ABSTRACT
WHILE THERE is general agreement with the fact that the Buddhist sutras have numerous and often contradicting natures, there is not a common consensus in choosing one of these siitras and proclaiming it as the only sad-dharma.1 The sad-dharmapUIJrlarika-sutra or the Lotus-sutra was no doubt the sad-dharma for both China's T'ien tai (531-97) and Japan's Nichiren (1222-82). At the same time many doubted their claims. These doubts initiated the search for another sad-dharma sutra, as can be seen in the cases of Honen (1133-1212) and Shinran (11731262) who advocated the Pureland Sutras.
