The Lotus Sutra
Anonymous, Burton Watson (Translator)
4.26
1,690 ratings66 reviews
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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. 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.
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 with particular force to persons of one type or in one set of circumstances, some to those of another type or in other circumstances. This is no doubt why it has had such broad and lasting appeal over the ages and has permeated so deeply into the cultures that have been exposed to it."
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GenresBuddhismReligionPhilosophySpiritualityNonfictionClassicsLiterature
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390 pages, Paperback
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Community Reviews
4.26
1,690 ratings66 reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
Spike Gomes
201 reviews · 17 followers
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September 30, 2016
Ahhh, the Lotus Sutra, as a former professor of mine once stated "The Greatest Sutra Never Preached". Why would he say that? Because while this Sutra goes on at length about the benefits and power of the Lotus Sutra, it never quite gets around to actually saying what the sublime and powerful teachings *are* that the vast multitude of humans, demons, Bodhisattva and various sundry Buddhas that have gathered to hear preached. It's almost meta-textual, circa 400 A.D.
The Lotus Sutra is one of the most prominent texts in East Asian Buddhism, and it's vivid imagery and ideas have had a strong influence on the artistic and social culture of China, Japan and Korea. That said, it's not very well known in the West outside of scholars of religion, and not surprisingly so, as its faith-based, salvationist and somewhat exclusionary message doesn't jibe too well with Western conceptions of a tolerant and rationalistic faith. There is quite a bit of irony in that, as the idea of the Lotus Sutra (as opposed to the Sutra itself, but more on that later), is central to Nichiren Buddhism, a form of uniquely Japanese Buddhism that has spread to the West in the form of Soka Gakkai International, a branch of the largest Buddhist organization in Japan, and probably the single largest group of Western Buddhist converts abroad. Tina Turner and Orlando Bloom are the most prominent converts, but there are many more.
The Lotus Sutra became widely popular for a few reasons. The first was that it was very approachable and understandable compared to many other Mahayana Buddhist texts. There is no abstruse philosophy that goes on for hundreds of pages, nor is there some sort of esoteric meaning that must be mined out by trained monastics. It is simply a narrative of all the Mahayana cosmogony gathering to hear Shakyamuni Buddha preach the most powerful and perfect teaching in Buddhism, namely itself, the Sutra of the Wonderful Law of the Lotus. It is constructed of prose and verse parts, and the verse parts are designed to be mnemonically easy to remember for chanting. The message is simple: accept and revere this wonderful teaching, and you too, no matter who you are, will become a Buddha yourself. Pretty easy, right? No need for arduous meditation or assiduous practices, just *bam*, you're a Buddha. While easy for lay Buddhists of the time to accept and venerate, the Lotus Sutra is not completely exoteric, there is enough of an esoteric message of deeper Buddhist thought wrapped around the ideas of nondualism that are far too hard to explain for a simple book review.
The another reason why it was so popular was because it is a very evocative text in regards to the senses, which is something of a rarity in Buddhist religious writing. In and of itself, it sounds good when being chanted and was easily chantable. The imagery is lush and lends itself well to iconography. All in all it had a pretty major impact, yet today, while its influence has left its fingerprints all over East Asia, it's not really read much today. Yes, parts of it are still chanted daily, but it's pretty much incomprehensible in any modern language. Even in the Nichiren sect, I was rather surprised that I met no one who read the Sutra. In fact, several of them said it wasn't really necessary, as chanting "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" (All hail the Wonderful Law of the Lotus) and offering up obeisance was all that was needed to gain the benefits of belief. In general, though, the canonical texts of Dharmic religions are nowhere near as central as in Abrahamic religions to believers.
Now past the thumbnail background where I show off my experience and learning gained by my utterly useless degree in Japanese Religion, what about the text itself? Well, to be completely honest, this is the first time I've read Watson's translation cover to cover. While SGI helped fund the translation, its scholarly and non-partisan, so one will see it in graduate seminars. As a read itself, it's honestly kind of boring due to the highly repetitive nature of the text. The prose often recapitulates what the verse sections say, and there's only so many times one can read about how many umpty million sentient beings in the ten directions gained true enlightenment due to hearing the Lotus Sutra being preached, or how so and so will be reborn in a perfect land and preach the sutra non-stop for umpty-million years. There are some parables that are pretty interesting, and very important, like the Buddhist version of the Prodigal Son story, and granted, it's kind of entertaining to see the various names and titles translated out like "Endowed with a Thousand Ten Thousand Glowing Marks Buddha", or my personal favorite, the gigantic floating memorial palace that materializes everywhere the Lotus Sutra is preached the speaks with the voice of the "Many Treasures Buddha" and begins every speech with "Excellent, excellent!"
So, how does one rate the Lotus Sutra? Well, considering that the text itself says all those who don't revere it will be born again with boils and bad breath (yes, bad breath is one of the repeated curses) in some nasty hell, I'm maybe a little hesitant to put a rating on it. As text that will help you understand much of the arts and literature of medieval to modern China and Japan, it's a five star read. As a work of scholarly translation I'd rate it a 4.5 out of 5 (the translation is very bare bones on historical and cultural context past the inception and dissemination, though it does point to other resources in that direction). As a text itself, I'd say about 2.5 stars, for and overall score of 4 stars.
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C
55 reviews · 3 followers
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January 15, 2018
I read the Nichiren Translation online.
One of the ultimate troll wisdom texts. As many have pointed out, it reads like a grand preface to something that will never come, but, in fact, the preface is itself the text. Furthermore, the text begins with Buddha explaining how he'll straight up lie and tell elaborate fantasies to get people to believe in the One Vehicle by catering to their own subjective perception, and then the rest of the Sutra proceeds to get even more insane by the second, kind of like a Superhero comic or an Anime. Read from a certain perspective, this might make the Lotus Sutra one of the first works of metafiction out there.
Simply put, it's brilliant. Although the Sutra itself can get draggy at times, its pure brilliance. You have no idea whether the text is being ironic or not. You have no idea whether the hyperbole should be taken seriously or not. It's laden with esoteric meaning and countless Zen monks or other esoteric Buddhists have used the text as their own vehicle. This makes it the ultimate meme.
One of my personal interpretations is that the text is a metacommentary on the act of telling stories, and language itself. Language was created to communicate ideas between people, but language itself cannot fully convey all of the intentions within a person. But, afterwards, people learnt to tailor language into something higher - the telling of fictional tales, stories, tall tales, and Literature. The ability to tell a greater truth with meaning by creating a lie. The Lotus Sutra is all about that lack of distinction between fantasy and reality, and how, because of that lack of distinction, we can enjoy the fluidity of reality and find fun in it. Everyone can be Buddha, and the Buddha is everywhere, because we all have the ability to create our own stories. Even the child that builds a castle in the sand is creating his own story.
Don't you think, then, that it's completely fitting to have a book which takes joy in being a preface to a text that doesn't exist? But the text does exist. The text is your own narrative or story, and your own ability to tell stories, and to extol the Lotus Sutra is to extol humanity's capacity for imagination and grandeur of vision. This is why the text itself was considered to be the 'Hardest Sutra' among all sutras by Nichiren. It seems to point to something that is there, but also not quite there.
religion-mythology
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Monica
25 reviews · 26 followers
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April 7, 2015
So, one does not rate the Lotus Sutra. It's the Lotus Sutra. What's being evaluated here is the translation and presentation of the work.
Overall, Burton Watson's translation is a good, non-offensive go-to edition pretty easily found in print. It's also non-scholar friendly, making it a good choice for more casual studiers of Buddhism.
non-fiction
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Brendan Coster
268 reviews · 11 followers
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February 21, 2015
More then half the book is about, reading the book. It goes into great lengths about how easily you can obtain Buddhahood by reading the book, and about how, despite the infinite love and compassion, how you will suffering near endless torture for maligning the book.
The whole thing stinks of the trope: "How to write a book and make a millions dollars" book. The point of the book is simply the act of reading the book where the main message is to get other people to read this book. It barely has any content, the half dozen parables and opening "One Vehicle" message can be put into just a few pages. So, instead of getting a million dollars (or, in the sutra, a hundred, ten-thousand, million sands of the Ganges tael of gold) you attain buddahood - it's the same principle as the trope though.
I fully understand it's a religious book, it's nigh endless repetitions are supposed to assist memory and meditation. Since it's religious you need a push and a pull - thus the glory of acting and the horrible consequences of maligning. It's pretty much unreadable. If I weren't reading this for my own studies in Classic Japanese literature, which make constant reference to this Sutra, I doubt I would have subjected myself to reading through it.
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Ms Piot
39 reviews · 1 follower
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April 19, 2009
This is a awakening teaching. Allegorical in it's telling, it explains the true nature of humanity -- of the ultimate equality of us all in our infinite potential. Perhaps the first true self-empowerment teaching (but oh! so much more!), it is also the foundation for Nichiren Buddhism, an incredibly powerful, practical method of faith, practice, and study for achieving absolute happiness and wisdom and living your life to its fullest potential. Best read and discussed with a friend who knows...
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Iain Coggins
1 book · 7 followers
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February 13, 2011
The basis of my faith. Commentary to follow once I've compared to the new edition out last year.
sgi-buddhist
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Lori
23 reviews
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July 18, 2019
The Lotus Sutra is considered by all philosophers as a crucial piece in understanding Buddhist philosophy and its unique and almost poetic structure is beautifully translated by Watson in a distinct way that it can be easily understood yet still greatly appreciated by both beginners and adept readers in Mahayana Buddhist texts. If you're looking for somewhere to start then Watson's translation of The Lotus Sutra is a definite good first step.
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Fenixbird SandS
566 reviews · 52 followers
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Want to readSeptember 10, 2009
Quoting another's review "...Three of the Buddha's greatest sermons, May 28, 2000
By Joseph H Pierre "Joe Pierre" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
The word 'Sutra,' literally means 'thread' or 'string.' The scriptures containing the teachings of the Buddha. Most of the major Sutras were originally written in Pali or Sanscrit, although some were written in Tibetan or Chinese. They are among the world's oldest literature.
These Sutras are called The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings; The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law; and The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue. Ananda, a cousin of Sakyamuni and one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, famous for his excellent memory, is supposed to have memorized the Buddha's sermons, which were later recorded as Sutras.
The word bodhi, used in Bodhisattva, means 'wisdom,', or enlightenment, and pertains to buddhahood. Boddhisattva, then, refers to a living being in the final stages of achieving buddhahood, or becoming one who is enlightened.
These are among the most important of the Sutras. At their heart are three major concepts of Mahayana (the great path) Buddhism: First, all sentient beings may attain perfect enlightenment, the main goal of Buddhism; Second, the Buddha is eternal, having existed throughout the infinite past and appearing in many forms throughout the ages, guiding and teaching the law; and Third, the noblest form of Buddhist practice is the way of the Boddhisattva, who devotes himself to enlightenment.
The Threefold Sutra records three of the sermons preached by the Buddha best-known to us (Siddhartha, a prince of Gautama, of the Sakyamuni clan--sometimes referred to simply as Sakyamuni) to a host of boddhisattvas, consisting of the "Opening Sutra," the "Meditation on the Boddhisattva Universal Virtue Sutra," and finally the "Lotis Sutra."
For the serious student of Buddhism, this is a most desirable book."
Joseph Pierre, Author of THE ROAD TO DAMASCUS: Our Journey Through Eternity
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Dusty White
39 books · 41 followers
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May 12, 2011
This is far and away the best version of any English translation. It alone has footnotes that reveal extremely important information and clarifications you will not find in any other source. It also has the unpolluted version of the Dragon Princess chapter.
If you are going to read the sutra in English, you should read THIS version first.
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Thomas
489 reviews · 84 followers
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March 3, 2009
Watson's translation is clear and convincing, as usual. The Lotus Sutra is a collection of mostly devotional sermons, and Watson renders the poetry beautifully. This probably isn't the best place to pick up the basics of Mahayana Buddhism, but culturally it's important.
eastern-classics religion
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Mum
32 reviews · 6 followers
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March 26, 2007
I read this in hardcover, but didn't find it in the list. It's good but very old-school in language so it takes effort to read it.
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Alex
352 reviews · 52 followers
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May 14, 2007
Excellent notes, excellent translation.
chinesebuddhism
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David Chmelik
113 reviews · 3 followers
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October 11, 2014
I read this at http://lotus.nichirenshu.org/nav/lotu... . It is quite an interesting and entertaining sutra.
buddhism mythology philosophy
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Brendan
739 reviews · 34 followers
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June 26, 2008
only read about half of this
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Karyn
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May 14, 2008
life
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Mark W. Cole
36 reviews · 3 followers
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July 30, 2009
A good translation of this ancient text.
spirituality
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Elon-str
13 reviews · 1 follower
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July 2, 2010
This is the Buddha's mind in print! I have continuosly read this book. I have read this book 9 times and I am working on my 10th. Wonderful..
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
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Thomas
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April 9, 2013
Read in Chinese.
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Stephen
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August 22, 2013
Excellent and beautiful translation
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Minerva T.y.
5 books · 2 followers
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September 1, 2014
Awesome translation! The first Lotus Sutra that I read 10 years ago. :)
buddhism-spirituality
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Blaine Snow
141 reviews · 102 followers
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August 25, 2017
It's the Lotus Sutra - what else can be said?
buddhism china-japan-korea
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Mercedes Reichmann
13 reviews · 1 follower
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November 18, 2017
Love to re-read all the classics, which never fail to teach you something new everytime you read it again. <3
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GrahamJA
369 reviews · 9 followers
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March 8, 2019
It is a book that supplies a redemptive quality just in the act of reading. Thus reading it supplies bountiful good karma. It is one of the ways we can improve our life and next birth.
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Roy Lotz
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April 10, 2023
This book is an excellent example of a text that is interesting as a historical document, but not as literature. To put the matter more bluntly, The Lotus Sutra has much to teach but is not very fun to read.
Having recently finished The Platform Sutra, I was struck by how different these two Buddhist scriptures are. The former is dense with doctrine and often quite deeply philosophical, whereas this text is full of revelations, miracle stories, and parables. And whereas The Platform Sutra accords pretty well with the Western conception of Buddhism as a secular, humanistic philosophy, The Lotus Sutra is frankly and powerfully religious.
This is not a world of quietly meditating monks, but of divine beings, hungry ghosts, endless eons of time, and extravagant promises of salvation. Indeed, the many layers of heaven and hell—the rewards and punishments doled out by Karma—reminded me very much of Dante’s cosmos (though here, neither state is permanent). Believers are promised to enjoy excellent senses of hearing and smell in their next lives, as well as good health and handsome noses; whereas nonbelievers will have crooked noses, bad skin, and halitosis. In short, no New York City atheist could really get behind the message of The Lotus Sutra.
One of the book’s most curious features is its meta-commentary. It is a story of itself—ceaselessly telling us how many sentient beings were saved by hearing its message. And yet, the book does not appear to have much of a message other than to inform us that it is very important. But I do think that The Lotus Sutra contains at least a few important doctrinal innovations.
Quite significant, for example, is the idea of “skillful means.” This is the notion that a Buddhist teacher may use any strategy to enlighten his pupils, even if that involves telling a lie. Closely related to this is the idea of the “one vehicle,” which holds that every strategy—meditating, memorizing sutras, repeating mantras, donating to monasteries, preaching sermons—are all merely aspects of one great effort to enlighten the world. This may sound harmless enough, but the implication is that the previous preachings of the Buddha were merely a half-truth, tailored to the low capacities of his first followers.
For example, the original doctrine held that the Buddha died and achieved enlightenment; that he was the first discoverer of the way; that there is only one Buddha; and that the path to enlightenment is to be attained only by those who diligently follow the path the Buddha laid for them. But The Lotus Sutra informs us that the Buddha never died; that there have been innumerable Buddhas; and that virtually everyone can become enlightened.
In other words, this sutra turns Buddhism into a kind of universalist religion, wherein merely repeating one line of a sutra or thinking one pious thought is enough to guarantee ultimate salvation. It reminds me very much of the transformation of the original Christian message (love your neighbor, abhor wealth, forgive your enemies) into the medieval Catholic church, wherein absolution could be bought and sins confessed away. In this case, Siddhartha Gautama’s demanding eightfold path is turned into an all-embracing highway, wherein anyone can drive straight to Buddhahood with a bit of goodwill.
This new, welcoming doctrine is not exactly so keen on women, however. The perfect future state of universal enlightenment is pictured as a world without women. And the one woman in the text who achieves Buddhahood—the daughter of the dragon king, Longnü—turns into a man the instant she does so. To be fair, Buddhism is hardly the only major religion with a misogynist streak; and I supposed it may have even been “enlightened” at the time to allow the possibility that a woman may transform into a man.
Thus, despite the text being rather repetitive and mystical, I would recommend it to anyone hoping to learn more about Buddhism. If you like it, you may have secured your future Buddhahood—though, I fear I may have attracted some grave karmic consequences with my review. If you meet a snake with very bad breath in the future, you know what happened.
asia gods-and-demigods
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Drew Tschirki
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July 15, 2023
I’m torn. Much of the Lotus Sutra is about the benefits of following the Lotus Sutra and how many millions of Bodhisattvas and listeners became enlightened upon hearing it preached. Buddhas come from far and wide to praise Sakyamuni Buddha. Much of the text, while full of imagery, is not truly practical in any way.
But yet there were important parables along the way which are foundational for the development of Mahayana Buddhism along the way. Thus, I can see how it was/is an important text, but at no point does Sakyamuni Buddha say “this is the law” but rather “whoever does the law has X, Y, Z attributes and X, Y, Z outcomes” to which he is endlessly venerated. In this regard, while the law is not truly expounded, one knows how a Bodhisattva lives, and thus it can absolutely be practical.
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Michelle Wruck
56 reviews · 18 followers
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May 11, 2019
Another classic from the Eastern Tradition. I recommend the Burton Watson translation. His introduction is extraordinarily helpful. Still, don't be surprised if you are... well, surprised by this text, which reads more like a political speech than a religious or philosophical text. There is clearly something going on at the time, a break between various branches of Buddhism that inspired the creation of the text, and the attempt on the Mahayana side, to make Buddha's teaching widely accessible to all. If you are interested in learning about what was happening at that time, there are a number of good historical works that address the question including A History of Indian Buddhism by Akira Hirakawa and Genealogies of Mahayana Buddhism by Joseph Walker.
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Jennifer
244 reviews · 4 followers
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May 11, 2018
This book was a little confusing. There was so much noted about what will happen to those who uphold the sutra and what will happen to those who don't, what benefits will come to those who teach it and what will happen to those who mock them. But I'm beyond confused about what parts actually made up the actual Lotus Sutra. I did learn lots of new information though which leads me to now realize that a group I used to belong to that followed the Lotus Sutra seems to have gone against a lot of what is preached in this book. Due to both of these facts, I will be doing a lot more investigation on the topics. It was an interesting read.
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Michele Hutchison
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May 10, 2023
I read this very very slowly over the course of several years with waning and increasing interest. I started practicing Nichiren Buddhism about 14 years ago and my life has changed significantly when I put it into serious practice. Reading the Lotus Sutra gave me a deeper understanding of the type of language and mindset that the practice is based on. A lot to digest and highly repetitive, but a great way to challenge your thought process and patterns. If you take everything as metaphor, which I think it is, you will gain a deeper understanding of yourself and the universe and your connection to it.
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Kieran Isgin
2 reviews · 8 followers
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August 22, 2017
The Lotus Sutra is considered by all philosophers as a crucial piece in understanding Buddhist philosophy and its unique and almost poetic structure is beautifully translated by Watson in a distinct way that it can be easily understood yet still greatly appreciated by both beginners and adept readers in Mahayana Buddhist texts. If you're looking for somewhere to start then Watson's translation of The Lotus Sutra is a definite good first step.
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Lai J
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May 25, 2021
The only reason why I read this is because I worked at the Reed College bookstore and one way to skive off at work for me is to read the books that I’m shelving.
Lotus Sutra was a required text for Religion 101 at Reed College. I read this because the title rhymes with Kama Sutra.
I can’t remember anything from the book other than it had a pretty and serene cover. I believe in always judging a book by its cover so because this book had a nice cover I thought it’s decent.
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The Lotus Sutra
byBurton Watson
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Reb Stephen Sinclair, M.Th
4.0 out of 5 starsAs advertised
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2023
Product is exactly as advertised. It was initially improperly routed and customer service was not what I had hoped but the price was right and I received what I paid for!
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David Barnhardt
2.0 out of 5 starsProbably the strangest book I've ever read...
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2010
First, let me say that Burton Watson is a genius in the field of translating Eastern Classics. His interpretation of Chuang Tzu is one of the most beautiful and compelling books I've ever read. His version of "The Lotus Sutra" is well translated and very readable also, but the subject matter itself is so over-the-top I had a hard time swallowing it.
To say it's a story of mythic proportions would be understating it. In some ways it's hard to believe how important this sutra is to the Mahayana tradition. I'm no Buddhist scholar, but I have read a number of books on the subject, as well as several English translations of both Mahayana and Therevadin sutras. Buddhism is a beautiful, appealing religion (or philosophy, if you wish), worthy of deep study and consideration. A recent reading of some Zen liturature was what led me to this sutra. I began reading some of Eihei Dogen's "Shobogenzo" and soon realized I needed to read this sutra to fully appreciate some of his sermons. There are several parables in this work that are very beautiful - I recognised one from another work (a Buddhist version of the 'Prodigal Son' is in this Sutra - also in Paul Carus' "Gospel of Buddha"). There are definitely some beautiful, important passages in this sutra.
All that being said, the amazing, super-colossal, extra-gradiose, fantastical nature of the sutra, for the most part, just plain turned me off. I'm not sure what was up with the originators of this sutra, but I just didn't get it. Very little was said of actual value (I guess they assume the reader gets any significant morals, etc. from all the other sutras). Much is said about how great the sutra is, but there is little in the text to substantiate these claims! Maybe it's just my cynical Western Mind - or maybe it was just my mood.
Nonetheless, if you're serious about gaining deeper insight into Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, I'm pretty sure this is one of those sutras you'll want to read - and Burton Watson makes it a pleasant trip!
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Reb Stephen Sinclair, M.Th
4.0 out of 5 stars As advertisedReviewed in the United States on January 3, 2023
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Product is exactly as advertised. It was initially improperly routed and customer service was not what I had hoped but the price was right and I received what I paid for!
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Brent
5.0 out of 5 stars Namo keepers of the Law Flower Sutra!Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2020
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Reciting this version helped me understand some things more clearly. I recommend reading multiple versions or translations for that very reason. The demon Mara is translated as Devil in this version which is a suitable translation. But, I feel like people in the west might not fully understand that the Buddhist (Devil) is named Mara and is both an evil spirit demon and a metaphor for our own negative habitual tendencies. I don’t believe modern day Christian religious interpretations of the Bible that there is a single Creator god and a single Devil. The Christian Devil can of course be interpreted as both a spirit demon and a metaphor for our own negative thoughts and actions, but most modern Christians I think don’t understand it this way. Modern Christians seem to want to blame everyone’s negative actions on outside forces which is not logical outside of obvious cases of demonic possession which are a rare occurrence if you look at percentages although it occurs constantly. So if you read or recite this version just at least keep all this in mind. I would actually say Mara or Mara’s people instead of Devil or devil’s people whenever the western translation “Devil” is written. Outside of this, great translation and beautiful cover. It’s a lot of work to translate this Sutra. So, thanks for all the hard work Mr. Watson. Well done.
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David Barnhardt
2.0 out of 5 stars Probably the strangest book I've ever read...Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2010
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First, let me say that Burton Watson is a genius in the field of translating Eastern Classics. His interpretation of Chuang Tzu is one of the most beautiful and compelling books I've ever read. His version of "The Lotus Sutra" is well translated and very readable also, but the subject matter itself is so over-the-top I had a hard time swallowing it.
To say it's a story of mythic proportions would be understating it. In some ways it's hard to believe how important this sutra is to the Mahayana tradition. I'm no Buddhist scholar, but I have read a number of books on the subject, as well as several English translations of both Mahayana and Therevadin sutras. Buddhism is a beautiful, appealing religion (or philosophy, if you wish), worthy of deep study and consideration. A recent reading of some Zen liturature was what led me to this sutra. I began reading some of Eihei Dogen's "Shobogenzo" and soon realized I needed to read this sutra to fully appreciate some of his sermons. There are several parables in this work that are very beautiful - I recognised one from another work (a Buddhist version of the 'Prodigal Son' is in this Sutra - also in Paul Carus' "Gospel of Buddha"). There are definitely some beautiful, important passages in this sutra.
All that being said, the amazing, super-colossal, extra-gradiose, fantastical nature of the sutra, for the most part, just plain turned me off. I'm not sure what was up with the originators of this sutra, but I just didn't get it. Very little was said of actual value (I guess they assume the reader gets any significant morals, etc. from all the other sutras). Much is said about how great the sutra is, but there is little in the text to substantiate these claims! Maybe it's just my cynical Western Mind - or maybe it was just my mood.
Nonetheless, if you're serious about gaining deeper insight into Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, I'm pretty sure this is one of those sutras you'll want to read - and Burton Watson makes it a pleasant trip!
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IVAN EDGAR PRATT
5.0 out of 5 stars A Lost Profoundity in the English Language TranslationReviewed in the United States on July 18, 2015
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The Lotus Sutra, by Burton Watson, I am a SGI-USA Buddhist Member (http://www.sgi-usa.org), and at one of the Buddhist Community Center years ago, I meant Burton Watson in San Francisco. As a piece of poetry, which is what the Lotus Sutra is, I think translated to the English language, it may have lost something, and this is not Burton Watson fault, it’s what happens to many pieces of literature that are translated from their original language, and I find this particularly so with Japanese translations to the English language, and I find many of the Islamic poetry losing something when translated to English. I do prefer President Ikeda’s of the SGI-USA writing and literary thesis called ‘Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra’ a lot more profound published by SGI-USA a lot more profound in meaning and practical application as a translated literary form in philosophy to the English language.
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Doug M
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb translation of a difficult Buddhist textReviewed in the United States on February 22, 2007
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The Lotus Sutra has essentially defined East Asian Buddhism with it's imagery, devotional passages, and ideas regarding equality between men and women as well as Enlightenment for all beings. Unfortunately, the Lotus Sutra is one of the most challenging Buddhist texts to read due to it's length, depth, and difficult prose style. The imagery alone can be very tiring if you're new to Buddhism, and don't understand half of what's going on.
The good news is that Burton Watson's translation of the Lotus Sutra really brings this text to the Western audience in a way never done before. Burton helps provide good context in the introduction as to how to read the Sutra, as well as explanation of some of the people and places. Many translations use archaic English, which makes it even hard to read, but Watson balances modern translations with a poetic style very nicely.
Folks interested in the Lotus Sutra should look no further and purchase this book.
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banja john
5.0 out of 5 stars All that I want to knowReviewed in the United States on December 21, 2020
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This has been an informative read. The writer has made this a readable English version. It has been a slow read as I try to make sense of this text. So far I learned to understand some meaning of this Sutra. Nam Myho Renge Kyo
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Antony F. F. Boys
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent translationReviewed in the United States on May 15, 2008
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Books like this always have you wondering whether the translator has really done his/her job properly, but with this one you can rest assured that he has. I have read the original Chinese version from which the translation was done and backed it up with a comparison of the Japanese (which translates from Chinese much easier than the English) for meaning and there's little I can find to criticize. The English reads well and naturally. Nearly all the unusual vocabulary is in the glossary, but the occasional word (e.g. 'vajra') is missing. The introduction provides useful background, making the whole readable as a story. By way of criticism, the translation of the names of bodhisattvas into English seems a little overdone. A table showing the names in the original Sanskrit and Chinese versions might have been a useful addition. Overall, an extremely useful book for finding out what the Lotus Sutra is all about.
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Jimmer
5.0 out of 5 stars ALL people can attain enlightenment!Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2019
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This isn’t my first copy of this book. This translation is recognized as the most correct of all of the translations. I’ve been practicing Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism with the Nichiren Shoshu for 12 years. This is the sutra that explains that 1) we can attain enlightenment in this lifetime, and 2) women can also attain enlightenment. The Japanese translation of the title is Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Chanting this is the basic part of our practice.
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Marjorie
5.0 out of 5 stars The Lotus Sutra translated by Burton Watson--Essential Ancient TextReviewed in the United States on January 22, 2013
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The Lotus Sutra is Buddha's most important sutra. In it he states that everyone-even women-can become enlightened in their current lifetime. Watson's translation is authentic and understandable. I gave The Lotus Sutra to a friend for Christmas. He has studied several ancient texts. He was over the moon to receive it and is now reading it cover to cover. I highly recommend this text and this translation.
Marjorie Saporu
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John Cannon
5.0 out of 5 stars This is it!Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2015
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This is it! The authoritative translation of the greatest expression of the truth of life, ever. I've been practicing "Nichiren Buddhism" based on the Lotus Sutra for over 30 years with the "SGI-USA" organization. It's the best! See also the book entitled "Awakening the Buddha" by Clark Strand for an objective, easy read, overview of SGI-USA or go to "sgi-usa.org".
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