PREFACEThe Lotus Sutra, which from early times has been called “the king of the sutras,” haslong inspired in the hearts of the Asian peoples a respect for life, a way of living inpeace and compassion with the universe and nature, an attitude of consideration for thewell-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 Institute of
Asia-Pacific Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has reported on thespecial 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 differences in language,structure, length, and other aspects amongst the existing Sanskrit manuscripts of theLotus Sutra are most complex. Fourth, existing Sanskrit manuscripts of the Lotus Sutra
were recorded over the longest 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 the works of Indian Buddhism, it has exercised the widest and longest
influence. (See volume 8 of The Journal of Oriental Studies [English version].)In order to study the origin of the philosophy of the Lotus Sutra and ascertain 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 theresearch collections of various different countries, kept under careful surveillance andclosely watched, so that to study them in person, to compare them and determine theirrespective characteristics are very difficult.
Daisaku Ikeda, Honorary President of the Soka Gakkai, has called the underlying
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 in dialogues among the leaders of world opinion to discuss thevarious global problems that face humankind.
The eternal and universal message of the Lotus Sutra is one that underlies thedialogues Mr. Ikeda has been conducting. Meanwhile, in the course of these efforts, hehas 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 studyof manuscripts of the Lotus Sutra in Sanskrit and other languages, materials of highscholarly value, and involved a plan for setting up a committee entrusted with the job of
publishing the facsimile editions and romanized texts of the manuscripts. The task ofstudying and producing the results was entrusted to the Institute of Oriental Philosophy.
The results, produced through the cooperation of academic institutions and specialists inJapan and other countries, have been carried out successfully through the first andsecond phases of the work, and have been published in 13 works that have alreadyappeared. These constitute the following items listed below.
(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 of Nepal(No. 4-21), Facsimile Edition (1998)
2-2. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the National Archives of Nepal(No. 4-21), Romanized Text 1 (2001)
2-3. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the National Archives of Nepal(No. 4-21), Romanized Text 2 (2004)
3. Fragments of a Manuscript of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra from Khādaliq(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. Petersburg
Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences(2005)(The second phase)
7. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the Royal Asiatic Society of GreatBritain 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 first phase are found thetwo types, namely, the Central Asian manuscripts, which appear to be close to theChinese text translated by Kumarajiva, and the Nepalese manuscripts, which represent
the most important original texts of the Lotus Sutra. The manuscripts that were
published in the first phase, along with the precious Xixia texts, make up a total of eight
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 along-term undertaking to prepare a critical edition of the Nepalese Lotus Sutra that canstand in lieu of the Kern-Nanjio edition.
The above listed researches and publications have been made available to thecommunity of scholars who are studying the question of the Lotus Sutra manuscripts
and have been highly acclaimed by Buddhologists, those who are concerned withphilological studies of original texts, and other experts in the field.
As the start of the third phase of our work on the publications of Lotus 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 tobe 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 thatSoka Gakkai’s Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series will include representative texts from all
three lineages of the Lotus Sutra manuscripts, namely, the Gilgit manuscripts, theCentral Asian manuscripts, and the Nepalese manuscripts.
Mr. Ikeda, commenting on the process of study of the Lotus Sutra manuscripts andthe 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 cantrace the process by which it came into being and was transmitted.
(2) Analysis of differences in the versions of the sutra excavated or preserved invarious areas can provide clues to perceiving how the Lotus Sutra changed and wasaltered in response to the diversity of the 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, and the Lotus Sutra, thus allowing
us to also examine how the all-embracing doctrines of the sutra contributed to theformation of the cultures of these peoples.
(4) Extracting lessons from the history of the transmission of the Lotus Sutra canalso make possible the discovery of how to maintain, in an all-inclusive way, a common
consciousness of belonging to humankind, while making the best of the distinctive
features of the earth’s varied and diverse areas. (Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Fragments fromthe Lüshun Museum Collection, Facsimile Edition and Romanized Text, Preface, p. xx,
English text p. xviii)
We hope that the philosophy of peace, symbiosis, and compatibility of the Lotus
Sutra, which has attracted so many followers and adherents, transcending theboundaries of nations, peoples, and cultures, will spread further over the world in thepresent and the ages to come through 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 theInternational Academy of Indian Culture, to Dr. Oskar von Hinüber, Professor Emeritusof Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg of Germany, and to all scholars and specialistsin Indology and Buddhology as well as in other fields from Japan and abroad who havetaken part in the projects of the Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series.
Minoru Harada
President, Soka Gakkai
January 27, 2012