The Saddharmapuṅḍarīka Sūtra, also known as the Lotus Sūtra, is recognized as one of the great discourses in Buddhism, especially in the Mahāyāna tradition. Three words make up the Sanskrit phrase, “Saddharmapuṅḍarīka”: Sad, dharma, puṅḍarīka (Sad + dharma + puṅḍarīka). Referring to Sir Monier William’s “A Sanskrit to English Dictionary”, the word, “Sad” is defined as “the law“, “the truth” or “righteousness”, whereas “dharma” refers to the essential teachings of Buddhism. “Saddharma” can be translated literally as “righteous teachings”, “righteous truth”, or “noble richness”. On the other hand, “puṅḍarīka refers to “the lotus flower”. The eminent Buddhist scholar, Kumārajīva (344-413 CE), translated Saddharmapuṅḍarīka Sūtra as “the discourse of the white lotus flower” (Williams: 1989, 142).
For Mahāyāna based Buddhist followers, the doctrinal teaching of the Saddharmapuṅḍarīka Sūtra is an important and influential sermon. Mahāyāna seekers sincerely believe that one may receive the highest blessings by reciting the verses from the discourse repeatedly. Dr. Burton Watson illustrates that the Saddharmapuṅḍarīka Sūtra was first composed in India or Central Asia, and later on, this Sūtra was translated into the Chinese language by Kumārajīva in 255 C.E. (Burton: 1999, 1). According to the translated text by Kumārajīva, the Lotus Sūtra is divided into 28 chapters into 7 fascicles. Needless to say, all chapters of the Saddharmapuṅḍarīka Sūtra consist of a combination of lucid prose and verse passages.
The significant doctrine of the Saddharmapuṅḍarīka Sūtra includes the teachings such as one Buddha vehicle and skillful means (upāyakauśalya); universal Buddhahood; and the Primordial Buddha pave the way on how one can acquire wisdom (prajñā) and enlightenment (bodhi) through practice. One Buddha vehicle and skillful means in the Saddharmapuṅḍarīka Sūtra precisely instructs that the threefold divisions of the Buddha’s teachings, such as Śrāvaka Buddha (the disciples of the Buddha), Prateka Buddha (Private Buddha), and the Bodhisattva, are not separate vehicles; they are in fact one, i.e., the Buddha Vehicle or the Great Vehicle (Burton: 1999, 61).
In a nutshell, the unique teaching of the Saddharmapuṅḍarīka Sūtra is undoubtedly an excellent discourse in expressing the basic Mahāyāna Buddhist thought, its appeal as a devotional work, and its dramatic scenes and memorable parables. Apart from India and China, the Saddharmapuṅḍarīka Sūtra has exerted an incalculable influence on the Buddhist culture and literature of Southeast Asia and beyond.
Work Cited:
Chowdhury, Sanjoy Barua. 2015. “The Significance of the Platform Sūtra and its Similarities to the Pāli Canon” in the Journal of International Buddhist College (IBC) & Than Hsiang Buddhist Research Center (Issue: September 2015, E-Magazine).
Santina, Peter Della. 2012. The Tree of Enlightenment. Taiwan: Buddha Dhamma Education Association.
Williams, Paul. 1989. Mahāyāna Buddhism: The doctrinal foundation. New York: Routledge publication.
Watson, Burton. 1999. The Lotus Sutra. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications.
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