The Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sutra of the True Dharma, more commonly known in English as the Lotus Sutra (Sanskrit: Saddharma-pundarika-sutra), is one of the major Buddhist texts of East Asia. It was spoken in the last period of Buddha Gautama's life, proclaiming the ultimate principles of the Dharma, which unites all previous teachings into one. With many parables the Buddha teaches that all beings can become fully enlightened and that this achievement, and not that of becoming Shravakas or Pratyekabuddhas, has always been the ultimate intent of his teaching. The Lotus sutra is also the basis on which the Tiantai, Tendai, Cheontae, and Nichiren schools of Buddhism were established.