Chapter II: Introduction: Historical 1

Form and Content 10

Doctrine 34

THE LOTUS SUTRA

I. The Assembly and the Illumination 59

II. Tactful Revelation 65

III. Parable of the Burning House 81

IV. Faith-discernment, the Prodigal Son 106

V. Parable of the Rain 122

VI. Prediction of the Four Disciples 129

VII. Parable of the Magic City 131

VIII. Prediction of Five Hundred Disciples 142

IX. Prediction of Ananda, Rahula, and others 146

X. The Preacher 149

XI. The Precious Shrine 157

XII. Devadatta. The Dragon-King’s Daughter 169

XIII. Steadfastness. Prediction of Women and others 176

XIV. The Serene Life. The Four Spheres 181

XV. Hosts of Disciples issue from the Earth 192

XVI. Eternity of The Buddha. The Physician 200

XVII. The Merit and Reward of Faith 209

XVIII. The Merit and Reward of Accordance 216

XIX. The Merit and Reward of the Preacher 219

XX. The Bodhisattva “Never Despise” 226

XXI. Divine Power of a Buddha’s Tongue 230

XXII. The Final Commission 234

XXIII. The King of Healing. Bodhisattva Beautiful 236

XXIV. Wonder-sound 242

XXV. Kuan-yin, Regarder of the Cries of the World 247

XXVI. Spells 252

XXVII. King Resplendent and Buddha Thunder-Voice 255

XXVIII. Universal Virtue 260

GLOSSARY 267

INDEX 271

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Introduction of Buddhism into China _Frontispiece_

1. Part of a scroll of the Sutra _Facing page_ 8

2. Modern Buddhist Monks 30

3. Conception of the Buddha 58

4. Buddha and the child’s offering 76

5. Buddha dividing the waters 122

6. Buddha telling of a former Buddha 136

7. The Precious Shrine 158

8. The Dragon King 172

9. Kuan-yin saving sailors 196

10. The laying of the purchase money in bricks of gold 216

11. Holding back the sun 230

12. Kuan-yin breaking the Sword 248

13. Spell-making 252

Acknowledgement for permission to use the above illustrations is gratefully made to the British Museum and Dr. Lionel Giles for Nos. 1, 9, and 12; to Lady Hosie for No. 2, and to the Bodleian Library for the other illustrations, which are taken from the eighteenth-century woodcuts of the 釋迦如來應化事蹟, _Shih-chia Ju-lai Ying-hua Shih-chi_, or _Scenes from the Life of the Buddha_.