Lotus Sutra: A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classic

Great for anyone interested in Buddhism.

Very helpful book. I used it alongside a Nichiren Shu guide. This explained a great deal, and was my focus for meditation. If you are interested in Nichiren Buddhism, you will treasure this book.

The Lotus Sutra is one of the world's great religious scriptures and most influential texts. It has been a seminal work in the development of Buddhism throughout East Asia, and by extension in the development of Mahayana Buddhism throughout the world. Taking place in a vast and fantastical cosmic setting, the Lotus Sutra places emphasis on skillfully doing whatever is needed to serve and compassionately care for others, on breaking down sharp distinctions between the ideals of the fully enlightened buddha and the bodhisattva who vows to postpone personal salvation until all beings may share it together, and especially on each and every being's innate capacity to become a buddha. This new translation takes particular care to appeal to readers with little or no familiarity with technical Buddhism vocabulary, and this volume includes the full "threefold" text of this classic [The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma and The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva]. "This translation is immediately the new standard, expressing the Lotus Sutra with accuracy, clarity, and fresh readability. The text's genius and subtle spiritual teachings are skillfully captured for a wide, modern audience." -Taigen Dan Leighton, Loyola University, Chicago. "A highly readable new translation of the great Lotus Sutra, Gene Reeves skillfully renders the complexity of the sacred text from a scholarly standpoint while delivering its flavour for practitioners. An invaluable resource for students in the classroom as well as in the meditation hall." -Mark Unno, University of Oregon. "Dr Reeves uses accessible and attractive language, highlighting the Lotus Sutra's central messages of joy and peace." -Chun-Fang Yu, Columbia University. Another fine edition is The Threefold Lotus Sutra .

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A very good start for a dive into Mahayana Buddhism and seemingly an excellent translation of the iconic original lotus sutra

A beautiful book to use--very attractive art-work. And beautifull translation of the prose and the poetry. Very interesting translator's introduction and articles. My delays in responding dues to holidays and old age !

Well written, great translation. The Lotus Sutra should be on the National Curriculum an amazing book well up there dare I say with the Christian Bible.

It's a great book, that is difficult to read, for obvious reasons. It's a translation, however, if you focus the book is truly amazing!

Gleich vorneweg, ich empfehle drei Lotos Sutra Übersetzungen. Die von Burton Watson, diese hier von Gene Reeves und die deutsche Version von Margareta von Borsig. Wenngleich alle drei wertvoll sind, gibt es Übersetzungsunterschiede, da sie aus dem chinesischen übersetzt wurden und dort, wie in vielen Sprachen, ein und das gleiche Wort unterschiedlich ausgelegt werden kann. Das zweite Kapitel etwa heißt bei Watson "Expedient Means", bei Reeves "Skillful Means", bei Borsig "Geschicklichkeit. Die berühmte Phantom-Stadt aus Kapitel 7 des Sutras heißt bei Watson "Phantom City", bei Reeves "Fantastic Castle-City" und bei Borsig "Zauberstadt". Man sieht, dass den Übersetzungen unterschiedliche Bedeutungen entspringen. Die meisten Kapitel und Begriffe sind von Watson sehr gut übersetzt worden. Reeves ist jedoch zeitgenössicher und es klären sich bei ihm viele Begriffe, da er nicht nur übersetzt, sondern auch viele Begriffe in Sanskrit überprüft und origineller übersetzt. Z.B. nennet er den Buddha "Tathagata", was viel schöner ist, als das von Watson benutzte und etwas sperrige "The Thus Come One". Leider gibt es nicht DIE eine Übersetzung, ich empfehle immer mindestens zwei parallel. Dennoch ist die Version von Gene Reeves unverzichtbar und nach Watson mindestens die zweitbeste Übersetzung, wenn nicht sogar die beste.

A totally boring book but I kept reading it hoping it would get better and by then it was too late to return

Easy language has been used,but many crucial sermons by the Buddha has been missed

Namo Keepers of the Law Flower Sutra. This version is translated in a more modern way compared to older versions that still have Sanskrit words and is still written in old dialect including the way people used to convey vast unimaginable amounts of time. So, it would be easier to understand terms and amounts of time in this version of the Law Flower Sutra. I have read the older style and I had to look up definitions in the back of the book a lot. After 3 times through I started remembering Sanskrit terms. I would recommend reading this version and the older style with Sanskrit words. In the introduction, Reeves mentions the inconstancies or contradictions in the text that apparently possibly Reeves and however many others think are in the Law Flower Sutra or the Dharma in general. (Reeves is most likely talking about meanings being lost in translation) But, (be assured the original teaching is still there enough in English), there are no contradictions in this text or the Dharma. At least not in the Kosei Published version of The Lotus Sutra. I have not read this version through to the end. In fact, a big part of The Law Flower Sutra is to reassure practicing Buddhists (in the lower vehicles) that there are no contradictions in the Buddha’s teachings and that the Buddha speaks only truth. Buddhism is difficult to understand and this Sutra states it is the most difficult Sutra to understand. The Buddha teaches according to the faculties of those wishing to learn. That said, the Buddhas are fully enlightened former sentient beings with supernatural powers that ordinary beings cannot even begin to fully understand. Enlightened beings are not bound by the basic laws of space/time or physics of the natural dualistic conceptual universes. So, if you reach a part in the Sutras that seems to contradict itself remember these two things. The Law Flower Sutra is literally the door to one becoming a bodhisattva-mahasattva in which you strive to reach Prajnaparamita for the sake of all beings not just yourself. I probably should add as well that Reeves writes about what most would think are imaginary beings in this text (in the intro) and how it goes to show that we mix our current modern perceptions in with what is again only truth. There are an infinite amount of worlds out there so how can we say for sure any of the beings mentioned are imaginary. The Sutra says Dragons come up out of the ocean and there are probably thousands of sightings of UFOs coming out of and entering the water seemingly everywhere on Earth. The Sutra mentions demons and black demons in particular. I have recently seen videos of what can only be called black demons on a paranormal TV show called “Paranormal Activity” trying to scare people in various ways. I never saw a video of or even heard of a black demon before I recited The Lotus Sutra then all the sudden I saw like 5 or 6 different recordings of them. There was also a believable video of a reptilian humanoid apparently terrified of humans hanging off the side of a mountain. We humans are the most potentially dangerous species on the planet. The non-human beings mentioned in the Sutra are no more imaginary than you or me and everything else we conceptualize dualistically. The Buddha (once he attained final nirvana under the Bodhi Tree) no longer had what would be considered everyday conversations. He waited to be asked to teach the Law then literally did nothing but that on Earth until his body passed away and he is still teaching the Dharma somewhere and everywhere. He did not speak unless it was truth. The Bodhisattvas look after this Sutra just like it says in the Sutra. The only thing we need to worry about is understanding it incorrectly and not changing it so much it is no longer The Buddha’s teachings. No disrespect to Reeves or anyone. I’m so grateful that Wisdom Publishing and Gene Reeves put this version of this Sutra to print. That is no minor undertaking. Thank you so much. Namo Gene Reeves! Namo Buddha Ya! Namo Dharma Ya! Nama Sangha Ya! May all obtain omniscience!

I loved, and love this book. Not a Lotus Sutra scholar, and can't say I totally understand it, but it is very poetic, and I return time and time again just for the joy of reading something calming and beautiful.