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Lotus Sūtra

The Mahāyāna scripture of the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma. Not the lotus plant as nature alone, and not every later East Asian Lotus cult as one book.

Also known as Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra · Lotus Sutra

Buddhist traditions

Lotus Sūtra appears in Buddhist traditions.
Watson’s translation is the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma itself — the named Mahāyāna scripture seated inside Buddhist tradition. Text attestation for the published lotus-sutra entity, not the lotus plant alone and not every later Lotus cult as one book.
from Burton Watson (translation) · The Lotus Sutra, 1993 (this translation); Sanskrit/Chinese recensions much older
appears in · sourced · documented
Lotus Sūtra is historically related to Mahāyāna.
Watson’s Lotus Sūtra is a foundational Mahāyāna scripture of the one vehicle and bodhisattva path — a named historical seat of the Mahāyāna family, not Theravāda identity and not a later East Asian school alone.
from Burton Watson (translation) · The Lotus Sutra, 1993 (this translation); Sanskrit/Chinese recensions much older
historically related to · sourced · documented
Tendai is historically related to Lotus Sūtra.
Tendai (Tiantai) centers the Lotus Sūtra as its primary scripture — a named East Asian school historically built on this text’s one-vehicle teaching, not Huayan’s Avataṃsaka center and not Zen kōan speech.
from Burton Watson (translation) · The Lotus Sutra, 1993 (this translation); Sanskrit/Chinese recensions much older
historically related to · sourced · documented
Nichiren is historically related to Lotus Sūtra.
Nichiren Buddhism takes the Lotus Sūtra as the exclusive primary scripture for the age — a named Japanese school historically centered on this text, not Tendai as the broader Tiantai inheritance alone and not Amidist Pure Land devotion.
from Burton Watson (translation) · The Lotus Sutra, 1993 (this translation); Sanskrit/Chinese recensions much older
historically related to · sourced · documented