The conversations in this six-volume work, conducted over a number of years among Daisaku Ikeda, head of Soka Gakkai International (SGI), and Soka Gakkai Study Department leaders Katsuji Saito, Takanori Endo and Haruo Suda, yield intra-religious insights of Buddhists who regard the Lotus Sutra as the core teaching of Mahayana Buddhism. The coauthors examine and expand upon the Lotus Sutra from the perspective of the 13th-century founder of their faith, the Buddhist sage and reformer Nichiren, based on The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings in which Nichiren reveals that the Mystic Law, the theme of the Lotus Sutra, is an expression of life itself.
The four coauthors set the framework for their discussion by reviewing the role religion has played historically in the East and West, noting particularly its impact on people's lives and their worldview. This includes an evaluation of Nichiren's teachings and the spirit with which they are communicated by the SGI, one of the world's largest and most diverse lay Buddhist movements today. They also share observations on the qualities of an engaged religion and its capacity to empower contemporary society in constructively addressing both human nature and a host of global concerns arising from its innate destructiveness. In their view, an engaged religion should not only build the resources for peace, but debate the ethics of scientific and technological advances as well as expose the roots of extremism in all its forms.
Throughout the proceeding discussions of each chapter of the Lotus Sutra emerge interpretations that link back to the discursive prologue and yield insights into the aims and purpose of Nichiren Buddhism as it is embraced by the SGI. They demonstrate, for example, that central to the Lotus Sutra, its parables and metaphors—in fact, seminal to Mahayana Buddhism—is a message of equality.
"The Lotus Sutra," Ikeda summarizes, "doesn't preach equality as just a slogan; it teaches a way to happiness for oneself and others alike, addressing the conditions of our lives on a fundamental level and how those life-conditions are expressed through the way we live our lives."
The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra is also available in Japanese, French, German, Korean, Chinese, Italian, Danish, Spanish and Portuguese.
CONTENTS
(The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume I)
Foreword
Editor's Note
PART I: PROLOGUE
1: Surmounting the Absence of Philosophy in Our Age
2: Making the Coming Age an Age of Life
3: A Scripture That Calls Out to All People
PART II: "INTRODUCTION" CHAPTER
4: "This Is What I Heard": The Pulse of the Oneness of Mentor and Disciple
5: "Three Meetings in Two Places": Exchange Between Eternity and the Present Moment
PART III: "EXPEDIENT MEANS" CHAPTER
6: "Expedient Means": The Art of Skillful Human Education
7: The Revelation of the Single Buddha Vehicle: Opening the Door to the Oneness of Mentor and Disciple
8: The Heart of the True Aspect of All Phenomena: The Endless Challenge To Transform Reality
9: "Expedient Means": The Inherent Sanctity of All Existence
Glossary
Index
(The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume II)
Editor's Note
PART I: "SIMILE AND PARABLE" CHAPTER
1: Simile and Parable: Compassion and Wisdom Distilled to Their Fragrant Essence
PART II: "BELIEF AND UNDERSTANDING" CHAPTER
2: Belief and Understanding: The Dynamic Relationship of Faith and Wisdom
PART III: "THE PARABLE OF THE MEDICINAL HERBS" CHAPTER
3: The Buddha's Compassionate Wisdom Fosters Individuality
PART IV: "BESTOWAL OF PROPHECY" CHAPTER
4: The Purpose of "Bestowal of Prophecy" Is To Enable All People To Enter the Path of Absolute Happiness
PART V: "THE PARABLE OF THE PHANTOM CITY" CHAPTER
5: The Eternal Bond of Mentor and Disciple
PART VI: "PROPHECY OF ENLIGHTMENT FOR FIVE HUNDRED DISCIPLES" AND "PROPHECIES CONFERRED ON LEARNERS AND ADEPTS" CHAPTERS
6: The Voice-hearers Awaken
PART VII: "THE TEACHER OF THE LAW" CHAPTER
7: Teachers of the Law Live Among the People
Glossary
Index
(The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume III)
Editor's Note
PART I: "THE EMERGENCE OF THE TREASURE TOWER" CHAPTER
1: One's Life Is Itself the Treasure Tower
2: Recognizing the Infinite Value of Each Person's Life
PART II: "DEVADATTA" CHAPTER
3: The Enlightenment of Evil People—The Triumph of Good
4: The Dragon Girl's Enlightenment Is a Grand Declaration of Equality
PART III: "ENCOURAGING DEVOTION" CHAPTER
5: A Disciple Battles the Three Powerful Enemies
PART IV: "PEACEFUL PRACITICES" CHAPTER
6: The Lotus Sutra Enables All People To Attain Absolute Peace and Happiness
PART V: "EMERGING FROM THE EARTH" CHAPTER
7: "Upsetting Attachments and Arousing Doubts": Inducing a Revolutionary Leap in Consciousness
8: A Cultural History of the Lotus Flower
9: "I Am a Bodhisattva of the Earth": The Discovery of the Eternal Self
Glossary
Index
(The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume IV)
Editor's Note
PART I: "THE LIFE SPAN OF THE THUS COME ONE": To Learn about Death Is To Learn How To Live
1: An Irrepressible Zest for Life—the Spirit of the "Life Span" Chapter
2: The Supreme Dignity of the Human Being
3: Establish a State of Life of Eternal, Indestructible Happiness
PART II: "THE LIFE SPAN OF THE THUS COME ONE": The Ten Worlds
4: The Pursuit of Happiness
5: Turning a Society of Anger Into a Society of Humanism
6: From the Six Paths to the Four Noble Worlds
7: The Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds
8: Enacting the Drama of Kosen-rufu
PART III: "THE LIFE SPAN OF THE THUS COME ONE": The Eternity of Life
9: Testimony to the Eternity of Life
10: The Meaning of Eternal Life
11: Eternally Advancing with Great Life Force
Glossary
Index
(The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume V)
Editor's Note
PART I: "DISTINCTIONS IN BENEFITS" CHAPTER
1: Those Who Spread the Mystic Law Accumulate Great Life Force
PART II: "THE BENEFITS OF RESPONDING WITH JOY" CHAPTER
2: Joyfully Spreading the Mystic Law
PART III: "BENEFITS OF THE TEACHER OF THE LAW" CHAPTER
3: Those Who Spread the Mystic Law Can Purify Their Senses
PART IV: "THE BODHISATTVA NEVER DISPARAGING" CHAPTER
4: A Struggle Against Arrogance
PART V: "SUPERNATURAL POWERS OF THE THUS COME ONE" CHAPTER
5: The Transmission to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth
6: The Dawn of "Humanistic Buddhism"
7: Ordinary People Are the True Buddha
8: "Buddhism for the People"—The Implicit Teaching
PART VI: "ENTRUSTMENT" CHAPTER
9: Completing the Ceremony of Transmission
Glossary
Index
(The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume VI)
Editor's Note
PART I: "FORMER AFFAIRS OF THE BODHISATTVA MEDICINE KING" CHAPTER
1: True Health Can Be Found in the Bodhisattva Practice
PART II: "THE BODHISATTVA WONDERFUL SOUND" CHAPTER
2: Cultural Activities Based on the Mystic Law Are "Wonderful Sounds"
PART III: "THE UNIVERSAL GATEWAY OF THE BODHISATTVA PERCEIVER OF THE WORLD'S SOUNDS" CHAPTER
3: Developing the Compassion and Wisdom "To Perceive the World's Sounds"
4: Kosen-rufu Is the Ultimate Path in Life
PART IV: "DHARANI" CHAPTER
5: Those Who Devote Themselves to Kosen-rufu Receive the Benefit of Protection
PART V: "FORMER AFFAIRS OF KING WONDERFUL ADORNMENT" CHAPTER
6: The Victory of a Family Revolution
PART VI: "ENCOURAGEMENTS OF THE BODHISATTVA UNIVERSAL WORTHY" CHAPTER
7: Treasuring Each Person Is the Conclusion of the Lotus Sutra
8: The Lotus Sutra Is a Teaching of the Oneness of Mentor and Disciple
Glossary
Index
