FOR A REREADING OF THE LOTUS SUTRA IN THE LIGHT OF SOKATIC MAPPO : 1. Deciphering the Hegemon Sutra Kindle Edition

I, Marcellin Zirignon, a Bodhisattva of the earth, became a Buddha in January 1993 before the age of 23. This followed six months of intense Gongyo practice, crowning arduous Bodhisattvic practices initiated at birth and which continue to this day. Acting for the moment as a provisional Buddha (one who hides his true identity while striving to save all living beings), I wish, through this sutra, to lead humanity to Buddhahood immediately and in this lifetime—in other words, to help others become Buddhas like me, here and now.In this first sutra of a long series dedicated—one might even say consecrated—to the "Sutra of Sutras," the goal is to present it, or more accurately, to hermeneutize it. This hermeneutic is not merely another exegesis of the "Father of Sutras," especially as it departs from the beaten path. Its originality lies in a thematic approach to the Lotus Dharma, rather than a scholastic exegesis analyzing the Hegemon Sutra chapter by chapter and line by line, as has traditionally been the case.Naturally, this hermeneutical approach refrains from challenging the classical summa divisio between provisional teachings (Shakumon, in Japanese) and definitive teachings (Honmon, in Japanese). This neo-exegetical approach to the Lotus Dharma also intends to be a locus of interculturality, insofar as non-Oriental concepts have served as the intellectual framework for my extensive cognitive undertaking.In terms of North American—specifically U.S.—sports metaphors, the Lotus Sutra can be considered the "game-winner sutra," the "buzzer-beater sutra," or even the "game-changer sutra." This is for two reasons: first, its teaching took place during what could be called "Money Time"—that is, in the final nine years of the Buddha's ministry; second, its teaching marks the Kairos of Buddhism: the "moment after" when everything becomes possible, where the attainment of Buddhahood is universalized, democratized, and no longer gendered.In the realm of Greek or classical theater, the Dharma of the Lotus Sutra can be compared to the "Deus-ex-machina" (literally, the machine that descends from the sky, in Latin)—in other words, an unexpected teaching, delivered at the very last moment, which changes everything and positively transforms a compromised situation. Read more