The Lotus Sutra: The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma

The Return of Muranos Classic TranslationThe Lotus Sutra is one of the most important sutras in Mahayana Buddhism. It was translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva in 406 under the title: Myohorengekyo (Miao-Fa-Lien-Hua-Ching). The Chinese title means Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. The translation in this volume is based upon Kumarajivas Chinese work. The translator Bishop Senchu Murano was an ordained priest in Nichiren Shu. Murano earned a degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 1938 and served as a teacher of Buddhist studies at Rissho University in Tokyo from 1962 to 1979. Muranos ambitious work on this landmark translation took 20 years to complete. It was originally published in 1974 and was the first full translation of Kumarajivas Chinese work to appear in English. Long out of print Muranos groundbreaking work been faithfully reproduced and enhanced for the digital era. For the first time it is now widely available to a new generation of Buddhist students and scholars.For readers unfamiliar with Buddhist terms and cosmology this edition includes two fully revised glossaries covering more than 1800 entries. The glossaries include descriptions of the life of the Buddha disciples of the Buddha important Sanskrit and English Buddhist terms (as well as important Chinese Buddhist terms as they are used in Japan) and translated proper names given in this translation that effectively serve as a handy Buddhist dictionary.CONTENTSPreface to the First EditionPreface to the Second EditionPreface to the Third EditionIntroductionTranslators NoteChapter I: IntroductoryChapter II: ExpedientsChapter III: A ParableChapter IV: Understanding by FaithChapter V: The Simile of HerbsChapter VI: Assurance of Future BuddhahoodChapter VII: The Parable of a Magic CityChapter VIII: The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred DisciplesChapter IX: The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and of the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to LearnChapter X: The Teacher of the DharmaChapter XI: Beholding the Stūpa of TreasuresChapter XII: DevadattaChapter XIII: Encouragement for Keeping this SūtraChapter XIV: Peaceful PracticesChapter XV: The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from UndergroundChapter XVI: The Duration of the Life of the TathāgataChapter XVII: The Variety of MeritsChapter XVIII: The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This SūtraChapter XIX: The Merits of the Teacher of the DharmaChapter XX: Never-Despising BodhisattvaChapter XXI: The Supernatural Powers of the TathagātaChapter XXII: TransmissionChapter XXIII: The Previous Life of Medicine-King BodhisattvaChapter XXIV: Wonderful-Voice BodhisattvaChapter XXV: The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver BodhisattvaChapter XXVI: DhāraṇīsChapter XXVII: King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a BodhisattvaChapter XXVIII: The Encouragement of Universal-Sage BodhisattvaEnglish/Sanskrit Glossary: Sanskrit Words English Buddhist Terms and Translated Proper Names Given in This TranslationChinese/Japanese Glossary: Important Chinese Buddhist Terms Given in the Lotus SutraIndexBibliography