Threefold Lotus Sutra
Encyclopedia
The Threefold Lotus Sutra (法華三部経 pinyin
: fǎ huá sān bù jīng, Jp
: Hokke-sambu-kyo) is the composition of three complimentary sutra
s that together form the "three-part Dharma flower sutra":
They have been known collectively as the Threefold Lotus Sutra in China
and Japan
since ancient times.
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
: fǎ huá sān bù jīng, Jp
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: Hokke-sambu-kyo) is the composition of three complimentary sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
s that together form the "three-part Dharma flower sutra":
- 1. The Innumerable Meanings SutraInnumerable Meanings SutraThe Innumerable Meanings Sutra also known as the Infinite Meanings Sutra is a Mahayana buddhist text that was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Dharmajātayaśas, an Indian monk of the 4th to 5th century...
(無量義經 ChChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
: Wú Liáng Yì Jīng, Jp: Muryōgi Kyō), prologuePrologueA prologue is an opening to a story that establishes the setting and gives background details, often some earlier story that ties into the main one, and other miscellaneous information. The Greek prologos included the modern meaning of prologue, but was of wider significance...
to the Lotus Sutra. - 2. The Lotus SutraLotus SutraThe Lotus Sūtra is one of the most popular and influential Mahāyāna sūtras, and the basis on which the Tiantai and Nichiren sects of Buddhism were established.-Title:...
(妙法蓮華經 Ch: Miào Fǎ Lián Huá Jīng, Jp: Myōhō Renge Kyō) itself. - 3. The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal WorthySutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal VirtueThe Samantabhadra Meditation Sūtra , also known as the Sūtra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue, is a Mahayana Buddhist sutra teaching meditation and repentance practices....
/Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra (普賢經 Ch: Pǔ Xián Jīng, Jp: Fugen Kyō), epilogueEpilogueAn epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
to the Lotus Sutra.
They have been known collectively as the Threefold Lotus Sutra in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
since ancient times.