Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra

सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्र

དམ་པའི་ཆོས་པད་མ་དཀར་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།

dam pa'i chos pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo

妙法蓮華經

Miào fǎ lián huá jīng

White Lotus of the Excellent Doctrine Sūtra

D113 · T262,263,264,265

SOURCE TEXT

Commonly referred to as the Lotus Sūtra, this text is extremely popular in East Asia, where it is considered to be the "final" teaching of the Buddha. Especially in Japan, reverence for this text has put it at the center of numerous Buddhist movements, including many modern, so-called new religions. The esteemed status of this scripture is epitomized in the Nichiren school's sole practice of merely paying homage to its title with the prayer "Namu myōhō renge kyō".

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Relevance to Buddha-nature

Though not necessarily classified as a tathāgatagarbha sūtra, several themes related to buddha-nature are addressed in this text, such as the single vehicle, the potential for all beings to achieve enlightnement, and the permanence of buddhahood.

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Translations of This Text

Reeves, Gene, trans. The Lotus Sutra: A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classic. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008.
Kubo, Tsugunari, and Akira Yuyama, trans. The Lotus Sutra (Taishō Volume 9, Number 262). Rev. 2nd ed. Translated from the Chinese of Kumārajiva. Moraga, CA: BDK America, 2016.
The White Lotus of the Good Dharma: Saddharmapuṇḍarīka (Roberts, P.)
Watson, Burton, trans. The Lotus Sutra. Translations from the Asian Classics. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993. https://ia802902.us.archive.org/13/items/lotussutraburtonwatson_202003_473_o/Lotus%20Sutra%20Burton%20Watson.pdf.
Soothill, William Edward, trans. The Lotus of the Wonderful Law or The Lotus Gospel: Saddharma Pundarīka Sūtra Miao-Fa Lien Hua Ching. 2nd ed. London: Routledge, 2005.
Kern, H., trans. Saddharmapuṇḍarīka or the Lotus of the True Law. Sacred Books of the East 21. New York: Dover Publications, 1963.
Hurvitz, Leon, trans. Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma. New York: Columbia University Press, 1976.
Kāto, Bunnō, Yoshirō Tamura, and Kōjirō Miyasaka, trans. The Threefold Lotus Sutra: Innumberable Meanings, The Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law, and Mediation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue. Tokyo: Kosei Publishing, 1995. https://archive.org/details/threefoldlotussu0000unse_d9v6.
Hua, Hsuan. The Essentials of the Dharma Blossom Sutra. Vol. 1. Translated by Bhikshu Heng Ch'ien. San Francisco: Buddhist Text Translation Society, 1974.
Murano, Senchu, trans. The Lotus Sutra: The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. 3rd ed. Translated from Kumārajīva's version of The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Sūtra. Revised by Shinkyo Warner. Hayward, CA: Nichiren Buddhist International Center, 2012.
Katō, Bunnō, trans. Myōhō-Renge-Kyō: The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law. Revised by W. E. Soothill and W. Schiffler. Tokyo: Kōsei Publishing, 1971.

Recensions of This Text

Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra. (White Lotus of the Excellent Doctrine Sūtra). Recension information:
Sanskrit	सद्धर्मपुण्डरीकसूत्र (saddharmapuṇḍarīka-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra). Sad-dharma-puṇḍarīka-sūtra. Collection of Sanskrit manuscripts on paper and palm leaves: Matsunami No(s). 408-415. 東京大学東洋文化研究所 [ Institute of Oriental Culture. University of Tokyo ]. http://utlsktms.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/detail.php?key=1097 Thomas, Frederick William and Lüders, Heinrich. "Saddharmapuṇḍarika," in A.F. Rudolf Hoernle, Manuscript Remains of Buddhist Literature Found in Eastern Turkestan. Oxford: Clarendon Pr., p. 132-166; repr. in part in Ksanika Saha, Buddhism and Buddhist Literature in Central Asia. Calcutta: Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay (1970), p. 76-79, 1916. Kawaguchi, Ekai and Ikeda, Chotatsu. Saddharmapundarīkam nāma mahāyāna sūtram. Tokyo: Bonbun Hokekyo Hanpukai, 1916; 2nd ed. 1956.
Tibetan	དམ་པའི་ཆོས་པད་མ་དཀར་པོ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ་ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་མདོ།, (dam pa'i chos pad ma dkar po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po'i mdo). BCRD Link: http://databases.aibs.columbia.edu/index.php?id=c4776c25e2aa045ea5f14271cc26ec3b&enc=tibetan_script_title&coll=kangyur Derge 113, mdo sde, ja 1b1-180b7 (vol. 51), translated by Surendrabodhi and Ye shes sde. Also appears in Q 781, mdo sna tshogs, chu 1a1-205a5 (vol. 30, p.1); N 101, mdo sde, ja 1b1-281b5 (vol. 53); C 754, mdo mang, ja 1b1-212b6 (vol. 31); H 116, mdo sde, ja 1b1-285b2 (vol. 53); J 58, padma dkar po, ja 1b1-198a2 (vol. 46); U 113, mdo sde, ja 1b1-180b7 (vol. 51).
Chinese	妙法蓮華經 (Miào fǎ lián huá jīng), T262, 09: https://21dzk.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SAT2012/T0262.html, translated by Kumārajīva. 正法華經 (Zhèng fǎ huá jīng), T263, 09: https://21dzk.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SAT2012/T0263.html, translated by Dharmarakṣa. 添品妙法蓮華經 (Tiān pǐn miào fǎ lián huá jīng), T264, 09: https://21dzk.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SAT2012/T0264.html, translated by Jñānagupta and Dharmagupta. 薩曇分陀利經 (Sà tán fēn tuó lì jīng), only Chapter 11. T265, 09: https://21dzk.l.u-tokyo.ac.jp/SAT2012/T0265.html.

Description from When the Clouds Part

This sūtra^[1] does not teach on tathāgatagarbha but Zimmermann (1998) shows several structural, formal, and doctrinal parallels between the earlier Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra and the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra, which seem to have influenced the composition of the latter. Also, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra 's example of a man’s carrying a jewel in the hem of his garment without knowing it and later needing to be told about it by a friend in order to retrieve it and use it to overcome some difficulties is very similar to the examples in the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra. In the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra, the example illustrates arhats’ not being aware of their wish for omniscient buddha wisdom that they made a long time ago and thus remaining with only limited wisdom. The example serves to support the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra ’s central theme of the single yāna that even arhats enter eventually to achieve the only soteriological goal of buddhahood. This theme is, of course, also a crucial element in the teachings on tathāgatagarbha, and the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra ’s example may be seen as echoing Uttaratantra I.35ab and I.40, which say that weariness of saṃsāra and wishing for nirvāṇa are triggered by the existence of the tathāgata heart in beings. While the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra keeps saying that all beings should become buddhas, the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra explains the reason why all beings are able to become buddhas—they already possess the heart of a tathāgata. Thus, against this background, it is only natural that Uttaratantra II.58–59 mentions the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra as an example of teaching the true reality of phenomena to arhats, thereby turning them away from their clinging to having attained true nirvāṇa. After that, they are finally matured in the supreme yāna through prajñā and means and their buddhahood is prophesied. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra also emphasizes the permanence of the Buddha and says that buddha wisdom and not emptiness is the supreme achievement. (p. 50)

There are several Sanskrit editions (the most recent one by Toda in 2002) and many fragments of this sūtra as well as a Tibetan (D113; 180 folios) and several Chinese translations (Taishō 262–65). There is an old English translation from the Sanskrit by H. Kern (Oxford 1884) and several from the different Chinese versions (for details, see Potter 1995 under Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra).

Philosophical positions of this text

Are there one or three vehicles on the path to buddhahood?

1

Text Metadata

Other Titles	~ saddharmapuṇḍarīka-nāma-mahāyāna-sūtra
Text exists in	~ Sanskrit ~ Tibetan ~ Chinese
Canonical Genre	~ Kangyur · Sūtra · mdo sde · Sūtranta
Literary Genre	~ Sūtras - mdo

Emulating Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva

The Quest of the Monk Sōō to Practice Revering Buddha-Nature

The "marathon monks" of Japan are one of the iconic images of Japanese Buddhism, familiar to people the world over. These monks walk excruciating mountain circuits on Mount Hiei near Kyoto and Mount Kinpu in Nara Prefecture for a summer retreat of one hundred days. A handful in the posar period have performed the insufferable thousand-day version of this retreat, and also completed additional ascetic practices to gain the title of Great Acarya. Having achieved the humanly impossible, they are sometimes referred to as living buddhas.
Hagiographic sources tell us that the founder of this practice, the Tendai monk Sōō (831-918), was motivated to seek enlightenment when as a novice monk he studied the part of the Lotus Sutra that tells the story of Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva. Sōō set his heart on emulating Never Disrespectful's way of practice, walking about making obeisances to other people as future buddhas. Unfortunately, Sōō's responsibilities to look after his teacher, and the daily task of going into the mountains to harvest anise-tree leaves for the offerings at the monastery's central hall, prevented him from dedicating himself solely to the reverence of other people's buddha-nature. According to tradition, however, Sōō's daily forays into the mountain became the origin of today's marathon-monk practice, in which ascetic monks revere the shrines of Buddhist deities and places where Japanese divinities abide in the mountains. It is often said that the marathon monk's true object of reverence is the buddha-nature of the natural world.
The Lotus Sutra's Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva is an archetype of respect for the inherent dignity of sentient beings. As told in chapter 20 of the Lotus Sutra, one time in the past there was a monk who did not practice by chanting sutras but instead went around making obeisance to every person he met, telling them, "I would never dare to disrespect you, because surely you are all to become buddhas!" As the reader can probably anticipate, the Lotus Sutra tells us that Never Disrespectful was oftentimes ridiculed, even physically attacked, but he bore it all patiently and through this practice not only purified his mind and body but also transformed the hearts and minds of the people around him. The Lotus Sutra tells us that performing this practice leads to quickly attaining the Buddha Way. (Scarangello, "Buddha-Nature (1)," 28-29) (Read entire article here)

Scarangello, Dominick. "Buddha-Nature (1): Revering Buddha-Nature." Dharma World 45 (2018): 28–36.

Scarangello, Dominick. "Buddha-Nature (1): Revering Buddha-Nature." Dharma World 45 (2018): 28–36.; Buddha-Nature (1): Revering Buddha-Nature; Buddha-Nature (1): Revering Buddha-Nature; Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra; Dominick Scarangello;

Article

Buddha-Nature (2): We Are Children of the Buddha

No abstract given. Here are the first relevant paragraphs:

In the last installment of this column we explored the concept of buddha-nature—its meaning, the Lotus Sutra's teaching of revering buddha-nature, and how Buddhists can reveal the buddha-nature of themselves and others by demonstrating respect for people and discovering their goodness. This time we will consider another way of realizing buddha-nature that is inspired by the stories of the Lotus Sutra. Rissho Kosei-kai members speak of awakening to buddha-nature as attaining the conviction that both oneself and others are, in the allegorical language of the Lotus Sutra, "children of the Buddha." Rev. Nikkyo Niwano, the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, held that feelings of worthlessness thwarted people's ability to improve their own lives and brought them much suffering, and for this reason he employed the sutra's allegory of the parent-child relationship to help people see themselves as future buddhas and heirs to all the qualities that the Buddha Shakyamuni possessed. The belief that living beings are children of the Buddha also encourages the appreciation of all human life. As members of the human family, all people are our brothers and sisters, possessing the same inherent dignity and human potential as the Buddha. Today some people may not be entirely comfortable with the gendered language of the Lotus Sutra's allegory, but a close reading of the text can open pathways to an understanding appropriate to contemporary society and twenty-first century social norms. (Scarangello, "Buddha-Nature (2)," 35) (Read the entire article here)

Scarangello, Dominick. "Buddha-Nature (2): We Are Children of the Buddha." Dharma World 46 (2019): 35–41. https://rk-world.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DW19_Spring.pdf.

Scarangello, Dominick. "Buddha-Nature (2): We Are Children of the Buddha." Dharma World 46 (2019): 35–41. https://rk-world.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/DW19_Spring.pdf.; Buddha-Nature (2): We Are Children of the Buddha; Buddha-Nature (2): We Are Children of the Buddha;

Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra; Dominick Scarangello;

Interview

Buddha-Nature in Early Chan and Japanese Zen by Rev. Kokyo Henkel: Conversations on Buddha-Nature

In this video, part of the ongoing series entitled "Conversations on Buddha-Nature" produced by the Tsadra Foundation, Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho and Rev. Kokyo Henkel discuss buddha-nature in early Chan and Japanese Zen and comparisons with Tibetan Dzogchen. They also discuss some Koans, Dōgen, and many textual sources from Indian sutras in Tibetan and Chinese translation to sources for key schools of Buddhism in China and Japan up to more modern texts.

Kokyo Henkel has been practicing Zen since 1990 in residence at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center (most recently as Head of Practice), Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, No Abode Hermitage in Mill Valley, and Bukkokuji Monastery in Japan. He was ordained as a priest in 1994 by Tenshin Anderson Roshi and received Dharma Transmission from him in 2010. Kokyo is interested in exploring how the original teachings of Buddha-Dharma from ancient India, China, and Japan can still be very much alive and useful in present-day America to bring peace and openness to the minds of this troubled world.

Kokyo has also been practicing with the Tibetan Dzogchen ("Great Completeness") Teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche since 2003, in California, Colorado, and Kathmandu.

Henkel, Rev. Kokyo. "Buddha-Nature in Early Chan and Japanese Zen." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, June 26, 2021. Video, 1:23:03. https://youtu.be/j_V3v-oqnNU.

Henkel, Rev. Kokyo. "Buddha-Nature in Early Chan and Japanese Zen." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, June 26, 2021. Video, 1:23:03. https://youtu.be/j_V3v-oqnNU.; Buddha-Nature in Early Chan and Japanese Zen; Buddha-Nature in Early Chan and Japanese Zen; Buddha-nature as Emptiness; Buddha-nature as Luminosity; Buddha-nature as Self - Atman; Dzogchen; The doctrine of buddha-nature in Chinese Buddhism; The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism; The doctrine of buddha-nature in Tibetan Buddhism; Tien Tai; Zen - Chan; tathāgatagarbha; ātman; Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra; Dasheng qixin lun; Laṅkāvatārasūtra; Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra; Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra; Śrīmālādevīsūtra; Dōgen; Mazu Daoyi; Schaik, S.; Suzuki, S.; Zhaozhou; Zhiyi;; Kokyo Henkel;Kokyo Yakai (Luminous Owl, Midnight Liberation 光梟夜解); &nbsp

Video

Donald S. Lopez, Jr. - Keynote of the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

In his keynote lecture to the Vienna Tathāgatagarbha Symposium, Donald Lopez provides an overview of the history and influence of tathāgatagarbha doctrine as well as its various interpretations across the Mahāyāna world.

Lopez, Donald S., Jr. “Tathāgatagarbha: A Brief History.” Keynote lecture at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 40:17. https://youtu.be/0SSSdNNbeu8.

Lopez, Donald S., Jr. “Tathāgatagarbha: A Brief History.” Keynote lecture at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 40:17. https://youtu.be/0SSSdNNbeu8.;Donald S. Lopez, Jr. - Keynote of the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium;History of buddha-nature in Tibet;History of buddha-nature in China;History of buddha-nature in India;History of buddha-nature in Japan;History;Bde gshegs snying po gsal ba'i rgyan;guṇapāramitā;tathāgatagarbha;tathatā;Dasheng qixin lun;Laṅkāvatārasūtra;Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;Tathāgatagarbhasūtra;Śrīmālādevīsūtra;Aṅgulimālīyasūtra;ālayavijñāna;Schopen, G.;Obermiller, E.;Bhāvaviveka;Burnouf, E.;Asaṅga;Vasubandhu;Gimello, R.;Tsong kha pa;Lcang skya rol pa'i rdo rje;Donald S. Lopez, Jr.; Tathāgatagarbha: A Brief History

Video

Jacqueline Stone at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

Jacqueline Stone discusses the doctrine of original enlightenment (hongaku hōmon) and the debate over whether such a concept negates the need for practice and legitimates sinful acts. She explores the notion of original enlightenment as it is portrayed in the twelfth-century text known as Shinnyo kan (Contemplation of Suchness).

Stone, Jacqueline. "From Buddha Nature to Original Enlightenment: 'Contemplating Suchness' in Medieval Japan." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 47:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXXWsD39hc.

Stone, Jacqueline. "From Buddha Nature to Original Enlightenment: 'Contemplating Suchness' in Medieval Japan." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 47:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXXWsD39hc.;Jacqueline Stone at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium;Original Enlightenment;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;History of buddha-nature in Japan;History of buddha-nature in China;Tien Tai;Genshin;Shinran;dharmadhātu;dharmatā;tathatā;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;nītārtha;neyārtha;Disclosure model;Jacqueline Stone;From Buddha Nature to Original Enlightenment “Contemplating Suchness” in Medieval Japan

Book

Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations

Originating in India, Mahayana Buddhism spread across Asia, becoming the prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia. Over the last twenty-five years Western interest in Mahayana has increased considerably, reflected both in the quantity of scholarly material produced and in the attraction of Westerners towards Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. Paul Williams’ Mahayana Buddhism is widely regarded as the standard introduction to the field, used internationally for teaching and research and has been translated into several European and Asian languages. This new edition has been fully revised throughout in the light of the wealth of new studies and focuses on the religion’s diversity and richness. It includes much more material on China and Japan, with appropriate reference to Nepal, and for students who wish to carry their study further there is a much-expanded bibliography and extensive footnotes and cross-referencing. Everyone studying this important tradition will find Williams’ book the ideal companion to their studies. (Source: Routledge)

Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. 2nd ed. The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices. New York: Routledge, 2009. https://archive.org/details/mahayanabuddhismthedoctrinalfoundationspaulwilliamsroutledgeseealtruismandreality_202003_445_W/mode/2up.

Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. 2nd ed. The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices. New York: Routledge, 2009. https://archive.org/details/mahayanabuddhismthedoctrinalfoundationspaulwilliamsroutledgeseealtruismandreality_202003_445_W/mode/2up.;Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations;tathāgatagarbha;Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra;gzhan stong;rang stong;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Chinese Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;Dasheng qixin lun;Critical Buddhism;anātman;Contemporary;prajñā;Madhyamaka;śūnyatā;Two Truths;Yogācāra;trisvabhāva;ālayavijñāna;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Tibetan Buddhism;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;Nāgārjuna;Dōgen;Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra;Fazang;Tien Tai;Hōnen;Shinran;Paul Williams;Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations

Video

Michael Zimmermann at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium

In light of the argument that the theory of Buddha-nature is non-Buddhist, Michael Zimmerman summarizes more recent research on the earliest history of buddha-nature thought in India and discusses possible reasons for why the idea that all sentient beings have buddha-nature made its appearance.

Zimmermann, Michael. "New Research on the Concept of Buddha-Nature in India: The Beginnings." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 45:00. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYkBSSAJ-zo.

Zimmermann, Michael. "New Research on the Concept of Buddha-Nature in India: The Beginnings." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 45:00. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYkBSSAJ-zo.;Michael Zimmermann at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Indian Buddhism;History of buddha-nature in India;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Early Buddhism;Tathāgatagarbhasūtra;Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra;tathāgatagarbha;Defining buddha-nature;Radich, M.;Critical Buddhism;Terminology;Michael Zimmermann; New Research on the Concept of Buddha-Nature in India: The Beginnings

Book

Pruning the Bodhi Tree

A collection of essays on the "critical Buddhism" (hihan bukkyō) movement started by Hakamaya Noriaki and Matsumoto Shirō that swept Japanese academia from the late 1980's onward.

Hubbard, Jamie, and Paul L. Swanson, eds. Pruning the Bodhi Tree: The Storm Over Critical Buddhism. Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1997.

Hubbard, Jamie, and Paul L. Swanson, eds. Pruning the Bodhi Tree: The Storm Over Critical Buddhism. Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 1997.;Pruning the Bodhi Tree;Defining buddha-nature;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Early Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;Against Buddha-Nature;Critical Buddhism;Zen - Chan;Jamie Hubbard; Paul Swanson;Pruning the Bodhi Tree: The Storm Over Critical Buddhism

Video

Rev. Kokyo Henkel: Sources of Buddha-Nature Teachings in the Zen Tradition

Henkel, Rev. Kokyo. "Sources of Buddha-Nature Teachings in the Zen Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, June 26, 2021. Video, 20:56. https://youtu.be/vvdgwHudOrU.

Henkel, Rev. Kokyo. "Sources of Buddha-Nature Teachings in the Zen Tradition." Conversations on Buddha-Nature with Lopen Dr. Karma Phuntsho. Produced by the Tsadra Foundation Research Department, June 26, 2021. Video, 20:56. https://youtu.be/vvdgwHudOrU.;Rev. Kokyo Henkel: Sources of Buddha-Nature Teachings in the Zen Tradition;Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra;Laṅkāvatārasūtra;Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra;Dasheng qixin lun;Buddha-nature as Self - Atman;ātman;tathāgatagarbha;Zen - Chan;Metaphors for buddha-nature;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Chinese Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;Fazang;Sāramati;Rev. Kokyo Henkel: Sources of Buddha-Nature Teachings in the Zen Tradition

Article

T'ien-t'ai Chih'i's Concept of Threefold Buddha Nature-A Synergy of Reality, Wisdom, and Practice

Paul L. Swanson's contribution, on Chih-i's threefold concept of Buddha Nature, places T'ien-t'ai thought on this matter in a broader conceptual context. He presents it as one more application of the fundamental T'ien-t' ai idea of synergy—that there is a deeply symbiotic relationship between the way things really are (reality), the awareness of the way things really are (wisdom), and the religious practice that produces such an awareness (practice). Swanson bases his exposition on the Fa-hua hsüan-i, in which Buddha Nature, along with nine other Buddhist concepts, is interpreted through the threefold pattern already adverted to. Swanson shows how Chih-i, drawing upon both the Nirvāṇa Sūtra and the Lotus Sūtra, accommodates Buddha Nature terminology and concepts into the structure of his own thought. (Griffiths and Keenan, introduction to Buddha Nature, 6)

Swanson, Paul L. "T'ien-t'ai Chih'i's Concept of Threefold Buddha Nature—A Synergy of Reality, Wisdom, and Practice." In Buddha Nature: A Festschrift in Honor of Minoru Kiyota, edited by Paul J. Griffiths and John P. Keenan, 171–80. Tokyo: Buddhist Books International, 1997. https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/en/files/2012/11/Chih-i-on-Buddha-nature.pdf.

Swanson, Paul L. "T'ien-t'ai Chih'i's Concept of Threefold Buddha Nature—A Synergy of Reality, Wisdom, and Practice." In Buddha Nature: A Festschrift in Honor of Minoru Kiyota, edited by Paul J. Griffiths and John P. Keenan, 171–80. Tokyo: Buddhist Books International, 1997. https://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/en/files/2012/11/Chih-i-on-Buddha-nature.pdf.; T'ien-t'ai Chih'i's Concept of Threefold Buddha Nature-A Synergy of Reality, Wisdom, and Practice; T'ien-t'ai Chih'i's Concept of Threefold Buddha Nature—A Synergy of Reality, Wisdom, and Practice; Tien Tai; The doctrine of buddha-nature in Chinese Buddhism; Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra; Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra; Zhiyi; Paul Swanson;

Book

Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra

(Chu) Tao-sheng stands out in history as a unique and preeminent thinker whose paradigmatic, original ideas paved the way for the advent of Chinese Buddhism. The universality of Buddha-nature, which Tao-sheng championed at the cost of excommunication, was to become a cornerstone of the Chinese Buddhist ideology. This book presents a comprehensive study of the only complete document by Tao-sheng still in existence. (Source: SUNY Press)

Kim, Young-ho. Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra: A Study and Translation. SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990.

Kim, Young-ho. Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra: A Study and Translation. SUNY Series in Buddhist Studies. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990.;Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;Daosheng;Young-ho Kim; Daosheng;Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra: A Study and Translation;Daosheng

PhD Diss

Kim, Young-ho: Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Sūtra: A Study and Translation

Abstract

This dissertation provides a comprehensive study and complete translation of Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra (CSPS). This document occupies an important place in Chinese Buddhist literature. Its significance in the study of Chinese Buddhism can be described in two ways. Firstly, the CSPS was the first commentary ever written on the Lotus Sūtra, which was to become a scripture of fundamental importance on the Far Eastern Buddhist scene, especially for the later Chinese Buddhist schools. Furthermore, it was the first commentary on any Buddhist scripture that was written in Chinese and structured in fully developed commentarial form. The CSPS set a pattern in many ways for later Buddhists to follow in terms of both structure and ideology.
      Secondly, the CSPS is a rich source of Tao-sheng's seminal ideas. Tao-sheng (ca. 360-434) has been regarded, both in his time and subsequently, as a uniquely creative and prophetic thinker. The CSPS, the only writing of Tao-sheng preserved in complete form, is essential to any study of Tao-sheng's own original thought. Most of his theses and arguments, which were controversial in his day, were originally propounded in his other writings, but the commentary may provide at least the general structure of Tao-sheng's thought.
      The thesis is composed of two main portions: "Study" (Part I-IV) and "Translation" (Part V). Part I sets out and clarifies the problems involved in the study of Tao-sheng, the aims and method of the present study. Part II as the introductory step to the main task involving the CSPS extensively examines Tao-sheng as a whole as reflected in other sources, in terms of his background, historical and biographical, his works, his doctrines, and his influence. Part III is devoted to a critical examination of the CSPS proper. Here I undertake an in-depth analysis in several different ways in respect with both form and content, or language and ideology. The analysis focuses on how Tao-sheng renders, successfully or otherwise, the ancient Indian system of religious thought into the current Chinese language, which was already laden with indigenous philosophical connotations. Here I also trace and reconstruct Tao-sheng's thought incorporated in the commentary in accordance with his distinct themes. Part IV reviews the findings and significance of the study conducted. In brief, the thesis is the first full-scale study of Tao-sheng and the commentary.
      Finally, a complete translation of the text is presented along with detailed annotations including the classical sources of Chinese philosophical terms used and numerous corruptions of the text. In light of the significance of Tao-sheng and the CSPS, the translation answers the need for a complete translation of the text into a modern language and will serve as a basis for further study.

Kim, Young-ho. "Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Sūtra: A Study and Translation." PhD diss., McMaster University, 1985.

Kim, Young-ho. "Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Sūtra: A Study and Translation." PhD diss., McMaster University, 1985.;Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Sūtra: A Study and Translation;Daosheng;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Chinese Buddhism;dharmakāya;Young-ho Kim;Tao-sheng's Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Sūtra: A Study and Translation;Daosheng

Article

The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra: Its Basic Structure and Relation to the Lotus Sūtra

No abstract given. Here are the first relevant paragraphs:

In his comprehensive study of the development of the tathāgatagarbha teaching, J. Takasaki also deals with the sūtra which bears the name of this Mahāyāna philosophical current.[1] The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra (TGS) has generally been referred to as the earliest expression of this doctrine and the term tathāgatagarbha itself seems to have been coined by this very sūtra. In this paper I intend to introduce the textual history and doctrinal content of the TGS and offer some speculations concerning the possible motivations lying behind its compilation. By pointing out some interesting parallels concerning the structure and formulations in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra (SP), I shall then suggest that the SP and the TGS carry a similar compositional line. Finally, I shall determine the position and role of the TGS in Mahāyāna Buddhism as a sūtra presupposing the doctrine of the SP and providing its metaphysical foundation. (Zimmermann, introductory remarks, 143–44)

Notes

1. Jikidō Takasaki 高崎直道, Nyoraizō shisō no keisei (Formation of the Tathāgatagarbha Theory), Tokyo 1974 (Shunjū-sha): pp. 40–68.

Zimmermann, Michael. "The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra: Its Basic Structure and Relation to the Lotus Sūtra." In Vol. 2, Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 1998, edited by Yuichi Kajiyama, 143–68. International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 1999.

Zimmermann, Michael. "The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra: Its Basic Structure and Relation to the Lotus Sūtra." In Vol. 2, Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology at Soka University for the Academic Year 1998, edited by Yuichi Kajiyama, 143–68. International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 1999.; The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra: Its Basic Structure and Relation to the Lotus Sūtra; The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra: Its Basic Structure and Relation to the Lotus Sūtra; Tathāgatagarbhasūtra; tathāgatagarbha; Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra; Michael Zimmermann;

Article

Wszechprzenikliwa podstawa oświecenia, czyli o formowaniu się koncepcji tathagatagarbhy

This article aims at providing an outlook on the possible origin of tathāgatagarbha theory with a special reference to its relation to the soteriological and formal solutions found in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra and Avataṃsaka-sūtra. Through comparative textual analysis, the first work of this tradition, Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra, is shown as a text providing a metaphysical foundation for the postulate of universal Buddhahood posited by the Lotus Sutra. The realization of this postulate was possible through the implementation of 'Buddha-wisdom' (tathāgatajñāna) — a quality intrinsic to all living beings, which comes from the Tathāgata's all-encompassing compassion — taken from the "Manifestation of the Tathāgata" chapter of Avataṃsaka. By combining these influences the Tathāgatagarbha-sūtra is presented as a culmination of an important soteriological trend of the early Mahāyāna, and at the same time the starting point for an influential 'buddha-nature' tradition. (Source accessed June 26, 2020)

Zapart, Jarosław. "Wszechprzenikliwa podstawa oświecenia, czyli o formowaniu się koncepcji tathagatagarbhy" (The All-Pervading Foundation of Enlightenment: Early Developments of Tathāgatagarbha Teachings). Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture 1, no. 1 (2012): 127–48. https://depot.ceon.pl/bitstream/handle/123456789/2724/JZ_-_O_formowaniu_tg.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Zapart, Jarosław. "Wszechprzenikliwa podstawa oświecenia, czyli o formowaniu się koncepcji tathagatagarbhy" (The All-Pervading Foundation of Enlightenment: Early Developments of Tathāgatagarbha Teachings). Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture 1, no. 1 (2012): 127–48. https://depot.ceon.pl/bitstream/handle/123456789/2724/JZ_-_O_formowaniu_tg.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y; Wszechprzenikliwa podstawa oświecenia, czyli o formowaniu się koncepcji tathagatagarbhy; Wszechprzenikliwa podstawa oświecenia, czyli o formowaniu się koncepcji tathagatagarbhy" (The All-Pervading Foundation of Enlightenment: Early Developments of Tathāgatagarbha Teachings); tathāgatagarbha; Tathāgatagarbhasūtra; Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra; History of buddha-nature in India; The doctrine of buddha-nature in Early Buddhism; The doctrine of buddha-nature in Indian Buddhism; Jarosław Zapart;

Translations & Scholarship

Book

A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra

A translation, study, and annotated editions of the Tibetan and Chinese translations of the Tathāgatagarbhasūtra.

Zimmermann, Michael. A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra; The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002. http://lirs.ru/lib/Tathagatagarbhasutra,Zimmermann,2002.pdf.

Zimmermann, Michael. A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra;The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India. Biblotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica 6. Tokyo: International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2002. http://lirs.ru/lib/Tathagatagarbhasutra,Zimmermann,2002.pdf.;A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra;Tathāgatagarbhasūtra;History of buddha-nature in India;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Indian Buddhism;tathāgatagarbha;Textual study;Michael Zimmermann; A Buddha Within: The Tathāgatagarbhasūtra;The Earliest Exposition of the Buddha-Nature Teaching in India

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The White Lotus of the Good Dharma, popularly known as the Lotus Sūtra, is taught by Buddha Śākyamuni on Vulture Peak to an audience that includes bodhisattvas from countless realms, as well as bodhisattvas who emerge out from the ground from the space below this world. Buddha Prabhūtaratna, who has long since passed into nirvāṇa, appears within a floating stūpa to hear the sūtra, and Śākyamuni enters the stūpa and sits beside him. The Lotus Sūtra is celebrated, particularly in East Asia, for its presentation of crucial elements of the Mahāyāna tradition, such as the doctrine that there is only one yāna, or “vehicle”; the distinction between expedient and definite teachings; and the notion that the Buddha’s life, enlightenment, and parinirvāṇa were simply manifestations of his transcendent buddhahood, while he continues to teach eternally. A recurring theme in the sūtra is its own significance in teaching these points during past and future eons, with many passages in which the Buddha and bodhisattvas such as Samantabhadra describe the great benefits that come from devotion to it, the history of its past devotees, and how it is the Buddha’s ultimate teaching, supreme over all other sūtras. (Source: 84000)

[1] There are several Sanskrit editions (the most recent one by Toda in 2002) and many fragments of this sūtra as well as a Tibetan (D113; 180 folios) and several Chinese translations (Taishō 262–65). There is an old English translation from the Sanskrit by H. Kern (Oxford 1884) and several from the different Chinese versions (for details, see Potter 1995 under Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra).

[1]

Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra

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Emulating Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva

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