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Why do Discriminatory and Exclusive Expressions Appear in the Lotus Sutra?

2006; Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies; Volume: 54; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.4259/ibk.54.970

1884-0051

Tsugunari Kubo,

Chinese history and philosophy

The charm and power of the Lotus Sutra is found in the fact that it entrusts the task of personal and societal benefit to human beings themselves. Yet, why would the Sutra propose to do this if these same human beings are people who are not buddhas, and who are constantly misled by their own in tentions and desires?The Sutra's ideal concept, as seen in from the perspective of the Buddha, is that the whole human life situation, i. e., physical and social matters as well as spiritual ones, can be changed or improved through development of their own awareness and subsequent reformation of their spritual condition. However, if one takes the compilers of the sutra to be the actual authors of the explanation, the contents of the sutra can be seen as an aggressive criticism of those who hold views opposing those of the followers of this sutra. The correct reading can be grasped through a comprehensive understanding of the entire text.The final repetition of its admonition to humanity reflects the actual condition of human society during the time of the compilation of the text. The condition is all the same in our modern society. The value and importance of the sutra's perspective is underlined through its premise that human beings possess a basic and essential nature of goodness, and that, through their own actions and attitudes, they can engineer the improvement of themselves and their society.