Lotus Sūtra

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Lotus Sūtra (Skt., Saddharmapuṇḍarikasūtra, ‘The Sūtra on the True Dharma [which resembles a] White Lotus’). An early (1st cent. BCE–2nd cent. CE) and most important Mahāyāna sūtra. It is taught by Śākyamuni Buddha in his Saṃbhoga-kaya (cf. trikaya) form. The sūtra reveals a new interpretation of many traditional beliefs, particularly concerning the nature of the Buddha. In the Lotus, the Buddha is no longer regarded as a mere mortal but as a sublime being with supernatural powers who preaches in a mythological paradise surrounded by thousands upon thousands of followers.

The true dharma teaches that the buddhas pass into nirvāna after, not before, all sentient beings, and the true Buddhist unwearyingly labours along the bodhisattva path for the liberation of all beings.