The Lotus Sūtra (Sanskrit: Saddharma Puṇḍarīka Sūtra, lit
‘Sūtra on the White Lotus of the True Dharma’) is one of the most influential and venerated Buddhist Mahāyāna sūtras
It is the main scripture on which the Tiantai, Tendai, Cheontae, and Nichiren schools of Buddhism were established
It is also influential for other East Asian Buddhist schools, such as Zen
According to the British Buddhologist Paul Williams, “For many Buddhists in East Asia since early times, the Lotus Sūtra contains the final teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha—complete and sufficient for salvation
" The American Buddhologist Donald S
Lopez Jr
writes that the Lotus Sūtra “is arguably the most famous of all Buddhist texts,” presenting “a radical re-vision of both the Buddhist path and of the person of the Buddha
“Two central teachings of the Lotus Sūtra have been very influential for Mahāyāna Buddhism
The first is the doctrine of the One Vehicle, which says that all Buddhist paths and practices lead to Buddhahood and so they are all merely “skillful means” (upāya) of reaching Buddhahood
The second is the idea that the lifespan of the Buddha is immeasurable and that therefore, he did not really pass on into final Nirvana (he only appeared to do so as upāya), but is still active teaching the Dharma