Buddhism for Today: The Essential Wisdom of the Threefold Lotus Sutra
by Nikkyo Niwano (Author), Dr. Dominick Scarangello (Translator)
The Lotus Sutra is among the foremost scriptures of Buddhism and is one of the most influential sacred texts of all time. Its impact on East Asian religion, art, literature, and thought is incalculable, and the Lotus Sutra continues to guide the lives of millions of Buddhists who read and recite the text on a daily basis not only in Asia but throughout the world.
Rev. Nikkyo Niwano (1906–99), founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, a worldwide lay Buddhist organization of some one million member households, first brought the timeless wisdom of the Lotus Sutra to the English-speaking world with the 1976 publication of Buddhism for Today, his groundbreaking companion volume to the Lotus Sutra. In an easy-to-understand style that required no prior knowledge of Buddhism, Niwano unlocked the ancient teachings of the Lotus Sutra, making them accessible both to contemporary readers interested in understanding this religious classic and to those seeking to transform their lives and realize their full human potential through the teachings and practices of Buddhism.
This newly revised and retranslated edition updates the style and language of the text, following standard defi nitions of Buddhist terminology and bringing the entirety of Niwano’s original Japanese version to English readers for the first time. New additions include the author’s own translations of the most significant portions of the Threefold Lotus Sutra into everyday language, allowing this work to stand alone as a comprehensive introduction to the teachings and thought of the Lotus Sutra. Readers already familiar with the sutra will also find this new translation an illuminating guide when reading the text of the sutra, as it has been specially translated and edited to be a companion to Kosei Publishing’s 2019 The reefold Lotus Sutra: A Modern Translation for Contemporary Readers.