Lotus Sutra

About Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sūtra, literally Sutra on the White Lotus of the Sublime Dharma, is one of the most popular and influential Mahayana sutras, and the basis on which the Tiantai, Tendai, Cheontae, and Nichiren schools of Buddhism were established. For many East Asian Buddhists, the Lotus Sūtra contains the ultimate and complete teaching of the Buddha and the recitation of the text is understood to bring auspicious fortune and eradicate ones accumulated negative karma.

The sutra emphasizes that all these seemingly different teachings are actually just skillful applications of the one Dharma and thus all constitute the "One Buddha Vehicle and knowledge of all modes". The Lotus sutra sees all other teachings are subservient to, propagated by and in the service of the ultimate truth of the One Vehicle leading to Buddhahood. The Lotus Sūtra also claims to be superior to other sūtras and states that full Buddhahood is only arrived at by exposure to its teachings and skillful means.

There are 28 Chapters in total for Lotus Sutra, namely:
Ch. 1, Introduction
Ch. 2, Ways and Means
Ch. 3, A Parable
Ch. 4, Faith and Understanding
Ch. 5, Parable of the plants
Ch. 6, Assurances of Becoming a Buddha
Ch. 7, The Magic City
Ch. 8, Assurances for 500 Arhats
Ch. 9, Assurances for the Trainees and Adepts.
Ch. 10, Teacher of the Dharma
Ch. 11, The Treasure stupa
Ch. 12, Devadatta
Ch. 13, Encouragement to uphold the sutra
Ch. 14, Peace and Contentment
Ch. 15, Springing Up from the Earth
Ch. 16, The eternal lifespan of the Tathagata
Ch. 17, Merits and Virtues of enlightenment
Ch. 18, Merits and Virtues of Joyful Acceptance
Ch. 19, Merits and Virtues obtained by a Teacher of the Dharma
Ch. 20, The Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta
Ch. 21, The Spiritual Power of the Tathagata
Ch. 22, The Passing of the Commission
Ch. 23, The Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja
Ch. 24, The Bodhisattva Gadgadasvara
Ch. 25, The Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara
Ch. 26, Dhāraṇī
Ch. 27, King Wonderfully Adorned
Ch. 28, Encouragement of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra