Shakyamuni Buddha
The Birth of Buddhism
History of The Lotus Sutra transmitted by many foregoer overcome many difficulties and preserve
The transmission of Buddhism was not something that happened as a matter of course. The Buddhist teachings were protected and spread by numerous practitioners who overcame various hardships, sometimes even at the cost of their lives. This section features events and persons relating to the transmission of Buddhism and the Lotus Sutra, from Shakyamuni Buddha to Nichiren.
Shakyamuni Buddha
The Birth of Buddhism
King Ashoka
Spreading Buddhism Throughout India
Milinda and Nagasena
Dialogue between East and West
King Kanishka
Transmission from India to Central Asia
Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu
Prominent Buddhist Scholars in India
Kumarajiva
From the Western Regions to China
Zhiyi
Systematizing the philosophy of the Lotus Sutra
Saicho
Founder of the Tendai school in Japan
Nichiren
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo: The essence of the Lotus Sutra, the way to enlightenment for all people
From the Western Regions to China
Among these translations, Kumarajiva’s Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law was praised as “the best that ever was and the best that ever will be.”
① Zheng fahua jing 正法華經 (Lotus Sutra of the Correct Law), 286 CE, trans. by Dharmaraksha
② Miaofa lianhua jing 妙法蓮華經 (Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law), 406 CE, trans. by Kumarajiva
③ Tianpin Miaofa lianhua jing 添品妙法蓮華經 (Supplemented Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law), 601 CE, trans. by Jnanagupta and Dharmagupta
He rendered difficult concepts of Mahayana Buddhism, which had been unfamiliar to the Chinese people, into lucid and elegant writing with literary excellence.