The lotus sutra is one of the central texts of mahayana buddhism, both studied and used as a devotional text in virtually all sects and schools of buddhism throughout east asia. Free of worldly attachments, like the lotus blossom. Watsons felicitous rendition of the lotus sutra captures superbly well the literary essence of the chinese text. Wisdom of the lotus sutra 1 the wisdom of the lotus sutraa discussion on religion in the twentyfirst century this is the first installment of a new series in which sgi president ikeda engages in a discussion on the lotus sutra with soka gakkai study department. Full translation by tsugunari kubo, akira yuyama, two japanese scholars, found here in full. 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. As far as i know there are seven translations of the lotus sutra in english. Full translation from rissho kosei kai, found here a full pdf of the lotus sutra. The lotus sutra is regarded by many others as a religious classic of great beauty and power and one of the most important and most. Reeves is currently working on a buddhist natural theology which attempts to relate the process philosophy of a. This combination of the burton translation of the lotus sutra, and the. Since its appearance in china in the third century, the lotus sutra. The lotus sutra translated by burton watson chapter one. Three translations of a passage from the lotus sutra.
Asian classics by burton watson accessible for download, and furthermore has. 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. In terms of literary style, the lotus sutra illustrates a sense of timelessness and the inconceivable, often using large numbers and measurements of time and space. At that time the worldhonored one addressed bodhisattva medicine king. Overall, burton watsons translation is a good, nonoffensive goto edition pretty easily. It is generally accepted opinion that of the many buddhist sutras, the sutra of the lotus flower of the wonderful law. Welcome,you are looking at books for reading, the the lotus sutra, you will able to read or download in pdf or epub books and notice some of author may have lock the live reading for some of country. His most recently published book is the stories of the lotus sutra. But it has never been translated from tibetan into english.
This combination of the burton translation of the lotus sutra, and the commentaries of. The lotus sutra is regarded as one of the worlds great religious scriptures and most influential texts. The lotus sutra download pdfepub ebook gets free book. Since its appearance in china in the third century. Thus it is that throughout the world people from various walks of life have come to regard this sutra as a valuable and practical spiritual guide for living in these troubled times. Partial translation, from another rissho kosei kais chanting book, found here. The lotus sutra book by gautama buddha thriftbooks. The lotus sutra translated by hendrik kern,1884 lotus. Watsons translations received many awards, including the gold medal award of the translation center at columbia university in 1979, the pen translation prize in 1982 for his translation with hiroaki sato. It was the teaching of shakyamuni better we know him as gautam since he. Burton watsons translation of the lotus sutra is probably the best modern translation its the one ive always turned to anyway. Originally published in 1976, leon hurvitzs monumental translation of the lotus sutra is the work scholars have preferred for decades.
The lotus sutra translated by burton watson including rev. Such high esteem for the lotus sutra the last major. Victor mair watsons felicitous rendition of the lotus sutra captures superbly well the literary essence of the chinese text. 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. Whitehead and charles hartshorne with the buddhism of the lotus sutra. At that time all in the great assembly, greatly rejoicing together, made salutation to the buddha and, taking possession of the sutra, withdrew. A translation of the lotus sutra which has been regarded as one of the. Erick tsiknopoulos and the sugatagarbha translation group are undertaking the translation of the tibetan version of the lotus sutra, in order to. The buddhas sound is very rarely heard, but it can free living beings.
In another thread came up the question on which translation of the lotus sutra is the best. Since its appearance in china in the third century, the lotus sutra has been regarded as. Prophecy of enlightenment for five hundred disciples. Lotus sutra one introduction lotus sutra two expedient means lotus sutra three simile and parable lotus sutra four belief and understanding. The lotus sutra and its opening and closing sutras translated by burton. The first volume of the lotus sutra states, throughout incalculable, innumerable kalpas it is rare that one may hear this law. And through him the eighty thousand great men, saying. The lotus sutra translated by burton watson chapter ten. Full translation by the buddhist text translation society, found here online in full. The lotus sutra translations from the asian classics by.
The impact of lotus sutra ideas and imagery on the development of east asian buddhist thought and practice is widely acknowledged. Preface in recent years, as the crises facing humankind have become more numerous and more acute, interest in the lotus sutra has begun to increase. This is certainly one of the best buddhist books available to the englishspeaking reader. On remembering and reciting the lotus sutra and gaining an immediate and wonderful reward 1. 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. 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. Hi thanks for a2a very pleased that you are interested in reading of lotus sutra. Threefold lotus sutra, translated by bunno kato and others weatherhillkosei, 1975, has been praised highly and is well worth reading. As watson notes in the introduction to his remarkable translation, the lotus. At one time the buddha was in rajagriha, staying on mount gridhrakuta.
Lotus sutra, sanskrit saddharmapuarikasutra, 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. A contemporary translation of a buddhist classic ebook written by. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the lotus sutra. It is generally accepted opinion that of the many buddhist sutras, the sutra of the lotus flower of the wonderful law saddharmapundarikasutra commonly known as the lotus sutra, is the. Burton watsons felicitous rendition of the lotus sutra captures superbly well the literary essence of the chinese text.
Burton watson translates a passage from chapter 21 of the lotus sutra as follows. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Watsons translations received many awards, including the gold medal. He was subsequently commissioned by the soka gakkai international sgi to do a translation of. At that time the buddha spoke to superior practices and the others in the great assembly of bodhisattvas, saying. According to british professor paul williams, for many east asian buddhists since early times, the lotus sutra. Whats being evaluated here is the translation and presentation of the work. The plete works of zhuangzi translations from the asian classics burton watson on free. The supernatural powers of the buddhas, as you have seen, are immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable. Translated by burton watson full free no download watch the lotus sutra and its. Considering the manifold complexities and beauties of the work, this is a stunning achievement. At this time the buddha said to shariputra, now this assembly ofmine is free of branches and.
Those who have listened to the buddha for over 40 years and improved. Its teachings provide a basis for key buddhist ideas such as buddha nature, the bodhisattva way, skillful means, and the dharma teacher. Burton watson has 76 books on goodreads with 19699 ratings. A modern interpretation of the threefold lotus sutra. 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 any other buddhist scripture. Consequently, kumarajivas understanding of the sanskrit original is allowed to shine forth in english on its own terms. The lotus sutra indian by translated by burton watson. A similar doctrine of the eternality of buddhas is repeatedly expounded in the tathagatagarbha sutras, which share certain family resemblances with the teachings of the lotus sutra. Casebound edition of columbis universita presy books s are printe odn permanen antd durabl e acid free paper. Nichiren the lotus sutra translated by burton watson chapter. Download the lotus sutra and its opening and closing sutras. In translating the chinese text into english we used the kasuga edition of kumarajivas version of the lotus sutra as the basic text, rather than the. The many passages from the threefold lotus sutra quoted or paraphrased in the present book are taken from that one.
The lotus sutra by burton watson 9780231081610 paperback. A guide to the threefold lotus sutra rissho koseikai. As watson notes in the introduction to his remarkable translation, 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. The devadatta chapter 12 of the lotus sutra refutes the the five obstacles taught in early sutras and says that women can attain buddhahood without being reborn as a man first. Burton dewitt watson june, 1925 april 1, 2017 was an american sinologist, translator, and writer known for his numerous translations of chinese and japanese literature into english. Its a seminal work in the development of buddhism throughout east asia and, by extension, in the development of mahayana buddhism throughout the world. Therefore it need a free signup process to obtain the book. The daimoku of the lotus sutra wnd i nichiren buddhism. Sutras translated by burton watson up the dirt or read online books in pdf.
Essays on the lotus sutra, which he edited, was published in 2002. Englishthe lotus sutra translated by burton watson. Here, lopez provides what he calls the plot summary of the lotus sutra. Medicine king, do you see in this great assembly the immeasurable number of heavenly beings, dragons kings, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras. The lotus sutra available for download and read online in other formats.
Buy the lotus sutra translations from the asian classics new ed by watson, burton isbn. The lotus sutra translations from the asian classics by burton watson 18may1994 paperback burton watson on. Pdf the lotus sutra download full pdf book download. Its a seminal work in the development of buddhism throughout east asia and, by extension. That same year, portions of the lotus sutra appeared in english in the dial, the journal of new englands transcendentalists. Sutra on the white lotus of the sublime dharma is one of the most popular and influential mahayana sutras, and the basis on which the tiantai, tendai, cheontae, and nichiren schools of buddhism were established.
Burton watson s translation of the lotus sutra is probably the best modern translation its the one ive always turned to anyway. The lotus sutra translations from the asian classics. Overall, burton watsons translation is a good, nonoffensive goto edition pretty easily found in print. Whether youre experienced with the lotus or have never endeavored to read it, youll have a deeper understanding. Anyone wanting to explore one of the deep pools of human wisdom and insight, in fact the deepest, i would recommend pulling on the thread of the lotus sutra. If it available for your country it will shown as book reader and user fully subscribe will benefit by having full. There are ample reasons of studying lotus sutra before any other sutras preached by buddha.
850 580 1257 70 1285 919 245 1121 786 475 1291 363 412 1233 511 623 867 755 541 772 629 1519 53 1217 947 1500 1275 1231 785 1059 212 111 1333 967 831 1107 539 1489 1041 1117 495 413