Sui · by 智顗說
185,141 · about 617 min
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra was orally expounded by the Great Master Zhiyi, the de facto founder of the Tiantai School during the Sui Dynasty, and recorded by his disciple Guanding. This work provides a profound interpretation of the Lotus Sutra, systematically elucidating core doctrines such as the One Vehicle of Ultimate Reality, the Ten Suchnesses, and the Perfect Harmony of the Three Truths. It also establishes the doctrinal classification system of the Five Periods and Eight Teachings. As one of the fundamental treatises of the Tiantai School, it not only synthesizes Buddhist thought from the Northern and Southern Dynasties but also lays the theoretical foundation for the philosophy of perfect harmony in Chinese Buddhism. Its influence on the development of doctrine in East Asian Buddhism is profound, and it is honored as one of the Three Great Works of Tiantai.