Inaugurated by HR Bharadwaj, Governor of Karnataka himself, the exhibition Lotus Sutra, held between 18 and 22 October at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath.


The exhibition, which was an initiative of the Bharat Soka Gakkai (B.S.G.), an Indian affiliate of Soka Gakkai, had documents and scripts from the Lotus Sutra. The same is believed to give the message of empowerment and reveal the way to attain enlightenment. Lotus Sutra, which has been compiled several years ago is widely followed by the Buddhist community from across the world. There are many people following the scripts of the Lotus Sutra many do regard it as the king of Sutras.

Preached mainly among the Buddhist community, today verses from the Lotus Sutra are one of the most sought after things for people willing to understand the facets on human values. Shakuntala Jagadish, one of the members of B.S.G. says “Our aim, through this exhibition, is to spread peace and harmony in the world through non-violence, and that’s what the verses from the Lotus Sutra talk about. It gives people an insight to the human values, which many tend to forget in the rat race of life.”  

The scripts exhibited also preached the importance of change and how bringing change in ones life can help in contributing to the overall change in the society. “It’s a human chain. A change in you which leads to the change in the society and which apparently makes the world a better place to live in. That’s what the verses from the Lotus Sutra talks about,” said Jagadish Kumar, an advocate and an active member of B.S.G. He further explains, “The verses from the Lotus Sutra talks about human values, wisdom, education, culture and so forth. It tells everything that one needs to attain, what they call, enlightenment. So, when one reads and listens to it, the same is been reciprocated.” Kumar also said that the verses were so powerful that just reading the verses from the Lotus Sutra can help one to attain enlightenment.  


Translated in more than nine languages, members of the B.S.G. believe that the verses of the Lotus Sutra if read can bring about a huge change in people’s life. Talking about the exhibition, Tina Guha, another member of the society feels fortunate that the verses have been made available in such a form. She says, “The feedback we received from people who have attended the exhibition have been great. They have left their contact details, like their e mail id’s and phone number. They have shown an interest to know more about the whole thing.”  

Bharat Soka Gakkai (B.S.G.) is the Indian affiliate of Soka Gakkai International (S.G.I.), a global association of grassroots organisations working to promote the values of peace and respect for all people through culture and education.