The Lotus Sutra (Translations from the Asian Classics)

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Book Reviews of The Lotus Sutra (Translations from the Asian Classics)

Book Review: COMPLETE, CONCISE, AND FLAWLESS IN TRANSLATION.
Summary: 5 Stars

Many who bought this book revere the text in itself because of the profound message that this sutra teaches. Its Buddhist message on the importance of Bodhisattva and the equality of Buddhahood has been very easy to access to read, unlike previous translations of the Lotus Sutra in the past.

The original translation of the Lotus Sutra are many, I suppose that one can easily pick a choice of the Pali text, or Japanese text, but that is the simplified purpose of this new translation of the Lotus Sutra, and since that Watson is a reliable translator who produces scholarly unbiased work, his work is accepted into the mainstream public approval.

Classical Chinese can split in its meaning, and Burton Watson truly notes the many times that the classic interpretation might be used in the text. Footnotes on these split translations may be found in the book. The word "Ho" is easily translated as Dharma, Law, etc. Watson's incredible powers of translation puts into the meaning of the word "Law" in its proper context within the book.

The Threefold Lotus Sutra is what many are also familiar with, this is a general title of a compiled 3 independent sutras. But one must realize that the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful law is an independent sutra of its own. All fascicles of the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra are intact and complete, with NO omitted chapters whatsoever.

All in all, I find this sutra without flaw but with great ease, style and scholar quality for all people to read.

Summary of The Lotus Sutra (Translations from the Asian Classics)

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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