Introduction to the Sutras
Explore Buddhist scriptures through stories, questions, and reflections connected to life today. We will introduce these sutras one by one, drawing out their teachings through everyday stories from contemporary life.
Current Series: The Lotus Sutra
Beginning with the Introduction Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, we explore questions of responsibility, perspective, fairness, relationships, and self-reflection through stories drawn from contemporary life.
Sutras We Will Explore
We plan to introduce the following sutras in turn, reading each one in light of daily life today.
Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra)
A magnificent vision of a world in which all things reflect one another and are interconnected as one. It invites us to see anew the relationship between the part and the whole, between ourselves and the world.
Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra (Great Perfection of Wisdom)
The vast culmination of the Prajna (wisdom) literature, unfolding the teaching of emptiness (śūnyatā): that all things arise through conditions, without any fixed, independent substance.
Ksitigarbha Sutra (Earth Store Sutra)
Through the great vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, it renews our sense of devotion and responsibility toward beings in suffering, along with the meaning of filial gratitude and deliverance.
Nirvana Sutra
Containing the Buddha’s final teachings, it speaks of the Buddha-nature present in all beings and of the true peace that lies beyond life and death.
Amitabha Sutra
Depicting Amitabha Buddha and the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, this central scripture of Pure Land practice conveys the power held within sincere aspiration and heartfelt longing.
Shurangama Sutra
Delving deeply into the nature of the mind and the path of practice, it illuminates how to steady a wavering mind and arrive at true understanding.
Vimalakirti Sutra (The Teaching of Vimalakirti)
Through the layman Vimalakirti, it shows that awakening is possible in the very midst of worldly life — a vivid scripture unfolding through lively dialogue.
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (First Turning of the Wheel)
The Buddha’s very first teaching after his awakening, containing the essential framework of Buddhism: the Four Noble Truths and the Middle Way.