The Lotus Sutra has become a living current within global Buddhist practice by affirming that Buddhahood is universally accessible. Its insistence that all beings can attain enlightenment, regardless of social status, gender, or monastic standing, has encouraged lay-centered and egalitarian forms of Buddhism. This vision undergirds movements that place lay practitioners, women, and marginalized groups at the heart of religious life, challenging older hierarchical assumptions. In many communities, this has translated into an emphasis on “Buddhahood in daily life,” where ordinary work, family, and social responsibilities are treated as the very field of practice rather than as obstacles to it.

Perhaps the most visible expression of the Sutra’s influence is the family of Nichiren-derived traditions that regard it as the supreme teaching. The practice of chanting the daimoku—Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō—flows directly from devotion to this scripture and has spread widely through organizations such as Soka Gakkai International, which is active in many countries. These movements present faith in the Lotus Sutra as a direct path to awakening in this lifetime, combining recitation with study and community activities. Other Lotus-centered groups similarly integrate sutra recitation, copying, and the creation of mandalas with social service, counseling, and interfaith dialogue, treating devotion to the text as inseparable from concern for the wider world.

The Sutra has also shaped the ritual and liturgical life of Buddhist communities, especially in East Asia and wherever those traditions have taken root. Chapters such as “Skillful Means,” “The Eternal Life of the Tathāgata,” and the “Universal Gate” of Avalokiteśvara are regularly chanted in temples, funerals, memorials, and protective rites. These passages support a view of the Buddha as eternally present and accessible, and they nourish widespread devotion to Avalokiteśvara/Guanyin/Kannon as an embodiment of boundless compassion. Through such practices, the text is not merely studied but ritually enacted, allowing its imagery and promises of universal salvation to permeate communal life.

At the level of doctrine and interpretation, the Lotus Sutra has encouraged an inclusive understanding of the Buddhist path. Its teaching of the “one vehicle” has been taken to mean that diverse practices—whether Zen meditation, Pure Land recitation, or esoteric rituals—ultimately converge on the same awakening. This has supported ecumenical attitudes within Mahāyāna traditions and has resonated with interfaith efforts that seek common ground among religions. The bodhisattva ideal presented in the Sutra has further inspired socially engaged forms of Buddhism, where compassionate action for peace, human rights, and environmental care is seen as an authentic expression of the vow to liberate all beings.

Finally, the Lotus Sutra has left a deep imprint on Buddhist culture and study, which in turn shapes contemporary practice. Its parables, imagery, and doctrines appear in art, theater, literature, and modern educational materials, carrying its message beyond strictly religious settings. Contemporary translations and commentaries have made it a central text for many students of Buddhism, influencing how Mahāyāna ideals of universal Buddha-nature, skillful means, and compassionate engagement are understood. In this way, the Sutra functions both as a revered scripture and as a wellspring of inspiration for practitioners seeking to embody enlightenment amid the complexities of modern life.