From its earliest circulation, the Lotus Sutra has stirred up no small amount of debate. Critics in Theravāda circles dismissed it as a later, even apocryphal composition—an elephant in the room for those holding the Pāli Canon as the sole authority. Skeptics argued its lofty cosmology and “One Vehicle” teaching seemed to paint with too broad a brush, overshadowing earlier discourses on arhats and gradual enlightenment.

In medieval China, certain Chan masters tolerated the Lotus Sutra’s poetic flair, while others bristled at its elaborate mythology. Tibetan traditions never fully embraced it, treating it as peripheral to Vajrayāna practice. Fast-forward to 13th-century Japan and Nichiren’s brand of exclusivism: calling any rival school “heretical” came across like a bull in a china shop, setting the stage for centuries of sectarian strife. His polemical style—even scenes of tearing up rival texts—left a mixed legacy that modern Nichiren groups still wrestle with today.

Scholars in the 20th and 21st centuries have played devil’s advocate, pointing out stylistic inconsistencies suggesting compilation over centuries. Some worry its cosmic-Buddha vision clashes with minimalist, meditation-focused approaches gaining traction in Western mindfulness circles. When a high-profile neuroscientist recently contrasted “universal Buddhahood” with secular brain studies, traditionalists felt it went down like a lead balloon.

Even politics haven’t stayed on the sidelines. During Japan’s pre-war era, certain nationalists co-opted Lotus imagery to rally unity—an ironic twist for a text preaching universal compassion. More recently, at the 2023 UN Interfaith Forum, delegates cited its message of innate Buddha-nature as a blueprint for social justice and global solidarity. Yet some participants questioned whether that broad inclusivity waters down the Sutra’s original Mahāyāna fervor.

At times a unifying beacon, at others a lightning rod for debate, the Lotus Sutra continues to spark conversations about authenticity, sectarian boundaries, and the very heart of Buddhist practice.