Lotus Sutra Study

Beginning Wednesday, 6 April and lasting to the end of summer will be the Dharma Center’s Extensive study of the Lotus Sutra. If you would like to join us in exploration of this remarkable Buddhist text show up tomorrow night at 7pm. You can view the document below to find instructions for the study, what texts we will be using and where to find most of them as free pdf files. The goal of this class is not to deliver a detailed lecture on the Lotus Sutra, but to show you how to read, understand and study this document on your own. See you tomorrow night.

Lotus Sutra Group Study

Goals:

• Gain a General understanding of the Lotus Sutra through personal exploration and discussion with others
• Learn how to read, understand and study the Lotus Sutra
• Understand the key concepts of The Lotus Sutra
• Understand the importance of the Lotus sutra to RK practice

Course Materials:

• The Lotus Sutra (TLS)– Gene Reeves
• Stories of the Lotus Sutra (Stories) – Gene Reeves
• Guide to the Threefold Lotus sutra (Guide) – Nikkyo Niwano
• Buddhism for Today (BFT) – Nikkyo Niwano
• Dharma World Commentaries (DW Comm) – Nikkyo Niwano
• Sutra of Innumerable Meanings (SIM) – within TLS

Facilitators:

• Kris Ladusau, Reverend
• Ira Bryant, Dharma Teacher
• Kim Miller-Moffeit, Dharma Teacher
• Dave Rose, Dharma Teacher
• Kathy Spengler, Dharma Teacher
• Randy Shumate, Associate Dharma Teacher
• Roger Williams, Associate Dharma teacher

Notes:

1. This is a group study of the Sutra, not a lecture driven course
2. Facilitators are there to guide discussions, manage overall class direction and fill in additional information when needed
3. Facilitators should solicit volunteers each week to give their own summaries of the chapters covered
4. In all cases read the Chapters in the TLS before the class
5. Time permitting read the Guide, then Stories, then BFT, in that order
6. When Reading BFT, don’t worry about the detailed discussions of basic Buddhism and focus on the discussions of the Sutra itself
7. BFT and Guide Chapters align with the TLS Chapters and should be read at the appropriate time for classes
8. BFT and the Guide can be downloaded by using the ‘Publications’ button at the bottom of the RKOK website homepage
9. The chapters in Stories often do not align with the TLS and are thus listed below at the appropriate time. Some chapters in TLS are not covered in Stories