The Lotus Sutra Paperback – April 15, 1993

Enjoyed reading this translation

Reciting this version helped me understand some things more clearly. I recommend reading multiple versions or translations for that very reason. The demon Mara is translated as Devil in this version which is a suitable translation. But, I feel like people in the west might not fully understand that the Buddhist (Devil) is named Mara and is both an evil spirit demon and a metaphor for our own negative habitual tendencies. I don’t believe modern day Christian religious interpretations of the Bible that there is a single Creator god and a single Devil. The Christian Devil can of course be interpreted as both a spirit demon and a metaphor for our own negative thoughts and actions, but most modern Christians I think don’t understand it this way. Modern Christians seem to want to blame everyone’s negative actions on outside forces which is not logical outside of obvious cases of demonic possession which are a rare occurrence if you look at percentages although it occurs constantly. So if you read or recite this version just at least keep all this in mind. I would actually say Mara or Mara’s people instead of Devil or devil’s people whenever the western translation “Devil” is written. Outside of this, great translation and beautiful cover. It’s a lot of work to translate this Sutra. So, thanks for all the hard work Mr. Watson. Well done.

The Lotus Sutra has essentially defined East Asian Buddhism with it's imagery, devotional passages, and ideas regarding equality between men and women as well as Enlightenment for all beings. Unfortunately, the Lotus Sutra is one of the most challenging Buddhist texts to read due to it's length, depth, and difficult prose style. The imagery alone can be very tiring if you're new to Buddhism, and don't understand half of what's going on.The good news is that Burton Watson's translation of the Lotus Sutra really brings this text to the Western audience in a way never done before. Burton helps provide good context in the introduction as to how to read the Sutra, as well as explanation of some of the people and places. Many translations use archaic English, which makes it even hard to read, but Watson balances modern translations with a poetic style very nicely.Folks interested in the Lotus Sutra should look no further and purchase this book.

Books like this always have you wondering whether the translator has really done his/her job properly, but with this one you can rest assured that he has. I have read the original Chinese version from which the translation was done and backed it up with a comparison of the Japanese (which translates from Chinese much easier than the English) for meaning and there's little I can find to criticize. The English reads well and naturally. Nearly all the unusual vocabulary is in the glossary, but the occasional word (e.g. 'vajra') is missing. The introduction provides useful background, making the whole readable as a story. By way of criticism, the translation of the names of bodhisattvas into English seems a little overdone. A table showing the names in the original Sanskrit and Chinese versions might have been a useful addition. Overall, an extremely useful book for finding out what the Lotus Sutra is all about.

This isn’t my first copy of this book. This translation is recognized as the most correct of all of the translations. I’ve been practicing Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism with the Nichiren Shoshu for 12 years. This is the sutra that explains that 1) we can attain enlightenment in this lifetime, and 2) women can also attain enlightenment. The Japanese translation of the title is Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Chanting this is the basic part of our practice.

The Lotus Sutra, by Burton Watson, I am a SGI-USA Buddhist Member (http://www.sgi-usa.org), and at one of the Buddhist Community Center years ago, I meant Burton Watson in San Francisco. As a piece of poetry, which is what the Lotus Sutra is, I think translated to the English language, it may have lost something, and this is not Burton Watson fault, it’s what happens to many pieces of literature that are translated from their original language, and I find this particularly so with Japanese translations to the English language, and I find many of the Islamic poetry losing something when translated to English. I do prefer President Ikeda’s of the SGI-USA writing and literary thesis called ‘Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra’ a lot more profound published by SGI-USA a lot more profound in meaning and practical application as a translated literary form in philosophy to the English language.

Product is exactly as advertised. It was initially improperly routed and customer service was not what I had hoped but the price was right and I received what I paid for!

This has been an informative read. The writer has made this a readable English version. It has been a slow read as I try to make sense of this text. So far I learned to understand some meaning of this Sutra. Nam Myho Renge Kyo