The Return of Murano's Classic TranslationThe Lotus Sutra is one of the most important sutras in Mahayana Buddhism. It was translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva in 406 under the title: Myohorengekyo (Miao-Fa-Lien-Hua-Ching). The Chinese title means "Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma." The translation in this volume is based upon Kumarajiva's Chinese work. The translator, Bishop Senchu Murano, was an ordained priest in Nichiren Shu. Murano earned a degree in East Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 1938 and served as a teacher of Buddhist studies at Rissho University in Tokyo from 1962 to 1979. Murano's ambitious work on this landmark translation took 20 years to complete. It was originally published in 1974 and was the first full translation of Kumarajiva's Chinese work to appear in English. Long out of print, Murano's groundbreaking work been faithfully reproduced and enhanced for the digital era. For the first time, it is now widely available to a new generation of Buddhist students and scholars.For readers unfamiliar with Buddhist terms and cosmology, this edition includes two fully revised glossaries covering more than 1,800 entries. The glossaries include descriptions of the life of the Buddha, disciples of the Buddha, important Sanskrit and English Buddhist terms (as well as important Chinese Buddhist terms as they are used in Japan), and translated proper names given in this translation that effectively serve as a handy Buddhist dictionary. CONTENTS Preface to the First Edition Preface to the Second Edition Preface to the Third Edition Introduction Translator's Note Chapter I: Introductory Chapter II: Expedients Chapter III: A Parable Chapter IV: Understanding by Faith Chapter V: The Simile of Herbs Chapter VI: Assurance of Future Buddhahood Chapter VII: The Parable of a Magic City Chapter VIII: The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples Chapter IX: The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the ¿r¿vakas Who Have Something More to Learn and of the ¿r¿vakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn Chapter X: The Teacher of the Dharma Chapter XI: Beholding the St¿pa of Treasures Chapter XII: Devadatta Chapter XIII: Encouragement for Keeping this S¿tra Chapter XIV: Peaceful Practices Chapter XV: The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground Chapter XVI: The Duration of the Life of the Tath¿gata Chapter XVII: The Variety of Merits Chapter XVIII: The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This S¿tra Chapter XIX: The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma Chapter XX: Never-Despising Bodhisattva Chapter XXI: The Supernatural Powers of the Tathag¿ta Chapter XXII: Transmission Chapter XXIII: The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva Chapter XXIV: Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva Chapter XXV: The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva Chapter XXVI: Dh¿rä¿s Chapter XXVII: King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva Chapter XXVIII: The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva English/Sanskrit Glossary: Sanskrit Words, English Buddhist Terms and Translated Proper Names Given in This Translation Chinese/Japanese Glossary: Important Chinese Buddhist Terms Given in the Lotus Sutra Index Bibliography