The following were the most useful books for putting together this site: 
  1. The Liturgy of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin by the Soka Gakkai

    2. This book provides the Chinese characters for the first half of the 2nd chapter of the Lotus Sutra and the entirety of the 16th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The Japanese version includes many Chinese characters of key terms in the silent prayer section.  
  2. A Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts by NSIC 

    3. This is the best recent dictionary of Buddhist terms and concepts. It provides Chinese proper names, key terms, an Indic word list, Japanese equivalents, list of Sanskrit and Pali equivalents and almost all the characters that are on the Gohonzon. It also provides the best and most objective account of other sects and practices.  
  3. Lectures on the Sutra by Josei Toda 

    4. Great book by a person who lived the Lotus Sutra. It has a section of words and phrases of Gongyo as well as an interpretation of the silent prayers.  
  4. Chinese Characters Their Origin, Etymology, History, Classification and Signification by Dr. L. Wieger

    5. This book is not as easy as a dictionary to use but it is a great source for understanding the radicals that compose Chinese characters. It has a few mistakes and virtually no understanding of Buddhist usage.  
  5. A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms by Soothill and Hodous 

    6. Great book for understanding Buddhist idioms. An understanding of Chinese is essential to using this book. Now can be found online. 
  6. The Lotus Sutra by Burton Watson 

    7. This is the most accurate and the most readable version of the Lotus Sutra in English.  
  7. Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma by Leon Hurvitz 

    8. Prior to Watson's version this was the best translation of Kumarajiva's Lotus Sutra. Hurvitz includes a discussion of the differences between the Kumarajiva translation and Kern's translation from the Sanskrit (see below).  
  8. Saddharma-pundarika or the Lotus of the True Law by H. Kern 

    9. I love this translation from the Sanskrit. Its language is rich.  
  9. The Threefold Lotus Sutra by the Rissho Kosei-kai

    10. Even though this is a flawed interpetation of the Lotus Sutra, it is still valuable for its "translations" of the "Sutra of Innumerable Meanings" and "The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue."  
  10. Beginners' Dictionary of Chinese-Japanese Characters and Compounds by A. Rose-Innes 

    11. This book is probably one of the worst conceived dictionaries ever made. It is nearly impossible to use, but it is helpful in understanding combinations of Chinese characters. This book was used to translate Chinese-Japanese characters during World War II. If this book were essential to the war effort, the U.S. would have lost.  
  11. A Japanese and English Dictionary with an English and Japanese Index by Dr. James Curtis Hepburn

    12. Dr. Hepburn was a medical doctor and one of the first English speaking persons to study the Japanese-Chinese language. His system (known as the Hepburn System), though flawed, is still used today.  
  12. Obunsha's Royal English-Japanese Dictionary

    13. This book is more useful to a Japanese speaking person who is trying to understand English. But if you know the English word you can often find the Japanese-Chinese equivalent.  
  13. Japanese-English English-Japanese Dictionary by Random House

    14. I use this book to get a second or third opinion or when I can't find what I am looking for in other books.  
  14. Analytic Dictionary of Chinese and Sino-Japanese by Bernhard Karlgren

    15. This is a good book if you know the sound of the Chinese characters. It includes ancient Chinese, Mandarin, and Cantonese pronunciations.  
  15. Conversational Japanese by R. D. Cortina

    16. This is a great guide to the pronunciation of modern Japanese and the Japanese pronunciation of Chinese characters.  
  16. Dictionary of Spoken Chinese by the Institute of Far Eastern Languages at Yale

    17. You must know either the Chinese sound or the English equivalent to use this book.  
  17. Chinese is Easy by Ralph E. Bucknam

    18. This is a good introduction to the Chinese language.  
  18. Learn Japanese by John Young and Kimiko Nakajima-Okano

    19. This is a good college level introduction to the Japanese language.  
  19. The Great Calming and Contemplation (Maka Shikan) by Neal Donner and Daniel B. Stevenson

    20. This is not an easy book to read but it is well worth the effort. 
     
     
Updated 6/7/06 
Copyright 2002 Imagery of Nichiren's Lotus Sutra website