The Lotus Sutra Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Lotus Sutra
Book Review: A central text in Mahayana Buddhism
Summary: 5 Stars
The Lotus Sutra is a vitally important text for anyone interested in Mahayana Buddhism, both in Japan and elswhere in Asia. It contains the doctrines which had enabled Buddhism to adapt itself to local cultures and thus become one of the most successful missionary religions in history. Highly recommended to students of Buddhism and Buddhist philosophy, I doubt it would be accessible to the general audience. As for the translation: Burton Watson is a brilliant and talented translator, and his work is both academically impeccable and literarily of the highest quality. In short, highly recommended reading.Book Review: Another great book
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is wonderful. Shows the true buddhism.. What we fellow to this day.
How it was started and why lots of Nichiren Shoshu practices to this day. How to help others with bad things in lives in past and present day.
This is not a clued by anymeans. Nichiren Shoshu and priesthood fellow and do what Nichiren Daishonin wanted to bring to the world of peace and happiness to the world
Book Review: Excellent translation
Summary: 5 Stars
Books like this always have you wondering whether the translator has really done his/her job properly, but with this one you can rest assured that he has. I have read the original Chinese version from which the translation was done and backed it up with a comparison of the Japanese (which translates from Chinese much easier than the English) for meaning and there's little I can find to criticize. The English reads well and naturally. Nearly all the unusual vocabulary is in the glossary, but the occasional word (e.g. 'vajra') is missing. The introduction provides useful background, making the whole readable as a story. By way of criticism, the translation of the names of bodhisattvas into English seems a little overdone. A table showing the names in the original Sanskrit and Chinese versions might have been a useful addition. Overall, an extremely useful book for finding out what the Lotus Sutra is all about.Book Review: Got comparison?
Summary: 2 Stars
Readers seem to rate a text for its mere appearance/publication or its importance within the larger framework of Buddhist texts, than for the quality of its translation. Now, how many people have actually compared the original to the translation? Few, I guess. Yet most of the readers give a high rating. I find that unplausible.Even without mastering (Classical) Chinese (from which this translation is done), someone with some experience in Buddhist rhetoric will find some things to remark:
* Classical Chinese lends itself to different interpretations, leaving a certain arbitrariness in translation (in syntax).
* Words like 'the Law' and 'the Laws' or 'Dharma' need contextual interpretation. I don't doubt Watson is a good translator, but I wished some notes were included where ambiguity of terms exists.
* Leaving passages or whole chapters out is a pity. For a complete published edition leaves the reader to choose which chapters to skip.
Book Review: Major Flaw in Watson's work
Summary: 2 Stars
Watson's translation of the Lotus Sutra was commissioned by Daisaku Ikeda of the SGI. It is no surprise and in fact telling that this work contains a major flaw in it's translation. And in fact it is ironic that the flaw is in the third chapter, where Shariputra is lamenting himself for almost being fooled to believe it was Papiyas or the Devil who was preaching "this Sutra." And Watson translates that "Papiyas would not have... preached this sutra." that is where Mr. Watson is mistaken. The word "would not" needs to be "could not" as other correct translators have written. Each and every charater or word of this Sutra is truth. It is the King of Sutras preached by the Buddha "in past, present or future." Therefore, the Devil "could not" teach or preach the Lotus Sutra (as other translators point out). Mr. Watson needs to go back and revise this translation. And perhaps then he might realize the reason he was under the spell of "Papiyas" to commit (commission) that error in the first place....