Shotoku, like As'oka, whom he very much resembled in character, was a preacher. The fact facilitates the task of the historian, for we fortunately know the texts from which he preached to the ladies and gentlemen of his aunt's court. In the year 606, two years after the promulgation of his Constitution, he lectured in his palace at Naniwa on three books, the "Saddharmapundarika Sutra," the "Vimala-Kirtti-nirdesa-sutra," and the "S'rimaladeni-simhananda-sutra." In the same year he decreed the observance of S'akyamuni's birthday. We may sum up the three Sutras by saying that the first furnished Shotoku with a manual of theology; the second, with texts on the duties of the devout layman; the third, with homilies on the duties of faithful women. On these three Sutras he preached and also composed commentaries.

The Hokekyo is an extremely well-known Sutra. It is one of a comparatively late date, for, when the five subdivisions of the Mahayana Sutras were made, it was not in existence, and Dr. Nanjo gives it to us under a

separate heading as one of the Sutras of the Mahayana not included under any of the previous five classes. It is post-Christian in its structure, and betrays acquaintance with the New Testament scriptures, an acquaintance which it may have derived through Manichaeism. It represents S'akyamuni, but not as he was in the guise of his historical life, preaching a simple life to simple persons, and bringing to the searcher after Truth in India the gospel of a relief from the fetters of caste and the possibility of attaining to a Nirvana of rest and freedom, without penances or austerities, by a simple placing of trust in Himself and a following along the noble Eightfold Path of Right Actions, Right Views, Right Aspirations. It represents Him as the Eternal Buddha, without beginning and without end, manifested in India as Gotama, but manifested often both before and since. It represents him spiritually present with his people, giving them His spiritual Body for their worship, with four great Ministers before Him, and surrounded with a glorious company which no man can number, of perfected saints who rise to greet Him out of the clefts of the earth. And, if we may judge from the fact that all the images which came to Japan in those early days were images of Amida, with or without his great son and representative Kwannon (Avalokites'vara) and his other minister Seishi (Mah'asthamaprapta), we shall infer that Shotoku identified the glorified S'akyamuni of the Hokekyo, the counterpart, to use no stronger expression, of our Christ, with the Great Buddha, Amitabha, as do the Shinshuists to-day.

The other two Sutras are not so well known, neither