An Ultimate from Immanence: Lotus Buddhism Redefined for a Secular Worldview

By : John R. Tate

Page No: 209-250

Abstract
The article proposes a Lotus Sūtra-based approach to Secular Buddhism, differing from the current versions primarily derived from the Pāli Canon. After summarizing the present state of secular Buddhist doctrine and practices, it explains why a secular adaptation of the Lotus Sūtra will diverge. Next, is a section on scholarly opinions that cast doubt on the validity of a literal reading of the sutra’s climactic revelation of an eternal Buddha and hinder belief today in Nichiren’s conclusions about it in the thirteenth century. This, I argue, justifies dismantling all vestiges of the text’s supernaturalism. With the above topics addressed and hermeneutic integrity in mind, the following phrase is introduced: the conditional emergence of benevolence as gifted by time, process, and potential. These words are intended to transform the text’s depiction of an eternal Buddha into an expression for a paramount morality grounded in immanence and thereby redefine the Lotus Sūtra for a secular worldview. From there on, the phrase is contextualized within traditional Buddhist and contemporary socio-philosophical principles to show how they align and how the phrase can function as a replacement for faith in a transcendent understanding of the scripture’s long-venerated core.

Author :
John R. Tate : is an independent researcher who resides in Fujinomiya, Japan.