The Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sutra

  • Submitted By: shazzie1
  • Date Submitted: 08/19/2013 12:21 AM
  • Category: Religion
  • Words: 1645
  • Page: 7
  • Views: 126

Evaluate the rituals of the Lotus Sutra and asses whether these rituals are applicable within Buddhism.
In this essay, I am going to look at the rituals associated with the Lotus Sutra and assess whether these rituals are applicable to Buddhist doctrine. The term ‘applicable’ can have several contrasting meanings as several meanings implies that each scholar has several meaning for the one word, when I think you’re trying to say that each scholar as a different meaning but then to use the word different in one sentence twice is too much so use contrasting meanings to different scholars; in the case of this essay I will be using the term ‘applicable’ as to how it relates to how these rituals can be and then viewed in the broader understanding context? of Buddhism. The Lotus Sutra is integral to many practitioners of Buddhism but especially so in the Mahayana tradition. Burton Watson in his translation of the Lotus Sutra, wrote that ‘the Lotus Sutra is one of the most important and influential sutras or sacred scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism…and over many centuries the object of intense veneration amongst Buddhist believers throughout China, Korea, Japan and other regions of eastern Asia.’ A culture has been created around the Lotus Sutra as it impacts practitioners’ daily lives. I wanted (prior to writing the essay you have done the exploration hence you’re writing the essay as to your findings.) to explore some of the ways that Lotus culture has assimilates into society and whether these rituals are products of culture or products of Buddhism. Before I could fully assess the rituals within the Lotus Sutra, I needed to develop an understanding of rituals within religion generally and then rituals within Buddhism specifically. By establishing how rituals are viewed as a concept within Buddhism, I was then able to assess whether the rituals within the Lotus Sutra are fundamentally Buddhist.
The concept of rituals within religion is central essential? to...

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