From the Liturgy of the Lotus Sutra, developed by my son George, as we could find no English version once we decided that we'd rather pray in the language most familiar to us. We reasoned that in prayers, any language should be just fine!
LOTUS SUTRA WONDERFUL LAW
TACTFULNESS: CHAPTER II
AT THAT TIME the World-honored One, rising quietly and clearly from contemplation, addressed Sha-ri-pu-tra:
“The wisdom of buddhas is very profound and in-fi-nite. Their wisdom-school is difficult to understand and difficult to enter, so that the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot ap-pre-hend it. Wherefore? Because the buddhas have been in fellowship with countless hundred thousand myriad kotis of buddhas, perfectly practicing the infinite Law of all buddhas, boldly and zealously advancing and making their fame universally known, perfecting the very profound, unprecedented Law and preaching, as opportunity served, its meaning so dif-fi-cult to un-der-stand. Sha-ri-pu-tra! Ever since I became Buddha, with various reasonings and various parables I have widely discoursed and taught, and by countless tactful methods have led living beings, causing them to leave all at-tach-ments. Wherefore? Because the Tathagata is altogether perfect in his tactfulness and parami-ta of wis-dom. Sha-ri-pu-tra! The wisdom of the Tathagata is broad and great, profound and far-reaching; his mind is infinite; his his expositions are unimpeded; his powers, his fearlessness, his meditations, his emancipations, his contemplations have enabled him to enter into the boundless realms and to accomplish all the unprece-den-ted Law.
Shariputra! The Tathagata is able to discriminate everything, preach the laws skillfully, use gentle words, and cheer the hearts of all! Sha-ri-pu-tra! Essentially speaking, the Buddha has altogether fulfilled the infinite, boundless, unpreceden-ted Law. E-nough, Shariputra, there is no need to say more. Wherefore? Because the Law which the Buddha has perfected is the chief unprecedented Law, and difficult to un-der-stand.
Only a Buddha together with a Buddha can fathom the Reality of all existence, that is to say,
[Repeat the following portion three times.]
all existence has such a form, such a nature, such an embodiment, such a potency, such a function, such a primary cause, such a secondary cause, such an effect, such a recompense, and such a complete
(1st & 2nd ending) funda-men-tal whole.
(3rd ending) funda-men-tal whole.”
