Zhanran’s Understanding of the Lotus Sūtra

Abstract

Traditionally, the Lotus Sūtra is understood to be a particularly excellent scripture. In recent years Zhiyi 智顗 and Zhanran 湛然 are also believed to have had a similar understanding of this sūtra. However, in this paper, I argue that Zhiyi understood this scripture as preaching the Buddha’s insight which cannot be expressed in words, and that Zhanran also understood it in the same way. The Lotus Sūtra does not preach any concrete doctrine in words. The Lotus Sūtra belongs to a different level from other sūtras and just because it cannot be expressed in words, everything is the Lotus Sūtra. This point has been misunderstood in the past, and for this reason, the Lotus Sūtra has been regarded as an especially excellent sūtra.