The Lotus Sutra
should not be understood literally. What it describes is how things exist,
animate and inanimate beings, human and non human beings, from the lowest being
of the six worlds to the highest being of Buddha. You know the six worlds.
Among the six worlds, the celestial world is the highest, next is the human
world, and the hell world and hungry ghost world are the lowest. Above the
celestial world are sravakas, pratyekas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas. Buddha is
the highest. This sutra includes all of those beings. We describe reality in
terms of those beings, but that is not enough. We should understand in that
way. If so, the Lotus Sutra is not the only valuable sutra, or the highest
sutra. All the sutras are very valuable. There may be sutras not yet described
by anyone. -------------------------------- Excerpt from Shunryu Suzuki lecture - 68-02-00-E as found on shunryusuzuki.com. Edited by DC
