The "Universal Gate" is referred to in chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra. I've been trying to find the Sanskrit for this, but no luck.

According to upaya, the doctrine of 'skillful means', as it appears in the Lotus Sutra, was the Buddha *lying* when he said that there are three vehicles? Presumably he knew there was only one: so why wasn't his deception evil? I am referring to the claim in e.g. the parable of there being three chariots, when there is in fact only one. Or Shariputra's claim that he thought he was "deceived" when believing he could not be a Buddha. I believe it's generally characterized as "deception" according to the scholastic tradition that is based on the lotus sutra.

The Lotus Sutra implies light came from Gautama Buddha, which connected to " illuminating thousands of buddha fields"; can anyone enlighten me as to what that could mean?

In the Lotus Sutra, (Burton Watson translation) there is often mention of "the counterfeit law" being propigated for so-and-so number of small kalpas. I will give an exerpt below, but what exactly is this referring to? I don't know if this is helpful information, but it almost always is talked of in accordance to a prophesy. >"That buddha's life span will be twenty-four small kalpas, his Correct Law will endure in the world for fourty small kalpas, and his Counterfeit Law for fourty small kalpas."

>You, the richest person in the world, have been laboring and struggling endlessly, not understanding that you already possess all that you seek. I saw this quote on Instagram and the caption accompanying this quote says it's from the Lotus Sutra. However, I couldn't find any analysis of it online. I had interpreted it as the person in question not knowing that he had already achieved nirvana, and is laboring and struggling endlessly to achieve it, but that didn't sit right with me. I also thought that it might've meant that he was working towards material goals, despite having all he needed to find happiness, but that seemed very hedonistic and contrary to Buddhist views to me. What does this quote mean?

How can I tell the difference between joy bourne of karma that will expire and joy bourne of karma which has turned the irreversible wheel of the dharma?

What is the relation of sukhāvatī to 蓮華藏莊嚴世界海 ("the lotus's vault, the perfected lokadhātu, the ocean") attested to in the Buddhāvataṃsakanāmamahāyānasūtra T279 & Āryasaddharmapuṇḍarīkanāmamahāyānasūtra T262, wherein arahantaḥ, according to the Mahāyāna as attested to in aforementioned scriptures, perfect Buddhahood? Context: > Inquiry: in the Arhat's past lives the causes and conditions for being > subject to embodiment necessarily ought to have been eradicated, in > light of this they dwell where to perfect buddhahood? > > Response: when attaining arhatship, the three realms' myriad outflows' > causes and conditions are exhausted, there is no more birth again in > the three realms. There is a pure buddha land, beyond the three > realms, where not even the word affliction has a name, in this kingdom > of the Buddha, they hear the Dharma Flower Sūtra [i.e. the Lotus > Sūtra], with this they perfect Buddhahood. As in the Dharma Flower > Sūtra's words: "There are arhantaḥ, for example, who’ve not heard the > Dharma Flower Sūtra,themselves they call 'ones who have attained > cessation'; I in another realm for them speak this matter, that you > all shall become samyaksaṁbuddhāḥ." > > (Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśaḥ T1509.714a9) Furthermore, these pure lands, what relation do they have to ākaniṣṭaghanavyūha?

How many types of Buddhism are there? Someone told me about SGI, Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo. How that is derived from the Buddha. but mostly on the lotus sutra. Can we read the lotus sutra in English online?

I am a Hindu by birth. I am a huge devotee of Lord Buddha as he is considered a god in Hinduism. I wanted to know more about the Buddhist mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. What is the best way to chant it? Can I chant it anywhere and at anytime? I have previously been chanting the mantra at least 108 times a day for the past 4 months but I have yet to see any of my desires fulfilled. Is there a specific count when desires are fulfilled? I apologise, I am new to Buddhist methods of worship, but I want to do so with Buddha. How can I have my desires fulfilled by that mantra? Thank You.

How does upaya (skillful means) feature in Tibetan Buddhism? I'm just intrigued, because the texts I've spent longer trying to 'get' seem to be more inspired by the lotus sutra.

Do transformation bodies appear before a buddha reaches enlightenment? So that the many bodies of Shakyamuni that the fan Wang ching (Sutra of Brahmas net ) claims Vairocana manifests may have appeared before our Gautama Buddha? If the Buddha bodies do *not* all manifest at the same time then can two transformation bodies of the same Buddha appear in what will be the same Buddha field, at different times? I'm interested because I want to understand the lotus sutra and e.g. its claims about the Buddha's eternal life.

I understand that the Buddha used different teachings styles, depending on the audience/people that were listening. Also, I understand that there seems to be a ,superficial', easier accessible Buddhism and a more advanced, transcendental one. In the light of this, I am wondering if it is seen as ethically correct, that the Buddha taught some people differently than others, especially by using, I would say, manipulative techniques. There are two examples I'd like to bring up. One is the parable of the burning house, in which the Buddha promises playthings to get the children out of the burning house. ..."Then straightaway, **intentionally devising a lie**, he announced to the children, "I have various precious playthings, one for each of you, here outside the door. For one, a goat-drawn cart. For one, a deer-drawn cart. For one, an ox-drawn cart. Come out, all of you! For your sakes I have made these carts, following the desire of your own thoughts." Thereafter, he is offering them even more valuable carts than promised (the Dhamma I assume). But he used the first promise to lure them out of the house. Of course, as it is a parable, it can be interpreted in varying ways. However, in this case he intentionally lied to the children in order to get them to the right path. Isn't that manipulative? The second example is about Karma and re-birth. After reading about the topic from different sources and books, it seems to me that the mechanism of Karma and re-birth primarily serves as to bring the common people to act ethically (good karma, bad karma, different realm of re-birth). However, in my understanding there is actually no self that can be re-born, as the 5 aggregates dissolve at the moment of death (where there is actually no death also). When there is no self, nothing can die nor be reborn, nor can there be a ,bookkeeping' of good and bad karma. Therefore, it seems that the teachings here bring the karma and re-birth theory up only to attract the common people and have them behave in line with Buddhist ethics. However, in fact after realising that there is no self, this whole construct becomes redundant (Simpler vs. more advanced Buddhism?). I would be very happy to read your view on this, as this issue has kept bugging me for a while. I am convinced that there is a justification in this method, which makes it ethically acceptable (does the end ever justify the means?). Also, please point out if my line of thought is flawed. Thank you so much.

I got wondering, idly it's not part of any practice or effort, that everything has something like empathy, but of one thing, empathy for the buddha. Can that be read into buddhism, or panpsychism at all? Might the answer to this fall under the terms "empathy" and "response", as drawn from the lotus sutra? I promise this will be my last question, sorry for starting so many :)

I was reading The Lotus Sutra the other day and I came across Shakyamuni referring to "nine devices" as a way of teaching and leading people towardsed "the great vehicle", but upon looking the term, "the nine devices" up on the internet, I didn't find anything about the nine devices that he was refering to in the Lotus Sutra. Below is the passage it came from: > Here, the Buddha is preaching to Shariputra and a croud of nearly all of his deciples during the first of the three meetings in two places. "For those of dull capacities who delight in a lesser teaching, who greedily cling to birth and death, who, despite the innumerable buddhas, fail to practice the profound and wonderful way but are perplexed and confused by a host of troubles- for those I preach nirvana. I devise these expedient means and so cause them to enter into the buddha wisdom. Up to now I have never told you that you were certain to attain the buddha way. The reason I never preached in this manner was that the time to preach had not yet come. But now is the very time when I must decisively preach the great vehicle. **I use these nine devices**, adapting them to the living beings when I preach, my basic aim being to lead them to the great vehicle, and that is why I preach this sutra (68*). He then goes on to other related topics, but doesn't say what the nine devices are. Does anyone know? Are they referenced in another sutra? *This refers to page 68 in the Burton Watson translation of The Lotus Sutra.

As I know Buddhism, it says 'Nothing is permament' I just came across this in Wikipedia : > ...a Buddha is immortal. Even though he descends in the samsara to > preach Dharma and save sentient beings from suffering, his original body remains in a transcendent realm. That body will not die upon the death of the physical body of Buddha, and hence a Buddha is beyond arising and passing away... It is given as a Mahayana Perspective of the Lotus Sutta. So, what does this really mean? Is it that there exists something even after Parinirvana? Or have I understood it wrong?

In my copy of Shantideva's Bodhicaryavatara, there is a footnote referencing a story about Shariputra losing bodhicitta. Apparently a demon asked for his right arm, Shariputra willing gave it. But the demon is offended that Shariputra offered it with his left hand, at which point Shariputra dispairs. According to the footnote, this story is told in the Lotus Sutra. But, I cannot find it there. (Granted, I do not have complete version of the sutra to search through available to me. So perhaps it's in the missing material.) But I also have a vague memory of another story about a bodhisattva losing bodhicitta. The story, as I recall it, recounts how the bodhisattva works tirelessly to save all hell beings and at long last manages to liberate the last being from hell. Hell is empty. Having completed his work, the bodhisattva lets out a sigh of relief. And, in that instant, hell is completely repopulated once more. The bodhisattva grows despondent that his efforts have been to no avail. I've tried a web search for this last one. While, not surprisingly, I get many hits on bodhicitta, I haven't found this particular story. So, I have three closely related questions. Where in the Lotus Sutra does this particular story about Shariputra's loss of bodhicitta occur? And, who is the bodhisattva in this second story? In which sutra(s) can this story be found?