A fragment of the Lotus Sutra, written in Sanskrit and regarded to
be the oldest document of its kind, was found in Central Asia in the 19th
century.
The SGI's philosophical roots reach back to Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha
who was active in India circa 500 B.C. From India, Mahayana Buddhism spread
through Central Asia and China, eventually reaching Japan. Shakyamuni's
ability to impart hope, courage and wisdom lay in his deep compassion for
and desire to save the troubled and despairing. The impact of his teachings
was felt throughout northeastern India, where they were spread verbally
through his interaction with the people. From numerous scriptures available
today, it can be surmised that he often expounded his teachings in response
to the people's questions.
Since Shakyamuni's activities spanned five decades and covered a considerable
geographical area, the people who came to embrace his teachings were diverse,
and the nature of his many teachings varied accordingly, giving rise to
a number of different interpretations and schools. Among the teachings that
spread from Central Asia to China, and then to Japan through the Korean
peninsula, none was more widely revered than the Lotus Sutra, thought to
be the essential teaching he revealed in the last eight years of his life.
Shakyamuni's earliest teachings strove to awaken people to the impermanence
of all phenomena in order to free them from the sufferings that arise from
egoistic attachment to things that the passage of time will destroy or render
meaningless. This is a point held in common by all Buddhist schools. The
Lotus Sutra, however, further taught the existence of an innate and universal
truth known as the Buddha nature, the manifestation of which enables one
to enjoy absolute happiness and to act with boundless compassion. Rather
than stressing impermanence and the consequent need to eliminate earthly
desires and attachments, the Lotus Sutra asserts the ultimate reality of
the Buddha nature inherent in all life. It is therefore a teaching which
profoundly affirms the realities of daily life, and which naturally encourages
an active engagement with others and with the whole of human society.
The Lotus Sutra is also unique among the teachings of Shakyamuni in that
it makes the attainment of enlightenment a possibility open to all people
- without distinction based on race, gender, social standing or education.
