Before the appearance of the Lotus Sutra, many profound Mahayana ideas and philosophies had already been developed and had begun to be admired by many people. But the Mahayana was only there as a number of individuals scattered here and there. It was an expression of thought and scripture, but it was not yet there in the form of a community, an organization, or an establishment. Only when the Lotus Sutra was born, with its spirit of moderation, reconciliation, and unity, did the Mahayana begin to have a complete fourfold Sangha of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. This is the environment in which the Lotus Sutra was born, and its appearance was a very fortunate occurrence that contributed to the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism at just the right time. The Lotus Sutra applied a new method that was very compassionate

The attitude of reconciliation and harmony reflected in the Lotus Sutra was very important in the maturation of Mahayana Buddhism. Because of the Sutra’s capacity to accept and integrate the paths of all the Buddhist vehicles, it has been given the highest place in the Mahayana canon. In the Lotus Sutra the Buddha says to the bodhisattva called Beflowered by the King of Constellation, “Just as among all streams, rivers, and bodies of water the sea is the first, the Sutra of the Dharma Blossom is the deepest and greatest among the scriptures preached by the Thus Come One.” And earlier in the Sutra, the Buddha says:

Medicine King, I now proclaim to you
the scriptures that I preach;
And among these scriptures
The Dharma Blossom is foremost.