Greetings
The Soka Gakkai is pleased to announce the publication of the eighth work in its Lotus
Sutra Manuscript Series, entitled Xixia Version of the Lotus Sutra from the Collection ofthe St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy ofSciences. It was edited by Dr. Tatsuo Nishida, professor emeritus of Kyoto University
and a world-renowned authority on the Xixia language. I wish here to express mysincere thanks to Dr. Nishida and all those who helped to make this publication
possible.
The Xixia version of the Lotus Sutra was prepared on the basis of an Agreement
for Exchange entered into by the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental
Studies and the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, a Japanese foundation located in Tokyo.
The work presents facsimiles of manuscripts and xylographs of the Xixia version of theLotus Sutra in the possession of the above-mentioned Institute of Oriental Studies inRussia, along with the text of Kumarajiva’s Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra,
which formed the basis for the Xixia version of the sutra.
Of the facsimiles of the manuscripts and xylographs included herein, the originalsof the color ones were shown earlier in the exhibition entitled “The Lotus Sutra and Its
World” held in Tokyo in November of 1998 and sponsored jointly by the St. Petersburg
Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies and the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. The
monochrome facsimiles are based on microfilms that were presented to the president ofthe Soka Gakkai International, Daisaku Ikeda. It is a rare event to have texts in the Xixia
language introduced in such number and such beautiful color reproductions.
According to the historical records, the Xixia state ruled an area in the eastern partof the Silk Road from the beginning of the 11th to the 13th century. It prospered in aregion that was active in the East-West trade, and controlled urban centers such as
Dunhuang that were home to various ethnic groups and were markedly international incharacter. The state displayed a high level of cultural development, devising its own
unique Xixia system of writing and translating many Buddhist sacred texts into Xixia. Itwas, in effect, a Buddhist state whose inhabitants were well familiar with such texts.
Among these, the Lotus Sutra seems to have been held in particular esteem, the Xixia
ruler himself having participated in the process of translating it into Xixia. In some ofthe xylographs of the sutra such as that of the 25th chapter, which concerns thebodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, the text is accompanied by illustrations.
Now, when the Xixia state has long since vanished from the scene, we are more thanever moved to think that the Lotus Sutra commanded a place of such intense devotionamong the many peoples that inhabited the state and by individuals of varied socialstation.
We, members of the Soka Gakkai and Soka Gakkai International, are presentlyengaged in a wide range of peace-oriented, cultural and educational activities innumerous areas of the world, hoping thereby to ensure that the 21st century will be anera of peace. And the backbone of all our endeavors is the belief in the dignity andequality of all persons that is expounded in that same Lotus Sutra, hailed from earlytimes as “the king of sutras.”
We are firmly convinced that the light of the Lotus Sutra, in concert with the SGI’sexertions for world peace, will transcend barriers of time and place and shine morebrightly than ever.
The Soka Gakkai Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series is designed to present facsimile
reproductions and romanized texts of examples of the Lotus Sutra that are of particularscholarly importance, our hope being that, in doing so, we may contribute to studies ofBuddhism throughout the world. A committee was set up in January of 1994 to plan theproject, and so far seven works have been published. The plan is related to the fact thatin the past Mr. Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International, has received as gifts
from academic institutions in various countries a number of reproductions of valuable
Lotus Sutra manuscripts that are un their possession.
Ten years have now passed since we began publication of the series and we have inlarge part completed our original plan. We offer here a listing of all the works in theseries:
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(presently the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China). (2000)
4. Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript 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)

In the publication of the series as a whole, we were fortunate in receiving thecooperation of the late Dr. Hirofumi Toda, professor emeritus of the University ofTokushima, an authority on the study of Sanskrit manuscripts.
The publication of the first item in the series, Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Fragments fromthe Lüshun Museum Collection, was carried out with the kind assistance of the lateProfessor Jiang Zhongxin of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Ms. Sanimaiya Rana, then chief of the National Archives of Nepal, and otherpersons associated with the Archives, were of great help in the publication of the second
item in the series, Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from the National Archives of Nepal
and the Romanized texts that accompanied it. Dr. Toda supervised the photographing ofthe manuscripts, traveling to Kathmandu to do so, and also acted as editor of theromanized texts.
The publication of the third item, Fragments of a Manuscript of the
Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra from Khādaliq, was proposed by Dr. Heinz Bechert, thendirector of the Seminar für Indologie und Buddhismuskunde of the University ofGöttingen; the editing was done by Dr. Klaus Wille of the same Seminar.
For the publication of the fourth work, Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscripts fromCambridge University Library, we are much indebted to the assistance of Deputy
Librarian D.J. Hall, Mr. Craig Jamieson, keeper of Sanskrit manuscripts, and othermembers of the library staff.
The publication of the fifth item, Sanskrit Lotus Sutra Manuscript from Universityof Tokyo General Library, was guided by Dr. Toda; Mr. Haruaki Kotsuki, a researcher
in charge of manuscript studies of the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, contributed tothe project by acting as editor.
On the occasion of the present publication, the latest in the series, Xixia Version ofthe Lotus Sutra from the Collection of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute ofOriental Studies, we wish to thank Dr. Yuri A. Petrosyan, the original director of theInstitute; Dr. Evgenij I. Kychanov, the former director; and all the other members of theInstitute, as well as the editor, Dr. Nishida, for their wholehearted cooperation.
Dr. Nishida contributed a highly valuable study entitled “On the Xixia BuddhistScriptures” which appeared in the Institute of Oriental Philosophy’s publication The Silk
Road and Buddhist Culture, Continued in 1980, and over the years he has been
extremely helpful in other ways. In spite of illness and major surgery, he has continued
to contribute to the successful completion of the present publication, for which we offer
most sincere thanks.
He not only carefully oversaw the preparation of this publication on Xixia

manuscripts and supplied an explanatory essay, but has undertaken other written works
for us. I know that all those throughout the world who are concerned with Xixia studies
and research related to the Lotus Sutra will join us in wishing him health and long life
and will look forward eagerly to future publications from his hand.
Thus, through the kind assistance of persons who recognized the scholarly
importance of our undertaking, we have been able to proceed to the present point in ourseries of publications on Lotus Sutra manuscripts. We are deeply gratified by thewelcome and praise that have so far been bestowed on the series by scholars andspecialists worldwide who are concerned with the study of Indian Buddhism andBuddhist literature. Such a response lends great encouragement to those of us
responsible for the series.
Once more we offer our sincerest thanks to all those persons and institutions whowere charged with the handling of the manuscripts involved in these publications.
To bring my greetings to a close, I would like to affirm our determination to pursue
a wide variety of activities consonant with the teachings of Buddhism, striving thereby
for the realization of world peace. With regard to the Lotus Sutra manuscript series, wewill continue our research step by step, with similar activities centering around theInstitute of Oriental Philosophy.
Einosuke Akiya
President, Soka Gakkai
October 2, 2004