Prince Shotoku’s Commentary on the Sr?mala Sutra

Prince Shotoku’s Commentary on the Srimala Sutra is a translation of the Shomangyo-gisho (Commentary on the Srimaladevisimhanada-sutra), one of three Buddhist commentaries written in classical Chinese that have been attributed to Japan’s Prince Shotoku (574-622).

A master politician and shining figure in the imperial line, Prince Shotoku played a leading role in government and with promoting diplomatic, cultural, and religious contacts with China and Korea. He is also remembered as a devout practitioner and generous patron of Buddhism who studied Buddhist doctrine under the instruction of continental tutors, and offered lectures at court on the Lotus Sutra and the Srimaladevi-sutra, a key early Mahayana sutra that espouses the tathagatagarbha, the seed of enlightenment said to be present in all sentient beings, and the ekayana, or One Vehicle. Shotoku’s lectures on the Srimaladevi-sutra are believed to be the source of the Shomangyo-gisho, a text that has had undeniable influence in both premodern and modern forms of Japanese Buddhism, and which continues to be a source of inspiration for many.