Diving into Tiantai thought means immersing oneself in a constellation of writings built around the Lotus Sūtra’s vision of universal Buddhahood. At its heart sits the Sūtra on the White Lotus of the Sublime Dharma (Miaofa Lianhua Jing)—the foundational scripture that Tiantai treats as the supreme teaching revealing the “One Vehicle.” Beyond that, the Mohe Zhiguan (Great Calming and Contemplation) stands as the single most important systematization of practice and doctrine, blending meditation instructions with a framework for understanding all Buddhist teachings.

Zhiyi’s commentaries form the backbone of Tiantai exegesis:

• Fahua Xuanyi (Profound Meanings of the Lotus) parses the Lotus Sūtra’s subtleties.
• Fahua Wuliang Hui Xiang Jing Shu (Commentary on the Sūtra of Infinite Meanings) expands on cosmic symbolism.
• Fahua Huiyuan (Assembly of the Lotus) gathers discourses and lectures, offering a panoramic view of Lotus thought.

To grasp doctrinal classification (panjiao), the Fourteenth Treatise, Zushiyi Lun (Doctrine of the Mean), is indispensable—it lays out Tiantai’s unique mapping of Buddhist teachings from provisional to perfect.

Zhanran, Zhiyi’s illustrious successor, brought further clarity. His Fahua Pinali examines how the Lotus sutra resolves apparent contradictions across scriptures. Meanwhile, Guanding’s biographies and his Xiao Zhiguan Zhu (Minor Treatise on Contemplation) illuminate early interpretive traditions and temple culture at Mount Tiantai.

For modern gateways, look to the bilingual editions by Imre Hamar and Japanese scholarship such as Kōsaka Masaaki’s work; these editions benefit from recent digitization projects at Guoqing Temple, reflecting a global push—quite timely in this digital age—toward open access to Buddhist classics.

Sprinkling these essentials—scripture, practice manual, doctrinal treatise and classical commentaries—into one’s study will draw a clear thread through Tiantai’s vision: that every phenomenon, every mind and every moment, reveals the Lotus’ boundless wisdom.