Tiantai Project West

First translated into English by H. Kern in 1884, The Lotus Sutra remains one of the most influential scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism, celebrated for its vision of universal enlightenment and the boundless compassion of the Buddha. It is the basis on which the Tiantai, Tendai, Nichiren and Cheontae schools of Buddhism were established.

This volume brings together two voices: H. Kern’s restored nineteenth-century English translation, and a new modern rendering by Peter Gillespie-Merrigan.  Written for contemporary readers while remaining faithful to the spirit of the original, Gillespie-Merrigan’s adaptation forges Kern’s Victorian translation with Kumārajīva’s 406 CE Chinese translation, modernised with a language that reflects the sutra’s inclusivity.

Combining scholarship and devotion, this edition offers a bridge between centuries, revealing The Lotus Sutra not as a relic of the past, but as an invitation to insight, courage, and boundless compassion.