Lotus Sutra Talks
The Lotus Sūtra (Sanskrit: Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtram, Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma, Chinese: 妙法蓮華經) is one of the most influential and venerated Buddhist Mahāyāna sūtras. It is the main scripture on which the Tiantai along with its derivative schools, the Japanese Tendai, Korean Cheontae, Vietnamese Thiên Thai and Nichiren schools of Buddhism were established. It is also influential for other East Asian Buddhist schools, such as Zen. According to the British Buddhologist Paul Williams, "For many Buddhists in East Asia since early times, the Lotus Sūtra contains the final teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha—complete and sufficient for salvation." The American Buddhologist Donald S. Lopez Jr. writes that the Lotus Sūtra "is arguably the most famous of all Buddhist texts," presenting "a radical re-vision of both the Buddhist path and of the person of the Buddha."
Two central teachings of the Lotus Sūtra have been very influential for Mahāyāna Buddhism. The first is the doctrine of the One Vehicle, which says that all Buddhist paths and practices lead to Buddhahood and so they are all actually "skillful means" of reaching Buddhahood. The second is the idea that the lifespan of the Buddha is immeasurable and that therefore, he did not really pass on into final Nirvana (he only appeared to do so as upāya), but is still active teaching the Dharma.
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The Other Four ParamitasSerial: BZ-00936A Skillful Means, Spiritual Power, Aspiration, Knowledge, Sesshin Day 1 Paramitas, Skillful Means, Bodhisattva Vow, Karma, Four Noble Truths, Doubt, Vows,... |
Sep 03 1994 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Blue Cliff Record: Case #50Serial: BZ-00940A Saturday Lecture BCR-50, Samadhi, Doubt, Platform Sutra, confusion, Lotus Sutra, Birth-and-Death,... |
Jul 16 1994 Berkeley Zen Center |
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April 7th, 1994, Serial No. 00230 Perfect Wisdom, Six Realms, Evil, Nirvana, Constancy, Right Effort, Lotus Sutra,... |
Apr 07 1994 |
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March 24th, 1994, Serial No. 00228 Perfect Wisdom, Heart Sutra, Four Noble Truths, Birth-and-Death, Lotus Sutra,... |
Mar 24 1994 |
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March 22nd, 1994, Serial No. 00551 Lotus Sutra, Birth-and-Death, Happiness, Soto Zen, Karmic Consciousness, Karma,... |
Mar 22 1994 |
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February 20th, 1994, Serial No. 00979, Side A Lotus Sutra, Heart Sutra, Mahayana, Zazen Mind, Birth-and-Death, Bodhisattva Vow,... |
Feb 20 1994 |
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February 2nd, 1994, Serial No. 00224 Lotus Sutra, Chanting, Birth-and-Death, Lineage, Nirvana, Composure, Six Realms,... |
Feb 02 1994 |
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January 27th, 1994, Serial No. 00221 Lotus Sutra, Big Mind, Avalokiteshvara, Nirvana, Addiction, Heart Sutra, Bowing,... |
Jan 27 1994 |
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January 24th, 1994, Serial No. 00546 Platform Sutra, Intuition, Attachment, Birth-and-Death, Mahayana, Evil, Buddha Mind,... |
Jan 24 1994 |
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January 20th, 1994, Serial No. 00222 Lotus Sutra, Mahayana, Complete Perfect Enlightenment, Instruction, Doubt,... |
Jan 20 1994 |
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January 19th, 1994, Serial No. 00559 Platform Sutra, Buddha Nature, Dharma Transmission, true dharma, Transmission, Evil,... |
Jan 19 1994 |
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January 13th, 1994, Serial No. 00223 Lotus Sutra, Heart Sutra, Dragons, Offering, Samadhi, Chanting, Mahayana, Manjushri,... |
Jan 13 1994 |
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1993.05.24-serial.00313 Lay, Lotus Sutra, Yakusan, Thich Nhat Hanh, Way-Seeking Mind |
May 24 1993 |
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May 15th, 1993, Serial No. 00665, Side B Attachment, Discrimination, Lotus Sutra, War, Birth-and-Death, Practice Period,... |
May 15 1993 |
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July 25th, 1992, Serial No. 00633, Side A Lotus Sutra, Buddha Nature, Four Noble Truths, Triple Treasure, Book of Serenity,... |
Jul 25 1992 |
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May 21st, 1992, Serial No. 00607 Absolute-and-Relative, Lotus Sutra, Karma, Emotions, Daily Life, Darkness and Light,... |
May 21 1992 |
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May 13th, 1992, Serial No. 00213 true dharma, Transmission, Nirvana, Dharma Transmission, Buddha Nature, Manjushri,... |
May 13 1992 |
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April 9th, 1992, Serial No. 00605 Lotus Sutra, Silent Illumination, Doubt, Rinzai, Instruction, Six Realms, true dharma... |
Apr 09 1992 |
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March 26th, 1992, Serial No. 00603 Platform Sutra, Branching Streams, Four Noble Truths, Perfect Wisdom, Sixth Patriarch... |
Mar 26 1992 |
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March 21st, 1992, Serial No. 00678, Side A Lotus Sutra, Complete Perfect Enlightenment, Perfect Wisdom, Bodhisattva Vow, Dragons... |
Mar 21 1992 |
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Giving and Taking, Empty Ground Manifests; No FutureSerial: BZ-00677A Inaction of Action, Action in Inaction, Sesshin Day 1 Giving-and-Taking, Teacher-and-Student, Lotus Sutra, Nirvana, Daily Life, Buddha... |
Mar 17 1992 Berkeley Zen Center |
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One TreasureSerial: BZ-00958A One-Day Sitting Teacher-and-Student, Lotus Sutra, Nirvana, Daily Life, Buddha Nature, causation, Ego... |
Mar 14 1992 Berkeley Zen Center |
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March 12th, 1992, Serial No. 00651 Lotus Sutra, Buddha Nature, Mahayana, Nirvana, Karma, Eight Awarenesses, Heart Sutra... |
Mar 12 1992 |
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March 7th, 1992, Serial No. 00109Serial: BZ-00109 Saturday Lecture Soto Zen, Lotus Sutra, Liberation, Ego, soto, Buddha Nature, Mahayana, Duality... |
Mar 07 1992 Unknown Location |
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March 5th, 1992, Serial No. 00650 Perfect Wisdom, Mahayana, Heart Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Nirvana, Continuous, Half-Smile,... |
Mar 05 1992 |
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Song of the Jewel Mirror SamadhiSerial: BZ-00734 Sesshin Day 7 Absolute-and-Relative, confusion, Five Ranks, Sixth Patriarch, Discrimination,... |
Dec 19 1991 |
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Dogen's GuidelinesSerial: BZ-00692A Immersing/Obstructing in the Way, Saturday Lecture Absolute-and-Relative, Non-duality, resistance, Lotus Sutra, Intuition, Birth-and-... |
Mar 23 1991 Berkeley Zen Center |
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1991.01.10-serial.00087 Chanting, Thich Nhat Hanh, War, Offering, Lotus Sutra |
Jan 10 1991 |
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1991.01.10-serial.00088 Chanting, Thich Nhat Hanh, War, Offering, Lotus Sutra |
Jan 10 1991 |
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October 25th, 1990, Serial No. 00622 Four Noble Truths, Offering, Heart Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Karma, Sixth Patriarch,... |
Oct 25 1990 |
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May 26th, 1990, Serial No. 00505, Side B Ordinary Mind, Commitment, Practice Period, Posture, Lotus Sutra, Attachment, Daily... |
May 26 1990 |
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April 14th, 1990, Serial No. 00509, Side B Lotus Sutra, Patience, Constancy, Transmission, Monastic Practice, Dharma... |
Apr 14 1990 |
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March 31st, 1990, Serial No. 00509, Side A Addiction, Half-Smile, Dependent Origination, Vows, Lotus Sutra, Offering, Culture,... |
Mar 31 1990 |
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March 25th, 1990, Serial No. 00510, Side B Lotus Sutra, Berkeley Zen Center, Anger, Buddha Nature, Transmission, Gratitude,... |
Mar 25 1990 |
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September 16th, 1989, Serial No. 00383, Side B Enemies, Equanimity, Heart Sutra, Karma, Lotus Sutra, Subject-and-Object, Hate,... |
Sep 16 1989 |
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July 15th, 1989, Serial No. 00379, Side A Lotus Sutra, Blue Cliff Record, Nirvana Sutra, Buddha Nature, Mahayana, Echo, Bowing... |
Jul 15 1989 |
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December 9th, 1988, Serial No. 01476, Side C Concentration, true dharma, Nirvana, Lotus Sutra, Samadhi, Lineage |
Dec 09 1988 |
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Bodhisattva PracticeSerial: BZ-00367B Saturday Lecture Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva Way, Anger, Lotus Sutra, Platform Sutra, Emotions,... |
Oct 01 1988 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Luminous MindSerial: BZ-00893B Sesshin Day 1 Silent Illumination, Posture, Nirvana, Lotus Sutra, Concentration, Daily Life,... |
Sep 03 1988 Berkeley Zen Center |
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February 21st, 1988, Serial No. 01499 Blue Cliff Record, Lotus Sutra, Enemies, Concentration, Separation, Posture, Ego... |
Feb 21 1988 |
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SandokaiSerial: BZ-00301 Lecture Sandokai, Fundraising, Lotus Sutra, Sixth Patriarch, Mill Valley, Oneness, confusion... |
Feb 04 1988 |
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December 13th, 1987, Serial No. 00304Serial: BZ-00304 Sesshin Day 6 Lineage, Religion, Silence, Diversity, Lotus Sutra, Doubt, Subject-and-Object,... |
Dec 13 1987 |
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December 12th, 1987, Serial No. 00305Serial: BZ-00305 Sesshin Day 5 Buddha Nature, Describe, Lotus Sutra, Karma, Ego, Lay |
Dec 12 1987 |
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Blue Cliff Record ClassSerial: SF-00070 Cases 14 and 15 Suzuki Roshi, First Principle, Oneness, Lotus Sutra, Karma, Transmission, Dragons,... |
Nov 27 1987 5 Green Gulch Farm |