This is certainly one of the best buddhist books available to the englishspeaking reader. The lotus sutra by burton watson 9780231081610 paperback. Click here for the reluctant messenger host site the sutra of the lotus flower of the wonderful law translated by h. The reluctant messenger explores the unification of science and. Reeves is currently working on a buddhist natural theology which. Lotus sutra project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The work presented here is the second and most popular sutra of the three, as translated by h. This combination of the burton translation of the lotus sutra, and the commentaries of rev.
Its also nonscholar friendly, making it a good choice for more casual studiers of buddhism. If you have a wish to quickly obtain wisdom regarding all species of things, you should embrace this sutra and at the same time give alms to those who do so. I find that the translation by itself is sometimes difficult to read in context, and the. At that time the bodhisattvas and mahasattvas who had emerged from the earth, numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds, all in the presence of the buddha singlemindedly pressed their palms together, gazed up in reverence at the face of the honored one, and said to the buddha. Dec 02, 2008 he is the translator from chinese into english of the lotus sutra. Kumarajivas version of the lotus sutra as the basic text, rather than the taisho edition. Of yore, young men of good family, at a past epoch, incalculable, more than incalculable.
This short text covers more of the buddhas teachings than any other scripture, and it does so without being superficial or hurried. A guide to the threefold lotus sutra rissho koseikai. The sutras of the seven wisdoms the reluctant messenger. The reluctant messenger science religion spirituality.
The reluctant messenger of science and religion book cover buy from amazon. Its message is universal, sublime, and nonsectarian although it is a. Considering the manifold complexities and beauties of the work, this is a stunning achievement. 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. The lotus sutra has been regarded for centuries as one.
The lotus sutra bdk english tripitaka translation series. Well, though many things in our lives do change with changing times, human problems seldom change. The bhagavadgita teaches a doctrine of universal truth. A personal look at buddhism in the modern world by william woollard isbn. But when i open the lotus sutra and reverently peruse it, i see that even the bodhisattvas manjushri, maitreya, perceiver of the worlds sounds, and universal worthy, who had reached the stage of nearperfect enlightenment, were scarcely able to uphold so much as a single phrase or verse of this sutra, because the sutra itself states that it. What if there was a grand theory of everything that included science and the 7 true religions.
Feb 20, 2018 since you mentioned, ive read some chapter titles from wikipedia. It tells us that realizing the emptiness of all things is the key step on this path and that its articulation comes, paradoxically, in the boddhisattva ideal of saving all sentient beings. Essays on the lotus sutra, which he edited, was published in 2002. The diamond sutra is intended as an antidote to suffering, which is achieved through wisdom. Click here for the reluctant messenger host site yoga sutras of patanjali translation by chester messenger samadhi pada i. The sutras are beautifully explained in layman terms with ample annotations.
Once the buddha was staying at the city of royal palaces on mount grdhrakuta with a great assemblage of great bhikkhus, in all twelve thousand. The sutra of the lotus flower of the wonderful law dharma. Its a seminal work in the development of buddhism throughout east asia and, by extension. Such good sons or good daughters should enter the room of the tathagata, put on the robe of the tathagata, sit on the seat of the tathagata, and then teach this sutra everywhere for the four groups. He was over the moon to receive it and is now reading it cover to cover.
Click here for the reluctant messenger host site the diamond sutra the walled city of dunhuang shachou was an outpost on the northwestern frontier, whose importance was due primarily to its location for it was a military base on the silk road connecting china with central asia and the western world. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Watsons translation is authentic and understandable. The lotus sutra is regarded as one of the worlds great religious scriptures and most influential texts. The entire work is called the threefold lotus sutra. The lotus sutra translated by burton watson including rev. The meaning behind each and every word and phrase of the twentyeight chapters of the sutra refers to the hearing of this doctrine as it applies to ones own self, and this is summed up in the words this is what i heard. If one is capable of embracing the lotus sutra of the wonderful law, know that such a person is an envoy of the buddha who thinks wit pity of living. It has had the most profound and widereaching influence of any text in buddhism. Click here for the reluctant messenger host site yoga sutras of patanjali translation by chester messenger vibhuti pada iii. Kern 1884 chapter xxv ancient devotion thereupon the lord addressed the entire assemblage of bodhisattvas. The lotus sutra has been regarded for centuries as one of the most important teachings in mahayana buddhism. He will be born in the presence of the buddhas of the.
The lotus sutra is regarded by many others as a religious classic of great beauty and p. The lotus sutra has essentially defined east asian buddhism with its imagery, devotional passages, and ideas regarding equality between men and women as well as enlightenment for all beings. The wonderful dharma lotus flower sutra narration based on the sutra text published on the website city of ten thousand buddhas this narration is a volun. There would be misery, suffering, sickness and problems like hatred which torment the heart. The reluctant messenger explores the unification of science and religion because science and the major religions are pieces to a puzzle that need each other to form a complete picture. All the twentyeight chapters of the lotus sutra are nam. Back to lotus sutra the sutra of innumerable meanings. The sutra of the lotus flower of the wonderful law translated by h. Miao fa lian hua jing, which was translated from sanskrit into chinese by kumarajiva includes index introduction expedient means simile and parable belief and understanding the parable of the medicinal herbs bestowal of prophecy the parable of the phantom cry prophecy of enlightenment for five hundred disciples prophecies conferred on learners and. Between 1983 and 1996, i experimented with different types of meditation, having already begun transcendental meditation in 1972. Burton watsons felicitous rendition of the lotus sutra captures superbly well the literary essence of the chinese text. Not only is the translation of the lotus sutra clear and excellent, but this version includes two other sutras, the prologue sutra of innumerable meanings and the epilogue universal virtue sutra, which traditionally accompany the lotus sutra in east asian countries but are not easy to find in english. The book of enoch was extant centuries before the birth of christ and yet is considered by many to be more christian in its theology than jewish.
Eastern wisdom, sutras and ancient sacred texts the reluctant. Lotus sutra, lotus of the good law or true doctrine sutra, one of the earlier mahayana buddhist texts venerated as the quintessence of truth by the japanese tendai chinese tientai and nichiren sects. The lord then addressed the eighty thousand bodhisattvas mahasattvas by turning to bhaishagyaraga as their representative. The lotus sutra book by gautama buddha thriftbooks. With very few exceptions the readings in these two editions are almost exactly the same in meaning, and the differences are too slight to have any sig nificant effect on the translation. Mar, 2019 the full text of the the lotus sutra in english is available here and publically accesible free to read online. The buddha told the bhikshus, in the future if a good man or good woman hears the devadatta chapter of the wonderful dharma flower sutra and with a pure mind believes and reveres it, having no doubts, he will not fall into the hells, into the realm of hungry ghosts, or into the animal realm. Whats being evaluated here is the translation and presentation of the work. The lotus sutra by gautama buddha, alex struik, paperback. Buy the lotus sutra translations from the asian classics new ed by watson, burton isbn.
The reluctant messenger of science and religion book cover buy from the reluctant messengers recommended books and cds. The lotus sutra translated by burton watson chapter twentyone. The wisdom of the lotus sutra volume iv section 6 key concepts and discussion questions 3 one day of life is more valuable than all the treasures of the major world system. The lotus sutra translated by hendrik kern,1884 lotus. Shokai kanai, was my idea of making the actual sutra more readable and understandable. 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. Therefore the sutra says that all achieve the buddha way chapter one. Read the lotus sutra a contemporary translation of a buddhist classic by available from rakuten kobo. Overall, burton watsons translation is a good, nonoffensive goto edition pretty easily found in print. When i read dhamma, id prefer to read pure dhamma which reduces defilements and increase insights.
Click here for the reluctant messenger host site eastern wisdom, sutras and ancient sacred texts some of the greatest knowledge about the meaning of life reside in the texts and sutras that make up eastern wisdom. Kern 1884 homage to all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. The lotus sutra translations from the asian classics. Histories, mysteries and prophecies the reluctant messenger. The oldest parts of the text chapters 19 and 17 were probably written down between 100 bc and 100 ad. The lotus sutra not only makes us keenly aware of these facts but also serves as an always dependable guide to the new way of living necessary for us now and in the future. The blessings of the lotus sutra wnd i nichiren buddhism. In it he states that everyoneeven womencan become enlightened in their current lifetime. I guess you could say i stayed in touch just enough to be connected, but not enough to be practicing. An annotated translation and study of nanyue huisis 515577 fabua jing anlexing yi bibliotheca philologica et philosophica buddhica. Unfortunately, the lotus sutra is one of the most challenging buddhist texts to read due to its length, depth, and difficult prose style. Of course, i would always recommend buying the book so you get the latest edition. Consequently, kumarajivas understanding of the sanskrit original is allowed to shine forth in english on its own terms. The lotus sutra of the wonderful dharma, in eight volumes and twentyeight chapters, translated by kumarajiva in 406 ce.
The lotus sutra ebook by 9780861719877 rakuten kobo. Because the lotus sutra is such an important and timely scripture, i have long cherished the hope that all people. These and other books, such as the the gospel of buddha, are presented for the serious. The supplemented lotus sutra of the wonderful dharma, in seven volumes and twentyseven chapters, a revised version of kumarajivas text, translated by jnanagupta and dharmagupta in 601 ce. Lotus sutra buddhist text translation society youtube. I also read many buddhist books on living a spiritual life, the dharma, and meditation. This isnt the best english translation of the lotus sutra, but at least there isnt any footnotes telling you to chant nammyohorengekyo, as that is the essence of a sutra that is over 300 pages long. Once upon a time the lord was staying at ragagriha, on the gridhrakuta mountain, with a numerous assemblage of monks, twelve. Click here or any book on this page 4% of what you buy goes to the reluctant messenger website original christianity. Here, lopez provides what he calls the plot summary of the lotus sutra. This book goes beyond theory to show how to bring these teachings into practice in daily life.
The meaning of the lotus sutra s course of ease and bliss. Yoga sutras of patanjali this is by far the best book on the subject. His most recently published book is the stories of the lotus sutra. A new key to understanding the gospel of thomas and other lost scriptures. The object of intense veneration among generations of buddhists in china, korea, japan, and other parts of the world, it has had a profound impact on the great works of japanese and chinese literature, attracting more commentary than. The lotus sutra is one of the most popular and influential mahayana sutras, and the basis on which several schools of buddhism were established.
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