
2) Non solo i monaci, ma tutti, compresi i laici, dal pio al criminale - si afferma - hanno in sé il seme della buddhità e un giorno si risveglieranno. Tutti sono destinati a diventare dei Buddha. Il risveglio quindi non è più un'esclusiva dei monaci e il Buddha non è più solo Gautama. Anzi, possono persino coesistere più Buddha contemporaneamente. Buddha libera tutti.
3) Questo è il sutra più bello e va venerato, come vanno venerati coloro che lo diffondono. Illuminazione, bellezza e fortuna a chiunque lo reciti, anche solo un pezzettino, anche solo distrammente. Guai a non finire, bruttezza, puzza e malattie saranno invece il destino della prossima vita per chi invece lo critica. È peggio insultare questo sutra che insultare il Buddha, si dice.
Il restante 98% del testo è una fantasmagoria narrativa, barocca nell'immaginario e nel linguaggio, che si presenta come un caleidoscopio di viaggi in mondi fantastici, poteri magici, piogge di fiori, gioielli, palazzi voltanti, creature mitiche e tanti risvegli "quanti sono i granelli di sabbia del Gange", direbbe il sutra, che sembra non finire mai.
La ricchezza immaginifica del Sutra del Loto è al tempo stesso la sua bellezza e il suo tallone d'achille in quanto spesso la sua roboante ridondanza finisce con l'appesantirne la lettura per quanto, come evidenziato anche dall'ottima introduzione, in fondo non faccia che rispecchiare il gusto poetico dell'epoca.
Al tempo stesso, la forma in cui è espresso si rileva particolarmente efficace per una lettura meditativa il che, suppongo, non sia del tutto casuale.
1) Non esistono diversi "veicoli" (vie) per raggiungere l'illuminazione - diversamente da quanto avveniva fino a quel tempo, in cui un monaco poteva intraperndere un percorso all'interno del monastero come uditore del canone, asceta o boddhisatva - ma una sola e unica via, secondo il sutra considerata "grande", vale a dire quella del boddhisattva: colui che rinuncia al nirvana in questa vita per condurre più persone possibili al risveglio attraverso le sue opere di compassione, carità, etc... Il boddhisatva, qui, acquista quindi importanza centrale.
2) Non solo i monaci, ma tutti, compresi i laici, dal pio al criminale - si afferma - hanno in sé il seme della buddhità e un giorno si risveglieranno. Tutti sono destinati a diventare dei Buddha. Il risveglio quindi non è più un'esclusiva dei monaci e il Buddha non è più solo Gautama. Anzi, possono persino coesistere più Buddha contemporaneamente. Buddha libera tutti.
3) Questo è il sutra più bello e va venerato, come vanno venerati coloro che lo diffondono. Illuminazione, bellezza e fortuna a chiunque lo reciti, anche solo un pezzettino, anche solo distrammente. Guai a non finire, bruttezza, puzza e malattie saranno invece il destino della prossima vita per chi invece lo critica. È peggio insultare questo sutra che insultare il Buddha, si dice.
Il restante 98% del testo è una fantasmagoria narrativa, barocca nell'immaginario e nel linguaggio, che si presenta come un caleidoscopio di viaggi in mondi fantastici, poteri magici, piogge di fiori, gioielli, palazzi voltanti, creature mitiche e tanti risvegli "quanti sono i granelli di sabbia del Gange", direbbe il sutra, che sembra non finire mai.
La ricchezza immaginifica del Sutra del Loto è al tempo stesso la sua bellezza e il suo tallone d'achille in quanto spesso la sua roboante ridondanza finisce con l'appesantirne la lettura per quanto, come evidenziato anche dall'ottima introduzione, in fondo non faccia che rispecchiare il gusto poetico dell'epoca.
Al tempo stesso, la forma in cui è espresso si rileva particolarmente efficace per una lettura meditativa il che, suppongo, non sia del tutto casuale.
July 10, 2024
Not gonna lie.
I didn't enjoy this very much at all.
I read the H. Kern translation from eclassics. I don't know if the translation itself was great (I'll give it the benefit of the doubt), but I do know the text was full of typos to the point of distraction. I mean, lots and lots and lots of errors.
More than that, though, this just didn't do it for me.
I feel weird saying that.
It's the Lotus Sutra.
I've been practicing meditation and such in the Zen tradition for a long, long time.
I know that the Lotus Sutra is one of the VERY BIG and VERY IMPORTANT Buddhist texts and that it's a significant text in Zen. Hell, I've chanted bits and pieces of it at the Zen Center from time to time.
I felt like I should finally actually read the text and so I did, and yeah, it just didn't work for me.
Yes, I get that this was a big deal in suggesting that the "three vehicles" are all on vehicle. That's pretty cool.
I get that, in spite of all the misogyny throughout the text (understandable, it's a couple thousand years old), this was actually fairly progressive in suggesting that women could be Buddhas and such. Neat.
I get that it's not a thing to take literally.
But the non-literal imagery just falls flat for me.
The super big numbers, the face lasers, the raving descriptions of the Buddha's totally cool super awesomeness, the EVERYTHING OVER THE TOP IN ABSOLUTE EXCESS was just irritating for me and flies in the face of everything that I love about the simple, quiet Zen tradition. And to be honest, this whole "deification" of the human Buddha, this suggestion that the Buddha as a person was many thousands of years old and will live on and on, seems to me to undercut the beauty of Buddhism as a grounded, real, human practice.
So I didn't like it.
But I'm glad I read it.
Because, I mean, it's The Lotus Sutra.
But also, man this was an awful read.
I didn't enjoy this very much at all.
I read the H. Kern translation from eclassics. I don't know if the translation itself was great (I'll give it the benefit of the doubt), but I do know the text was full of typos to the point of distraction. I mean, lots and lots and lots of errors.
More than that, though, this just didn't do it for me.
I feel weird saying that.
It's the Lotus Sutra.
I've been practicing meditation and such in the Zen tradition for a long, long time.
I know that the Lotus Sutra is one of the VERY BIG and VERY IMPORTANT Buddhist texts and that it's a significant text in Zen. Hell, I've chanted bits and pieces of it at the Zen Center from time to time.
I felt like I should finally actually read the text and so I did, and yeah, it just didn't work for me.
Yes, I get that this was a big deal in suggesting that the "three vehicles" are all on vehicle. That's pretty cool.
I get that, in spite of all the misogyny throughout the text (understandable, it's a couple thousand years old), this was actually fairly progressive in suggesting that women could be Buddhas and such. Neat.
I get that it's not a thing to take literally.
But the non-literal imagery just falls flat for me.
The super big numbers, the face lasers, the raving descriptions of the Buddha's totally cool super awesomeness, the EVERYTHING OVER THE TOP IN ABSOLUTE EXCESS was just irritating for me and flies in the face of everything that I love about the simple, quiet Zen tradition. And to be honest, this whole "deification" of the human Buddha, this suggestion that the Buddha as a person was many thousands of years old and will live on and on, seems to me to undercut the beauty of Buddhism as a grounded, real, human practice.
So I didn't like it.
But I'm glad I read it.
Because, I mean, it's The Lotus Sutra.
But also, man this was an awful read.
July 15, 2023
I’m torn. Much of the Lotus Sutra is about the benefits of following the Lotus Sutra and how many millions of Bodhisattvas and listeners became enlightened upon hearing it preached. Buddhas come from far and wide to praise Sakyamuni Buddha. Much of the text, while full of imagery, is not truly practical in any way.
But yet there were important parables along the way which are foundational for the development of Mahayana Buddhism along the way. Thus, I can see how it was/is an important text, but at no point does Sakyamuni Buddha say “this is the law” but rather “whoever does the law has X, Y, Z attributes and X, Y, Z outcomes” to which he is endlessly venerated. In this regard, while the law is not truly expounded, one knows how a Bodhisattva lives, and thus it can absolutely be practical.
But yet there were important parables along the way which are foundational for the development of Mahayana Buddhism along the way. Thus, I can see how it was/is an important text, but at no point does Sakyamuni Buddha say “this is the law” but rather “whoever does the law has X, Y, Z attributes and X, Y, Z outcomes” to which he is endlessly venerated. In this regard, while the law is not truly expounded, one knows how a Bodhisattva lives, and thus it can absolutely be practical.
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