Mythos and Wisdomの序文

Preface to the English Edition

 
T
ranslated into Chinese from a Sanskrit original (of the Saddharma-pundarika-sutra) in 406 ce by the Bud­dhist scholar-monk Kumarajiva, the Lotus Sutra of the Won­derful Law has been and remains widely popular throughout China, Japan, and other countries of East Asia to the present day. In these countries, the words “Lotus Sutra” almost univer­sally refer to Kumarajiva’s Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law. The rich development of Mahayana Buddhism in Asia could never have taken place without this sutra, and one of the reasons for its widespread acceptance is the superlative blend of religious inspiration and vitality that characterizes Kumarajiva’s Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law. Moreover, Kumarajiva’s version includes segments that are missing from the extant Sanskrit versions. These segments, which are unique to Kumarajiva’s transla­tion, give us something of a wider window of access to the Lotus Sutra’s true meaning than is possible with the San­skrit texts themselves.
Extant Sanskrit versions of the Lotus Sutra have several lineages, but none of them preserves the original form of the sutra, as later generations have made alterations. Among these versions, Kumarajiva’s Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law comes closest to the original form in many respects. Presently, there are several English translations of this sutra, including Dr. Burton Watson’s The Lotus Sutra and Its Open­ing and Closing Sutras (abbreviated as LSOC in this book).
These translations, especially Dr. Watson’s, allow English readers to grasp the surface meanings of the words and phrases in the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law. However, merely reading at this superficial level won’t lead readers to understand the sutra’s underlying meanings or the inten­tions of those who initially compiled the sutra in writing. Recognizing the necessity of explanations to provide such understanding, this book was written with the purpose of elucidating the sutra’s overall meaning and purpose through commentary on each of its twenty-eight chapters. The book at hand is an English translation of that commentary, origi­nally published in Japanese as Shin hokekyo ron (A New Dissertation on the Lotus Sutra) in 2015.
Of course, the Lotus Sutra is a religious scripture in which the sutra’s compilers sought to express Shakyamuni Bud­dha’s enlightenment in a manner consistent with their own religious beliefs. It is, therefore, nearly impossible to grasp the sutra’s true meaning through a purely objective and aca­demic approach. Instead, one must also approach the sutra from a subjective standpoint that embraces the compilers’ religious convictions. (Kumarajiva himself undertook the task of translating the Buddhist scriptures based on such conviction, which he gained through his religious studies.)
For this reason, this book relies on the writings of the Jap­anese Buddhist priest Nichiren (1222–1282) as a guide to interpret the Lotus Sutra and its profound meaning. This is because, in all the world, it is Nichiren who accepted each phrase of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law as an embod­iment of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Throughout his life, he proved the truthfulness of the sutra by enduring severe persecutions that were inflicted upon him for expounding its teachings. When viewed through the lens of Nichiren’s insights, the significance of the Lotus Sutra becomes even clearer.
Furthermore, I was moved to write this book out of my strong belief that because it is an essential premise of Nichiren Buddhism, understanding the Lotus Sutra’s origins and deeper meaning can have a profound impact by unveil­ing the true significance and potential of the Buddhism taught by Nichiren.
While praising the excellence of Kumarajiva’s translation, Nichiren pointed to Gautama, the Great Teacher Tiantai, and the Great Teacher Dengyo as “votaries of the Lotus Sutra” and positioned himself within the lineage of those masters. This book respects that lineage and attempts to understand the Lotus Sutra through this orthodox lineage of Buddhism, from Gautama to the compilers of the Lotus Sutra, then on to Kumarajiva, Tiantai, and Dengyo, and finally to Nichiren himself.
In conclusion, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Andrew Clark for his English translation and to others who made indispensable contributions by facilitating the translation process and editing the translation itself.
Haruo Suda

 

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