Shifting towards the Lotus Sutra

The shift in Traditional Buddhism towards accepting the concepts of the Lotus Sutra, supports the view that the Buddha’s final teaching (of the Lotus Sutra) was preached to unify all previous Buddhist teachings.

For this reason the Lotus Sutra refers to the Theravada’s concept of Nirvana, and it also refers to the early-Mahayana concept of Amida’s Pure Land – for the purpose of unifying and transforming both concepts into its ultimate teaching of the universal dharma (the Mystic Law):

“The Lotus Sutra also reveals the true meanings of nirvana and the pure land.
According to the sutra, we do not have to stop the cycle of birth and death in order to
enter nirvana. Rather, nirvana is the state of enlightenment in which, as we repeat
the cycle of birth and death, we come to terms with that cycle and it no longer is a
source of suffering.

Moreover, the pure land does not necessarily lie beyond death. We dwell in the pure
land here and now if we believe in the Lotus Sutra, which reveals that we can
transform this world — filled as it is with suffering and sorrow — into a pure land
full of joy and hope”. (D.Ikeda, Unlocking the Mysteries of Life and Death,page 6)