The Return of Murano's Classic TranslationThe Lotus Sutra is one of the most important sutras in Mahayana Buddhism. It was translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva in 406 under the title: Myohorengekyo (Miao-Fa-Lien-Hua-Ching). The Chinese title means "Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma." The translation in this volume is based upon Kumarajiva's Chinese work. The translator, Bishop Senchu Murano, was an ordained priest in Nichiren Shu. Murano earned a degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 1938 and served as a teacher of Buddhist studies at Rissho University in Tokyo from 1962 to 1979. Murano's ambitious work on this landmark translation took 20 years to complete. It was originally published in 1974 and was the first full translation of Kumarajiva's Chinese work to appear in English. Long out of print, Murano's groundbreaking work been faithfully reproduced and enhanced for the digital era. For the first time, it is now widely available to a new generation of Buddhist students and scholars.For readers unfamiliar with Buddhist terms and cosmology, this edition includes two fully revised glossaries covering more than 1,800 entries. The glossaries include descriptions of the life of the Buddha, disciples of the Buddha, important Sanskrit and English Buddhist terms (as well as important Chinese Buddhist terms as they are used in Japan), and translated proper names given in this translation that effectively serve as a handy Buddhist dictionary.
CONTENTS
Preface to the First Edition
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the Third Edition
Introduction
Translator's Note
Chapter I: Introductory
Chapter II: Expedients
Chapter III: A Parable
Chapter IV: Understanding by Faith
Chapter V: The Simile of Herbs
Chapter VI: Assurance of Future Buddhahood
Chapter VII: The Parable of a Magic City
Chapter VIII: The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples
Chapter IX: The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and of the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn
Chapter X: The Teacher of the Dharma
Chapter XI: Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures
Chapter XII: Devadatta
Chapter XIII: Encouragement for Keeping this Sūtra
Chapter XIV: Peaceful Practices
Chapter XV: The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground
Chapter XVI: The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata
Chapter XVII: The Variety of Merits
Chapter XVIII: The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sūtra
Chapter XIX: The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma
Chapter XX: Never-Despising Bodhisattva
Chapter XXI: The Supernatural Powers of the Tathagāta
Chapter XXII: Transmission
Chapter XXIII: The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva
Chapter XXIV: Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva
Chapter XXV: The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva
Chapter XXVI: Dhāraṇīs
Chapter XXVII: King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva
Chapter XXVIII: The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva
English/Sanskrit Glossary: Sanskrit Words, English Buddhist Terms and Translated Proper Names Given in This Translation
Chinese/Japanese Glossary: Important Chinese Buddhist Terms Given in the Lotus Sutra
Index
Bibliography
