The Interpretation of the Tathāgatāyuṣpraṃāṇaparivarta in the Lotus Sūtra (KN, 319. 2–4)

Abstract

There is a crucial sentence in the Lotus Sūtra that implies that the Śākyamuni Buddha of the Lotus Sūtra is eternal. In order to accurately understand the life-span of the Buddha, it is necessary to interpret the contents of KN, 318. 15–319.5, especially 319. 2–4. The text here consists of two negative phrases. In comparison, the corresponding parts of the Chinese translations by Dharmarakṣa and Kumārajīva, and the Tibetan translation, contain only one negative phrase. In this paper, I discuss my reasons for suggesting that the Sanskrit text itself should be reconstructed based on these differences. Furthermore, based on previous studies, and referring to various manuscripts, the Chinese translations, the Tibetan translation, as well as the Chinese commentaries, I offer my own tentative reconstruction of the text.