I. Research Theme The great and profound thoughts contained in the Lotus Sutra and Kumarajiva’s excellent Chinese translation of this canon have made the text have a great influence on the Chinese Buddhist tradition. In addition to this, there are numerous Buddhist technical terms and terms of Indian things exist in Buddhist texts, and the translation used in ancient China is a kind of hybrid Chinese which combines classic Chinese with elements of ancient spoken Chinese and Indian languages. These have become obstacles to the understanding of the Lotus Sutra for contemporary readers. Therefore, a good modern commentary on the Chinese version of this text is necessary to overcome the obstacles and expound its meaning and signicance. Venerable Sheng Yen has long been devoted to the study of Buddhism and earned a doctoral degree in Japan. He is well versed in Buddhist theories and has published extensively in various aspects of Buddhism. Furthermore, based on his deep spiritual experience, the Venerable guides the members of sangha in Dharma Drum Mountain and millions of lay-disciples to practice dharma for a very long time. He conducts numerous Chan retreats in Taiwan and over the world. Venerable Sheng Yen combines his academic background with practical spiritual experience when interpreting the Lotus Sutra. He uses modern expressions to explain the sentences of the text with some focus on Buddhism cultivation and thus offers an excellent commentary on this text for the contemporary society. The present article discusses The Venerable’s Wondrous Dharma-teaching: A Core Commentary on the Lotus Sutra from two aspects: methods of interpretation and characteristics of thought. With regard to the former, we analyze the main contents of exegesis, the stylistic rules, and ways of annotation, to see how this work responds to the needs and reading ability of contemporary Buddhist students. As regards the characteristics of thought, through carefully examining the whole book, we present the special ideas repeatedly mentioned by the Venerable. 2. Methods of Interpretation Applicable to the Modern Time The characteristics of the interpretation methods in A Core Commentary on the Lotus Sutra include: (1)The Venerable borrows Tian-tai’s context analysis (科判)of the Lotus Sutra and divides this sutra into two parts: “superficial division”(跡門)and “original division”(本門). The Lotus Sutra contains very different themes in these two parts, and Tian-Tai’s context analysis ingeniously links them up. The Venerable also uses this structure to thread the whole text
