The Lotus Sutra - religion.ucsb.edu

The Lotus Sutra

Buddhism in China

Historical Context
2nd century CE

¾ The Silk Road: traders and kings, bandits and
war-lords

¾ West and Central Asia, Khotan

z local deities
z Jews, Zoroastrians, Christians
z docetic movements
z savior cults

¾ Challenges:

z cultural adaptation or exclusivity
z internal schisms
z decease of the Buddha
z removal from sacred centers

Mahayana Sutras

¾ Open canon
¾ Emphasis on written rather over oral

z more extensive and luxuriant in style,
z surrealistic locales
z visionary, shamanic?

¾ The inadequacy of language
¾ Medicine to be discarded after the cure

Hinayana and Mahayana

¾ Mutual agreement on the three goals of
practice:

z Arhat, Pretyekabuddha, and Buddha

¾ Differ on:

z need for a doctrine to follow
z ability to teach others,
z supramundane powers
z Ultimate goal

Expansion Problems

¾ Incoherence of the tradition

z One Buddha, different (contradictory)
teachings, modes of knowledge and practices

¾ Pedagogic problem

z How does one teach people

• Of differing levels in
• In different cultural contexts

¾ Social

z Relationship of conceptual or meditative
emptiness and daily life

The Lotus Sutra: Audience

¾ 12,000 arhats, 8000 bodhisattvas, nuns,
monks, laymen and laywomen

z “Overbearingly arrogant” arhats
z Shariputra
z Voice Hearers, Arhats
z Pratyekabuddhas
z Bodhisattvas

¾ Heavely Beings (Gods), dragons, spirits

Cosmic Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

¾ Sakyamuni,Tathagata, Thus Come One
¾ 23 cosmic bodhisattvas

z No historical precedent, visionary productions
z Maitreya: Buddha of future age; messianic

cults,
z Manjusri: remembers deeds of past buddhas,

represents wisdom
z Avalokitesvara: represents compassion;

capable of transformations: man woman
brahmin, monk laywoman, etc.

Expedient Means

Chapter 1

¾ upaya
¾ All teachings are expedient
¾ Sentient beings have different levels of

understanding
¾ The Buddha’s decease was only apparent,

intended to motivate

z Buddhas are rare
z there is something to attain: Nirvana

¾ The 3 vehicles are also upaya