On the nature and message of the Lotus Sūtra in the light of early Buddhism and Buddhist scholarship (towards the beginnings of Mahāyāna)

Asian Philosophy 14 (3):209-221 (2004)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to compare the contents of the Lotus Sūtra and the style of presentation of its message with the thrust of the Buddha's teachings as they are preserved in the early Buddhist sources, particularly the Sutta Piaka of the Pāli Canon, and also in the Pāli commentarial literature. In the process it attempts to identify in the early sources the precedents of some of the bold statements in the Lotus Sūtra which appear as complete innovations, but may be elaborations of elements contained in Pāli sources in germinal form. Despite the difference in style, language and mythological imagery, the conclusion is that both the Sutta Piaka and the Lotus Sūtra express in their respective manners the true spirit of the Buddhist message. Attention is drawn also to the striking parallels between the Buddhist picture of the multiple universe and modern cosmological theories.

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Literal means and hidden meanings: A new analysis of skillful means.Asaf Federman - 2009 - Philosophy East and West 59 (2):pp. 125-141.
Searching for a Mahāyāna Social Ethic.David W. Chappell - 1996 - Journal of Religious Ethics 24 (2):351 - 375.
Dialectical aspects in Buddhist thought: studies in Sino-Japanese Mahāyāna idealism.Alfonso Verdú - 1974 - New York: sole distributors in USA & Canada, Paragon Book Gallery.

Analytics

Added to PP
2010-08-10

Downloads
40 (#346,144)

6 months
3 (#439,232)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Indian conceptions of human personality.Karel Werner - 1996 - Asian Philosophy 6 (2):93 – 107.
The vedic concept of human personality and its destiny.Karel Werner - 1977 - Journal of Indian Philosophy 5 (3):275-289.

Add more references