The Lotus Sutra: Ideas and Values
This is the translation of Opening Lecture for the Exhibition “Lotus
Sutra—A Message of Peace and Harmonious Coexistence” in Madrid,
Spain on February 17, 2012

Carlos RubioThe lotus flower, paradigm of the strange beauty that grows,
immaculate, deep in the mud, gives its name to the king of thesacred texts of Buddhism. The Lotus Sutra is the popular name for the
religious text which in Sanskrit is entitled Saddharma-pundarika sutra
and whose literal translation would be “Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the
Wonderful Law.” It is the most commented writing on Buddhism, its
influence having proven to be long-lasting in the cultures of the Far
East, and over the centuries it has been the subject of profoundveneration for Buddhists in China, Korea, Japan and other parts of East
Asia, as it still is today.

Like a Movie on the Screen of Universe
The Lotus Sutra is a film of colossal proportions and multiple
dimensions. To see it you don’t need those special glasses they give youat the cinema door, only a sincere heart.
The events described in the Lotus Sutra take place in a universe ofcosmic proportions with incalculable time frames; a universe that inmany ways is a reflection of ancient cosmogonic ideas from India.
The ten levels or paths of existence described correspond to the
Buddhist concept of the ten states or categories of beings, also called“ten worlds” or “ten realms”. It is important to distinguish eachseparately as there are constant references to the inhabitants of all ofthem, continually marching in jubilant corteges across the different
levels of existence on the giant screen on which our eyes follow thedevelopment of the sutra.
Our world may be three dimensional, in terms of space—or perhaps
even four-dimensional—but the spiritual apotheosis of the Lotus Sutra isa film of multiple dimensions, all colossal, which is projected on thescreen of the entire universe.
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This evening I invite you all to open your eyes wide before the giant
screen on which this huge film will unfold: a film, however, in which
you who have the gift of faith, are actors, active characters. Whatinsolent audacity on my part! I who am not a believer, dare to speak to
you of this film. I have to watch it dubbed—or at least with subtitles.
But you are the actors in it. I apologise for being so daring.
What are its contents? To explain them in my poor language will be
the aim of my talk.

History and Structure of the Sutra
Characterized by its universal message and the beauty of its images, theLotus Sutra comes at the end of a complex story of Buddhism, so
therefore several different past trends come together in it. Althoughprimitively written in a language of northern India, this Sutra wasactually put to paper around the first or second century BC in Sanskrit, alanguage that enhanced its prestige and the dissemination of the work.
We have proof that the work existed in written form in the year 255 AD,
the date of the Chinese version. It seems there was a total of six
translations into that language, of which three have been lost. Of thethree preserved, the version produced in 406 AD by the monk
Kumarajiva was the one which enjoyed greatest popularity in China andwhich spread successfully through the countries under Chinese cultural
influence. This version, unanimously acclaimed as the most successful
in terms of both style and content, serves as a base for the text that willsoon be available to the Spanish-speaking public.
Kumarajiva worked on his Chinese translation with the help of several
disciples with whom he exchanged ideas. This teamwork produced
comments on the sutra which were classified and characterized. The
Miao fa lien huan ching su (“Commentary on the Lotus Sutra”), written
by one of those disciples, Tao Sheng, is the oldest compilation of thosecommentaries. In it, there is a division made between Chapter 14(“Peaceful Practices”) and 15 (“Emerging from the Earth”), separating
the sutra into two halves: the half on the cause and the half on the effect.
This division has been the traditional one. The patriarch of the Tendai,
T’ien T’ai or Zhiyi school respected this and defined the first half as“the realm of the remains” or theoretical teaching, and the second as“the realm of the source” or the essential teaching.
Apart from this fundamental subject division and bearing in mind theprocess of adaptation which the sutras underwent over time, the studies
on the specific teaching of the Lotus Sutra reveal that the text’s poetic

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material—what is called “hymns and praise”—was put down in writing
around the year 100 BC, while the parts in prose are of a later date,
perhaps around 40–50 AD. Almost all the chapters consist of a
combination of parts in prose and verse. The latter were used as a wayof passing it on which was easier to memorise. It is believed that thepassages in verse or gathas must have been composed earlier.
At a later date passages in prose or poetry which paraphrased orcommented on the poetry sections were added. In the current text, thesections in verse usually repeat preceding passages in prose. It is also
thought that the original body of this text was added to on several
occasions which, all together, are referred to as “the sutra of the added
parts.” Some scholars share the view that even after these additions the
Sanskrit text underwent seven adaptations, however the basis of the freetext of these additions became permanent around the year 200 AD. The
result is a product which, despite everything, produces a harmonious
impression.

Incalculable Bodhisattvas in the Life of Shakyamuni
The events described in the Lotus Sutra take place in a universe ofcosmic proportions. For a start, it was believed that the world we live inwas made up of four continents around a great mountain, Mount
Sumeru. South of this elevation, located in the centre, like a heavenly
Jerusalem, was Jambudvipa, that is, the mainland (dvipa) where trees(jambu) abounded, whose form was that of an inverted equilateraltriangle and its surface washed by four large rivers, one of which was
the Ganges, so, the north of this world was wide and it narrowed downin the centre to end in a point at the south end, a shape that resembles
the current geographical outline of India.
On this continent there were sixteen large kingdoms, five hundred
average-sized ones and a hundred thousand small ones. Happiness inthese lands was not common as the people who lived there had bad
karma, the reason for which—it was thought—Buddha appeared on thiscontinent solely to enlighten his people. Beyond this world of ours offour continents, there were others in infinite number, scattered in all
directions, each one of which consisted of four different continents
presided over by different buddhas. Like ours, all these worlds weretrapped in a never-ending cycle of formation, development, decline anddisintegration, a four-phase process that stretched over astronomicallylong eras.
Like almost all the sutras, this one begins with the words “This isthe lotus sutra: ideas and values

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what I heard,” words traditionally attributed to Ananda, present in manyof Buddha’s sermons. Ananda then describes the moment when, on themountains or peak of the Eagle, Shakyamuni preached the Lotus Sutra.
In these opening lines, we are still in the world of historical reality, on
the outskirts of that Indian city in the state of Magadha, where Gautama
or Shakyamuni probably expounded their teachings in the fifth century
BC. But immediately afterwards, Ananda mentions the incalculable
variety of celestial beings, human and nonhuman, who gather to hear thewords of Buddha. Then we realise we have left behind the world of
everyday reality and have entered another world just as real, but
extraordinary.
This may be the first point that the modern reader, imbued with themodern myths of reason, logic and history as “faithful” representationsof reality, should keep in mind when opening this book. The scene of
Buddha preaching and the bodhisattvas belongs to a universe that totallytranscends our ordinary concepts of time, space, logic and reason, andof course history. Again and again we read of beings or worlds asnumerous as grains of sand in the Ganges, of events which took placecountless kalpas ago. A short kalpa, often described simply as “kalpa”,
lasted sixteen million years.
These astronomical amounts or “numbers” are really only pseudo
numbers stated with the intention of imprinting on the reader—thelistener, when Buddha preached—the awareness of the impossibility ofcalculating the incalculable. Taking these numbers at face value would
be as childish as considering them to be pure metaphor. They are simply
real—but in the context of the sublime reality-unreality of this writing.
The Lotus Sutra is neither a fairy tale nor a novel of science fiction. The
second president of the lay Buddhist organisation Soka Gakkai, Josei
Toda, talked with clever irony on the subject of the mismatch between“our numbers” and the sutra numbers as follows:
There were eighty thousand bodhisattvas and twelve thousand disciples
listening to the voice! How is it possible that, in an era when there were
no microphones, Shakyamuni had assembled together a number of suchproportions and had talked to everyone? The Lotus Sutra tells us that,really, everyone was there and they all heard him preach. That is, there
was a huge number of spectators, hundreds of thousands of people
assembled there, listening to Shakyamuni explaining the Law. Was itreally a lie? No, not at all. Did so many people really get together? How
could a buddha lecture to such a massive group of people without amicrophone? No matter how loudly he could have spoken ... The Lotus

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Sutra says that the conclave lasted eight years. Providing food for somany people for eight years must have been a daunting task. How onearth could they have organised toilets for so many people? But, then, isthe sutra lying? No, it’s not lying. They were gathered together and notgathered together...
Those who congregated there were the ones listening to the voice, andthe bodhisattvas who lived in the life of Shakyamuni himself. So there
could be nothing that got in the way of even tens of millions ofbodhisattvas and disciples who were listening to the voice all getting
together.1

Neither is this sutra a fantastic story, nor in its pages do we intend toprovide statistical data; we simply seek to overwhelm the mind, break
the bonds of reason, and free the intellect from conventional concepts oftime and space. Indeed, in the realm of the vacuum, time and space—as
we conceive them and regulate our daily lives—are devoid of any
relevance. The reader, without the heavy baggage of conceptual servitude, in joyous freedom, will thus receive a doctrine which can thenreach out to the depths of his being.
However the cosmos of the Lotus Sutra is not uninhabited. According
to the cosmogonic conception that illuminates its pages, the living
beings of this world, Jambudvipa, is inhabited by living things. It is allof us and in it we occupy six categories or realm. Rather, we go along
six paths of existence, ranked in hierarchical order as the path or
kingdom of hell; that of the starving bodies; the animals; the demons;
the human beings; and the heavenly beings.

Only Vehicle of True Enlightenment
After several breathtaking events that remind us of the truly cosmic
scale of the film we’re watching, Buddha began his preaching. The firstpoint that stands out in this is that there is only one vehicle of salvation:
the path to buddhahood. At an earlier stage Buddha had taught three
ways or vehicles: the one for those who hear the voice (shravada); theone for those who attain enlightenment for themselves alone (pratyekabuddha); and that of the bodhisattvas. But now, the believer must leavethese minor roads aside and aspire, simply and solely, to buddhahood,the only vehicle of true enlightenment or, expressed in terms of the
Lotus Sutra, the supreme, perfect enlightenment. When asked thereason for the old teaching of the three vehicles, the Buddha replied thatthe lotus sutra: ideas and values

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believers were not ready to understand this sublime truth. It wastherefore necessary to resort to so-called expedient means to lead them
gradually to the path of greater understanding.
In certain Mahayana texts, some direct disciples of Buddha, such as
Shariputra, who represented the “lesser vehicle” appeared ridiculed. In
the Lotus Sutra, however, a text steeped in compassionate love for themall, these same disciples respond with understanding and gratitude to the
Buddha’s words. This, in return, grants them the prophecy of attainmentof buddhahood in future existences, even to reveal the type of Buddhist
country they were to preside over. The doctrine is sublime and only thebodhisattvas fully capture it; but this is not an elitist education: it is foreveryone.
Therefore, the Buddha avails himself of a variety of resources forsalvation (“expedient” or “skilful means”), as illustrated by the series ofparables, such as the famous one of the burning house (Chap. 3); thefather of the prodigal son (Chap. 4)—which recalls the Christian parableof the Prodigal Son; the one about the rain that falls on all kinds ofplants (Chap. 5)—the same rain bathes all plants equally but each one
receives it according to its capacity; and the one about the spell of anenchanted city (Chap. 7)—that encourages walkers to continue on theirway. Chap. 8 narrates one of the richest parables in content, about thehidden gem: a beggar, despite living on alms, for years has carried a
gem of great value, sewn into the lining of his clothes. This simple
parable illustrates more truths than many treatises on happiness. Where
do we find the rule for being happy? Is it not inside us, within each
person?
The idea of the whole universe unified by a Wonderful Law as thesole vehicle of salvation, as set forth in the Lotus Sutra, deserved
subsequent developments. Kumarajiva translated this concept as “thereal state of all things.” This can also be expressed as “the real state of
the universe.” Basing himself on this concept, T’ien T’ai systematized
the teaching of the “three thousand realms contained in a single momentof life. The “three thousand realms” indicate the aspects and variable
phases that life takes on at every moment and its teaching relates that thestate of the microcosm (mind) and the state of the macrocosm (three
thousand realms) are interdependent; they are united in their true natureand form a harmonious whole under the Wonderful Law as the only
vehicle. On the other hand, the mandala of the Ten States illustrates indiagrammatic form the existences of the different beings which inhabit auniverse divided into ten states or worlds, from the world of hell to theworld of the buddhas, albeit unified under the Wonderful Law as unique

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vehicle.
A modern believer in the Lotus Sutra, the Japanese writer, Kenji
Miyazawa (1896–1930), beautifully presented the same idea in his
Nomin geijutsu gairon koyo (“Introduction to the Art of Agriculture”):
First of all,
we are dust, bright and tiny,
and let us spread across the sky ... in all directions.

Universal Accessibility to Buddhahood
The second central idea is the universality of the Buddhist message:
buddhahood is within everyone’s reach. In Chapter 12, the Buddha
reveals that Davadatta, perpetrator of the most serious crimes, such as
endangering the life of Shakyamuni and sowing discord within the
Buddhist community, in a previous life had done good deeds, so hewould not only be saved but would also become a buddha. This example
shows the infinite range of the compassion of Buddhist teaching: in therealm of non-dualism which the sutra preaches, evil and good are notalways mutually exclusive opposites. In the same chapter there is further
proof of the universal and salvific power of this teaching. The
Bodhisattva Manjushri talks of when he preached the Lotus Sutra in thepalace of the dragon king, at the bottom of the sea. The Nagas or
dragons, adaptations of Hindu mythology, were a species of nonhumanbeings responsible for protecting Buddhism. When Manjushri was asked
if there was anyone among his listeners who had attained enlightenment,
he said there was. There was indeed someone: a girl of scarcely eight
years old. The response amazed the assembly, as everyone knew that it
took Shakyamuni himself kalpas of religious practice to attainenlightenment. But then the little girl appeared and, before a stunned
assembly, performed acts that proved this to be true.
Early Buddhism claimed that women could never aspire to Buddhahood, simply due to the fact of being women and therefore subject to theFive Hindrances. But the Lotus Sutra decisively demolishes this claim.
The little girl was not even a human being: she was a dragon of thefemale sex and barely eight years old. And yet, just listening for a
moment to the bodhisattva speaking, she had reached the highest levelin the scale of spiritual progression. Once again this sutra reveals that its
revolutionary doctrine operates in a realm that transcends allcontemptible distinctions of gender (male or female); age (child or
adult); species (human or nonhuman); time (a moment or kalpa). Thesethe lotus sutra: ideas and values

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startling revelations concerning the universal accessibility to buddhahood, which takes up the middle chapters of the Sutra, are the second
most important idea in the work.

Eternal Life of Buddha
The second half of the Lotus Sutra covers the third, equally fundamental idea: the eternal life of Buddha. As stated in Chapter 16, entitled“The lifespan/The Longevity of the Thus Come One,” Shakyamuni has
been a Buddha since an eternal past when he reached buddhahood. It
also states that Shakyamuni, the historical buddha who lived in India
and died at eighty years old, was the physical manifestation of theeternal Shakyamuni living in our world. Three explanations can beoffered to explain the eternity of Buddha. According to the first of these,
it was necessary to unify these different buddhas.
The history of the veneration of Buddha indicates that the followersof Shakyamuni not only worshipped his relics but also longed for his
presence after he left this world. They wasted no time in seeking otherbuddhas as substitutes of Shakyamuni. The Lotus Sutra attempted tounify the different buddhas that appeared and presenting them asemanations of an eternal Shakyamuni succeeded in unifying all of them.
Secondly, the eternal existence is seen as the inherent quality of aunifying truth. Therefore, the Wonderful Law as a unique vehicle—theunifying truth of the universe—is not only a natural law but also an
eternal reality, personal and vital, that permeates all living things, alllife.
Third, the pace of eternal existence is perceived through the activityof practice in the real world. The historical Shakyamuni takes time to
explain this. Thus, chapter 16 states that the eternal Buddha endlessly
performs the practices of the bodhisattvas.
Countering these reasons, it could be argued that the Buddha sometimes seems to extinguish himself in Nirvana, sometimes reappearing in
the world. But all this he does in order that human beings do not give up
seeking enlightenment due to the fact of always being accustomed to his
presence. His physical passing away is nothing more than another“expedient means” at human endeavour, one of so many beneficial
resources with which he aims for his teaching to adapt to the manydifferent abilities and natures of individuals. We know that, in the Lotus
Sutra, the Buddha, who had previously been considered a historicalcharacter, is now conceived as a being that transcends the threshold oftime and space, an eternal principle of truth and compassion existing

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everywhere and in all beings.

Truth, Life and PracticeBased on traditional analysis and an understanding of the historicalevolution of the text, the main content of the Lotus Sutra can becondensed into three elements: the law or doctrine (dharma), the perfect
being (buddha), and men (bodhisattvas) or, even more succinctly, truth,
life, and practice. In other words, the unifying truth of the universe (theWonderful Law as the only path), eternal life (eternal Sakyamuni), andthe human activities of the real world (the practices of Bodhisattvas) are
the three major themes of the sutra. They correspond, respectively, to thefirst realm or world (the remains); the second realm (of origin) and thethird realm (of practice).
This last emphasizes the need to exercise the true doctrine and endure
the hardships of life. For example, in a time of remarkable political andideological turbulence, such as the thirteenth century in Japan, a monkof humble origin named Nichiren was the first to recognise theimportance of this third kingdom and raise the Lotus Sutra as the bannerof struggle for justice; the flag of good versus evil. The tribulations
suffered by this man—incessant persecution and exiles in Izu at aged
forty, and the island of Sado at fifty, were the spark that made himcomprehend the third realm, which led him to compare himself with thebodhisattva martyrs mentioned in the sutra and, ultimately, to recognise
the value of this writing.
The trio of ideas discussed above is the heart of the sutra and also of
Mahayana Buddhism. It is no exaggeration to add that all three; thedoctrinal treasures of Buddhism, were set down in the Lotus Sutra, andthis is the reason why it has been a text revered and exalted by believersof all schools for the last two thousand years. Its pages present theseideas through an elegant and compelling language, particularly throughsimiles and parables by which the sutra has gained so much presence inliterature and the visual arts in Asian cultures.
It would be a mistake to approach the Lotus Sutra seeking amethodical and logical exposé of a Western philosophical system. Someof the religious principles considered most important in traditional
Buddhism are only touched on in passing, while other ideas, far frombeing presented in an orderly way in a sequenced argument, appear in ascattered manner and all of a sudden, like flashes of divine revelation.
This is a text which, with its astronomical figures, hyperbolic
language full of formulae and its spell-binding effects, aims to appeal

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not so much to the intellect as to the emotions. We have alreadyindicated that in the early centuries of Buddhism, the custom was not towrite the teachings but rather, once committed to memory, transmit themorally in order that they would be received only by those worthy ofthem. The formulaic style, the summaries in verse, and the constantrepetitions were intended to facilitate memorisation and transmission toothers.
The most important idea of the sutra—perhaps the one responsible forits secular veneration—is the repeated assertion that it embodies thetruth that underlies the entire universe. It is rare to find a script thatlavishes so much praise on itself and with such tireless enthusiasm. Thisis another surprising aspect of the Lotus Sutra and one of its secretvalues. As its chapters move forward, the self-praise of its merits
increase, it being easy to become wrapped up in the magic of theprotagonists’ discourse and, like them, not realize a surprising fact: thepreaching of the sermon promised in the first chapter never takes place.
In some passages we are told that the Lotus Sutra will be preached; inothers that it has already been preached with wonderful results; inothers, how it should be preached or the veneration it should be paid.
George Tanabe, a scholar of Buddhism, has even said that this is a sutra
whose “discourse is never presented: an extensive preface with nobook.”2
In summary, the splendid sequence of praise of the Lotus Sutra
becomes the Lotus Sutra itself. This elusive nature is perhaps due to thefact that Mahayana Buddhism has always insisted on the fact that thesupreme truth can never be expressed in words, as they create a kind of
distinction that violates the unity of the vacuum. All the sutra can do,therefore, is to circumnavigate around the truth, like a butterfly aroundthe lamp, pointing with its turns to the empty centre where the source ofblinding light resides. It is a river that flows expansively and leads to an
endless sea of meanings; it is a painting with magnificent frames butwith the canvas bare, stretched out horizontally before our astonishedeyes. Not only is a text subject to different interpretations, as can bemost texts, but its core may also be empty or open.
It is like a hollow tree but with splendid leafy branches and fruits
whose seeds are put there to germinate in the hearts of men. This sutra
honours the nature of the flower of its name: the lotus (Nelumbo
nucifera), in fact—as Haruo Suda reminds us—3 it is a plant whose stem
and rhizome, unlike the lily, are hollow. Our writing is thus an empty,
circular text, pure context, which irresistibly invites us not only tointerpret it but also to fill in what is unsaid in its expansive horizontal

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development. It is, in short, a writing open to people. More easily thanother sacred texts it therefore lends itself to being discussed andinterpreted, as indeed it has been, and also to being transformed andimpregnated subtly in the hearts and lives of people, like a perfume inthe silk of a dress.

“Cosmic Humanism”
On the religious level, that horizontal quality of the Lotus Sutra, elusive
and, at the same time open, that we have just commented on, teaches usthat there are other paths to truth other than words and intellectual
discourse. Its pages exhort us to approach the wisdom of the buddhas
through faith and religious practice, we are invited to experience thesepages with our minds and bodies to become imbued with their meaning.
Its profound influence on religious and cultural life in East Asia is dueless to its importance as a prayer book than to its function of unifying
fragmentary teachings and spiritual beacon of human beings. Perhaps
this humanistic value is the most significant for modern society. Thereinlies the wisdom of the Lotus Sutra; a wisdom one hundred percent
focused on man and fully valid today. Daisaku Ikeda, the president ofSoka Gakkai International and certainly the most lucid modern
champion of the values of the sutra in the international arena, has coined
the term of “cosmic humanism” for the Lotus Sutra. He argues asfollows:
Its pages echo the voices of a chorus of joy at achieving absolute
freedom through the Three Existences—past, present and future—afreedom that rises like a flight towards the heavens. In it, the shining
light is combined with flowers, greenery, music, pictorial images andvivid accounts. It offers unsurpassed lessons on the psychology andfunctions of the human heart, life, happiness and peace. It traces, like amap, the basic rules for good health. It makes us aware of the universal
truth that a change in our heart and attitude can transform everything.
The Lotus Sutra is not a scorching desert of individualism or a
totalitarian prison. It has the power to manifest a realm of pure mercy,
where people complement and encourage each other. Both communismand capitalism today have used people as a means for their own ends.
But in the Lotus Sutra, king of the sutras, we find a fundamental
humanism where people are the purpose and objective; they are theprotagonists and sovereigns. Could we not perhaps refer to the teachingof the Lotus Sutra as “cosmic humanism”?4

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Perhaps the chapters that have most influenced the devotional practice of
Buddhist believers are the last ones. They describe several bodhisattvas
who excel in their zeal to assist the believer. Prominent among them ischapter 20, where the bodhisattva, Never Disparaging appears essential
for understanding the teaching on the meaning of forgiveness. And
chapter 25, whose protagonist is the bodhisattva, Avalokitasvara orPerceiver of the World’s Sounds, known in China as Guanyin and inJapan as Kannon or Kanzeon. “Kanzeon” is a compound of threeideograms: kan (looking), ze (the world) and on (sound). True to his
name, he is able to take on any form necessary—the chapter describes
thirty-three of these—just to alleviate the suffering of any human being,from kings and potentates to salesmen and criminals. The forms headopts are appropriate to the person asking for his help. The iconic
representation of this religious figure has used images with a huge
number of eyes and ears to see and hear the cries of any person afflicted,
as well as countless hands to meet the needs of as many as seek him out.
Japanese Christians, in the time when Christianity was banned in thatcountry, used statuettes of Kannon as a substitute for images of theVirgin Mary, with the invocation of “Maria Kannon, mother of mercy.”
And over the centuries, through chapters like this one, recited with great
enthusiasm by untold legions of devotees, this sutra has spread comfort
and hope to all levels of society.

Huge Cultural Influences on China, Korea, Japan
In terms of culture, its value has been incalculable. In sculpture,
painting, calligraphy, architecture, theatre, and plastic arts, the direct orindirect presence of the thematic and iconographic motifs of the Lotus
Sutra has been formidable over the last one thousand five hundred yearsof cultural history, often through educational and enriching motifs incountries such as China, Korea and Japan. Regarding literature, there arecountless examples that illustrate the impossibility of understanding
many poetic compositions of these three countries without having athorough understanding of this sutra. For example, in Japan theso-called Heian period (8th–12th century), the classical period in thearts, the upper classes were inspired with a remarkable knowledge andappreciation of the Lotus Sutra. Indeed, there is a work that contains
more than 1,360 poems on this sutra selected from over 120 anthologies
of poetry of that period and the following one (12th–14th).5 The first ofthese, attributed to the priest Gyogi (or Gyoki, 668–749), is represented
by the following verses:

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For collecting firewood
Gathering herbs,
And carrying water,
My reward is
The Lotus Sutra.

The poem is inspired in the episode described in chapter 12(“Davadatta”) where Budda remembers one of his past lives when afortune-teller explained the Sutra to him in exchange for offerings offirewood, water, and edible herbs.
Another example, now of profane literature, is provided by The
Pillow Book, a classic of the Heian period.6 In this work, the authoress,
Sei Shonagon, wants to stop listening to a sermon and go home, so sheorders her carriage. Beside her, a courtier tells her she should not behave
like one of “the five thousand who left.” This is a clear allusion to theincident of the five thousand disciples who, disdainful of the preachingof Buddha, rose and left the assembly. The episodes of the sutra had infact permeated the everyday life and speech of at least the upper classesof that time.
The two major narrative works of literature in China and Japan,
respectively, The Dream of the Red Chamber and The Tale of Genji, areprofoundly inspired by the ideas and images of the Lotus Sutra, andtheir scenes are the most represented in the religious art of bothcountries.
In terms of survival over the centuries, the Lotus Sutra can be defined
as a collection of religious texts, an anthology of sermons and parables,
a gallery of images. Texts, sermons, parables and images that havespoken with particular eloquence to people of flesh and blood fromdifferent countries at certain times and under different circumstances of
their lives. And the work continues talking to modern man. For all thesereasons, it is one of the grandest and loftiest human and universal
values.
The extraordinary quality of the Lotus Sutra lies in the same story inwhich the main characters are constantly praising a sermon that nevertakes place. As such, due to this carefully considered elusiveness andopenness, it can be read, listened to, discussed, processed and applied toa variety of different purposes. It is an empty book and, at the sametime, full of functions and values. Like water, it adapts to all forms; likewater, it permeates everything; and, like water, it enlivens the things it
touches. Among these, the heart of man.
Words are so worthless when one gets a glimpse of the grandeur ofthe lotus sutra: ideas and values

81

the Lotus Sutra! Might not silence be better?
The problem is that if I remain silent for more than five seconds, you
would be too surprised. But I will try ... SILENCE.
Teaching and worship, meaning and ritual, history and mystery,ideology and power, didactics and aesthetics have become intertwined in
the long and fascinating history of the Lotus Sutra. Now its 69,384
sinograms or kanji, which appeared in the Chinese version by
Kumarajiva in the year 406, are offered to all of us in this room today in
Madrid on a cold February afternoon (when the plum trees—the ume—
are blooming in Japan, filling the human heart with hope in an everrestless world) in the form of a spiritual message; a modern message
directed at the heart of men and women of our time, of all of us.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.
NOTES
Quoted by D. Ikeda in The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra. Dialogue on the religion of
the 21st century (Soka Gakkai, Tokyo, 2003, vol. 1, pg. 94–95).
2
George J. Tanabe (“Introduction” to The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture, op. cit.,pg. 2).
3
The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, op. cit., vol. IV, pg. 80.
4The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, op cit., pg. 28–29.
5
The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, op. cit., pg. 28–29.
6
Sei Shonagon, The Pillow Book
1