The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, more commonly known in English as the Lotus Sutra (Sanskrit: Saddharma-pundarika-sutra), is one of the major Buddhist texts of East Asia. It was spoken in the last period of Shakyamuni Buddha s life, proclaiming the ultimate principles of the Dharma, which unites all previous teachings into one. With many parables e.g. those of the burning house, the lost son, and the rain the Buddha teaches that all beings can become fully enlightened and that this achievement, and not that of becoming Shravakas or Pratyekabuddhas, has always been the ultimate intent of his teaching. This Sutra also includes separate chapters on several important bodhisattvas within the Mahayana tradition, such as Avalokiteshvara (Guan Shi Yin) and Samantabhadra (Pu Xian) The English translation of this Sutra and the commentary of Master Hua was done by the Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS). The translation process of the Society is modeled after the translation assemblies of earlier times and publishes work only after it has passed through four committees for primary translation, revision, editing, and certification. The leaders of these committees are bhikshus (monks) and bhikshunis (nuns) who have devoted their lives to the study and practice of the Buddha s teachings. For that reason, works published by the Society emphasize the practical applications of the Buddha s teachings. There are many other translations in English of the Lotus Sutra. The uniqueness of this sixteen volume series is that all twenty-eight chapters include extensive commentary by the late Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua, whose accessible explanations show this ancient text s meaning as instruction for practice on the spiritual path in the modern world. In this present volume, Chapter 4: Belief and Understanding, disciples express astonishment at hearing the Buddha s announcement that Shariputra will become a Buddha. The Buddha s great disciple Mahkashyapa then speaks a parable of a son who runs away from home. When the son is poor and destitute he encounters his father again and unexpectedly inherits all of his father s wealth. In the same way, Sound Hearer disciples of the Buddha, with the goal of Arhatship, are amazed and delighted to learn that they, too, can attain Buddhahood. This chapter describes one of the most important events in the Buddha s teaching career, the transfer of his Two Vehicle followers to the Great Vehicle or Buddha-path. More important, Master Hua s commentary explains how this story is applicable to everyone. All individuals are identified with the Buddha s disciples and the wayward son and have the potential of attaining annutara-samyak-sambodhi (supreme and perfect enlightenment). - from Amzon