PREFACE

Minoru HaradaT

he Lotus Sutra, which from early times has been called “the kingof the sutras,” has long inspired in the hearts of the Asian peoples arespect for life, a way of living in peace and compassion with theuniverse and nature, an attitude of consideration for the well-being of all
humankind. And it has brought about the flowering of a varied andbrilliant culture.
The late Professor Jiang Zhongxin, a research fellow of the Instituteof Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, hasreported on the special characteristics of the presently extant
manuscripts of the Lotus Sutra in Sanskrit. First, he notes that they are
the most numerous of all sutras. Second, sites where existing Sanskrit
Lotus Sutra manuscripts have been found are likewise the mostnumerous and cover the widest geographical area. Third, the differencesin language, structure, length, and other aspects amongst the existing
Sanskrit manuscripts of the Lotus Sutra are most complex. Fourth,
existing Sanskrit manuscripts of the Lotus Sutra were recorded over thelongest continuous period of time.
Professor Jiang concludes that, “In the light of these particular overallcharacteristics, we are able to arrive at the following general
conclusions. Namely, that the Lotus Sutra was the most widely
circulated among the sutras of Indian Buddhism, and that, among theworks of Indian Buddhism, it has exercised the widest and longest
influence. (See volume 8 of The Journal of Oriental Studies [Englishversion].)In order to study the origin of the philosophy of the Lotus Sutra andascertain its course of development over time, the investigation into its
process of development, namely, the study of its various written
manuscripts, is of essential importance. However, the manuscripts
themselves, which are of so great significance, are held in the researchcollections of various different countries, kept under careful surveillanceand closely watched, so that to study them in person, to compare themand determine their respective characteristics are very difficult.
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Daisaku Ikeda, Honorary President of the Soka Gakkai, has called theunderlying spirit of the Lotus Sutra one of “cosmic humanism,” and,with that spirit as the basis, has worked for the development of peace,culture, and education throughout the world, while being engaged indialogues among the leaders of world opinion to discuss the various
global problems that face humankind.
The eternal and universal message of the Lotus Sutra is one that
underlies the dialogues Mr. Ikeda has been conducting. Meanwhile, inthe course of these efforts, he has been presented with quite a number of
facsimiles of the Lotus Sutra and microfilms by scholarly individuals
and academic institutions all over the world.
In 1994, the Soka Gakkai, in accordance with a plan proposed by Mr.
Ikeda, set about on a campaign to further the study of worldwide
Buddhism. It included the study of manuscripts of the Lotus Sutra inSanskrit and other languages, materials of high scholarly value, andinvolved a plan for setting up a committee entrusted with the job ofpublishing the facsimile editions and romanized texts of themanuscripts. The task of studying and producing the results wasentrusted to the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. The results, produced
through the cooperation of academic institutions and specialists in Japanand other countries, have been carried out successfully through the firstand second phases of the work, and have been published in 13 works
that have already appeared. These constitute the following items listedbelow.
(The first phase)
1. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Fragments from the Lüshun Museum
Collection, Facsimile Edition and Romanized Text (1997)
2-1. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the National Archives ofNepal (No. 4-21), Facsimile Edition (1998)
2-2. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the National Archives ofNepal (No. 4-21), Romanized Text 1 (2001)
2-3. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the National Archives ofNepal (No. 4-21), Romanized Text 2 (2004)	3. Fragments of a Manuscript of the Saddharmapuˆ∂ar¥kasËtra fromKhådaliq (2000)
4. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscripts from Cambridge University
Library (Add. 1682 and Add. 1683), Facsimile Edition (2002)	5. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from University of Tokyo General
Library (No. 414), Romanized Text (2003)	6. Xixia Version of the Lotus Sutra from the Collection of the St.

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prefacePetersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies of theRussian Academy of Sciences (2005)(The second phase)
7. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the Royal Asiatic Society ofGreat Britain and Ireland (No. 6), Romanized Text (2007)
8. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the Société Asiatique (No. 2),Romanized Text (2008)
9. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the British Library (Or.
2204), Facsimile Edition (2009)
10. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from Cambridge University
Library (Add. 1684), Romanized Text (2010)
11. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the British Library (Or.
2204), Romanized Text (2011)
Among the major three types of Lotus Sutra manuscripts, in the firstphase are found the two types, namely, the Central Asian manuscripts,
which appear to be close to the Chinese text translated by Kumarajiva,
and the Nepalese manuscripts, which represent the most importantoriginal texts of the Lotus Sutra. The manuscripts that were published in
the first phase, along with the precious Xixia texts, make up a total ofeight examples.
In the second phase are published four texts, or five examples, which
represent excellent and indispensable Nepalese texts. These are texts
that may be used in a long-term undertaking to prepare a critical editionof the Nepalese Lotus Sutra that can stand in lieu of the Kern-Nanjioedition.
The above listed researches and publications have been made available to the community of scholars who are studying the question of theLotus Sutra manuscripts and have been highly acclaimed by Bud­dhologists, those who are concerned with philological studies of original
texts, and other experts in the field.
As the start of the third phase of our work on the publications ofLotus Sutra manuscripts, we, including members of the National
Archives of India, the Soka Gakkai, and the Institute of Oriental
Philosophy working in cooperation, are extremely happy to be engaged
in the production of a new facsimile edition of Gilgit manuscripts of theLotus Sutra that will be in elaborate color.
When the facsimile edition of Gilgit manuscripts is completed, it will
mean that Soka Gakkai’s Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series will include
representative texts from all three lineages of the Lotus Sutra manu-preface

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scripts, namely, the Gilgit manuscripts, the Central Asian manuscripts,
and the Nepalese manuscripts.
Mr. Ikeda, commenting on the process of study of the Lotus Sutra
manuscripts and the results that have been published regarding them,has made the following remarks:(1) Through comparative studies of the various versions of the Lotus
Sutra, we can trace the process by which it came into being and wastransmitted.
(2) Analysis of differences in the versions of the sutra excavated orpreserved in various areas can provide clues to perceiving how theLotus Sutra changed and was altered in response to the diversity ofthe peoples and cultures of Asia.
(3) On the basis of the results of this study, we can analyze the relations
between the histories of peoples, each with their own culture, andthe Lotus Sutra, thus allowing us to also examine how the allembracing doctrines of the sutra contributed to the formation of thecultures of these peoples.
(4) Extracting lessons from the history of the transmission of the Lotus
Sutra can also make possible the discovery of how to maintain, in an
all-inclusive way, a common consciousness of belonging tohumankind, while making the best of the distinctive features of theearth’s varied and diverse areas. (Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Fragmentsfrom the Lüshun Museum Collection, Facsimile Edition andRomanized Text, Preface, p. xx, English text p. xviii)
We hope that the philosophy of peace, symbiosis, and compatibilityof the Lotus Sutra, which has attracted so many followers and adherents,transcending the boundaries of nations, peoples, and cultures, will
spread further over the world in the present and the ages to comethrough these publications of the manuscripts of the Lotus Sutra.
Finally, we wish to express our deep thanks to Professor Mushirul
Hasan, Director General of the National Archives of India, to Dr.
Lokesh Chandra, Director of the International Academy of IndianCulture, to Dr. Oskar von Hinüber, Professor Emeritus of AlbertLudwigs-Universität Freiburg of Germany, and to all scholars andspecialists in Indology and Buddhology as well as in other fields fromJapan and abroad who have taken part in the projects of the Lotus Sutra
Manuscript Series.
(January 27, 2012)